How to Backup IMAP Email Locally? (Top 3 Backup Method – 2023)

What is an IMAP?

IMAP is an Internet Message Access Protocol. Multiple methods are available for assessing your Emails on an Email server, including IMAP, POP ( Post Office Protocol), and SMTP ( Sending and Receiving) Emails. Through IMAP, you can access your Emails from any device. You do not need to download your Emails from the server; you just need to connect your Email Client to the server and use it.

Why does take backup IMAP emails locally?

Taking backups of IMAP emails locally is done for several reasons:

• Local backups of IMAP server mailboxes allow you to view your emails even when you are not connected to the internet. This is especially important while traveling or experiencing internet disruptions.
• If your email service has an outage or data loss, maintaining a local backup guarantees that you do not lose critical emails.
• Local backups of IMAP emails make it easier to migrate your old emails to the new account when moving IMAP emails to a different email provider.
• Storage limitations or retention regulations may be imposed by email providers. Local backups allow you to save emails forever.
• Local backups of IMAP emails are valuable for researchers, journalists, and anybody else who wants to analyze and reference previous email data.
• Email service providers may encounter data loss due to technical faults or other unanticipated situations. Local backups of IMAP Server Mailboxes can assist protect against such eventualities.

Now after knowing the reason, let’s move towards how to back up IMAP Emails Manually and professionally.

How to Backup IMAP Emails Locally using Verified Solutions

To back up IMAP Emails locally we have discussed both the manual and professional procedures.

• Manual Method
• Professional Method

However manual procedures for Windows and Mac are different which are elaborated below. Let’s begin first with the manual procedure for Windows.

Method 01: Backup IMAP Emails to Local Folder using Microsoft Outlook

To backup IMAP emails locally using Microsoft Outlook, Follow the Given Steps:

Step 1. Open Microsoft Outlook.

• If you don’t already have Outlook installed on your system, you’ll need to download and install it.

Step 2. Configure IMAP Account.

• If you haven’t configured IMAP account, you should add your IMAP email account to Outlook. Set up your IMAP email account by going to the “File” menu, selecting “Add Account,” and following the steps.

Step 3. Create a New PST File.

• You must create a new PST file to save the backup.

Step 4. Import IMAP Mailbox Folder to PST.

After you’ve generated the new PST file, import your IMAP folders and emails into it:

• Right-click on the newly created PST file in the navigation pane (left side of Outlook).
• Select “New Folder” to create a folder structure similar to your IMAP account.
• Right-click on the new folder and choose “Import and Export.”
• In the Import and Export Wizard, select “Import from another program or file” and click “Next.”
• Choose “Personal Folder File (.pst)” and click “Next.”
• Browse to the location of your IMAP mailbox (usually under your email account’s name) and select the folders you want to backup.
• Select the newly created folder within your PST file as the destination.
• Choose whether to allow duplicates to be created and click “Next.”
• Set options for how to handle imported items and click “Finish.”

Step 5. Start IMAP Email Backup Locally process.

• Outlook will start importing the selected folders and emails into the new PST file.

Method 02: Backup IMAP Emails Locally on Mac using Apple Mail

Follow these general steps to backup IMAP emails locally using Apple Mail:

Step 1. Open Apple Mail:

• Runs the Mail app on your macOS computer.

Step 2. Configure IMAP Account with Apple Mail.

• If your IMAP account is not already configured in Apple Mail, you must do so. Set up your IMAP email account by going to “Mail” > “Add Account” and following the directions.

Step 3. Create a Backup IMAP Mailbox.

You may backup your IMAP emails by creating a local mailbox into which you will transfer or duplicate the emails. Here’s how it’s done:

• Right-click (or Control-click) on the “Mailboxes” sidebar on the left.
• Select “New Mailbox.”
• Choose the location for the mailbox (e.g., “On My Mac”) and provide a name for the mailbox.
• Click “OK.”

Step 4. Copy or Move IMAP Emails to Local Folder.

Once the backup mailbox has been setup, you may begin copying or transferring emails from your IMAP folders to this local mailbox:

• Navigate to your IMAP account’s folders in the “Mailboxes” sidebar.
• Select the emails or folders you want to backup.
• Right-click (or Control-click) on the selected items.
• Choose either “Copy To” or “Move To,” then select the backup mailbox you created.

Step 5. Repeat for Each Folder you want to backup.

Step 6. Apple Mail will copy or move the selected emails from the IMAP server to your local mailbox.

Demerits of using the Manual Method

Manual methods are workable, but over time, we are aware that they possess multiple Demerits as well:

• The manual method is time-consuming and lengthy to back up IMAP Emails.
• There is a High Risk of Data Loss in migrating data through manual Procedures.
• This procedure is only applicable to moving one file at a time. So, you have to perform the same process for every desired email.
• This method is not suitable for heavy mailbox items. Also, other mailbox items, such as Contacts, Calendars, events etc, cannot be migrated.

Method 03: Backup IMAP Server Email Locally using Professional Solution

The IMAP Backup software is the most comprehensive and effective solution to back up IMAP Emails of various domains and servers without any data loss. Moreover, this software maintains the folder hierarchy and Data Integrity throughout the data Backup process. With the help of this tool, you can migrate IMAP Account emails into your Office 365, Gmail, G Suite, and IMAP accounts. Now let’s discuss the step-by-step procedure to use this tool.

Follow the Given Steps to Backup IMAP Emails Locally on Windows

1. Download, Launch, and Run the IMAP Backup Tool on your System.
2. Select Batch Mode( Multiple Email Accounts) to back up the multiple Email Accounts Locally.
3. Click the Import CSV Button option to browse the user’s ID file.
4. Choose the CSV File from your system and click on the Open Button.
5. After this, the tool will show all the IMAP Enabled IDs in a list form. All you need to do is choose the required one here and hit the Next Button.
6. A Tree Structure will be loaded containing all the source IMAP ID folders. Choose the desired folders and Hit the Next Button. 
7. Choose the File format /Email Client for Backup option from the drop-down; we have selected PST as the Saving option here. And Hit the Next Button. After this, a new page will appear with multiple features. Choose the desired feature as per your need.
8. Click the Convert Button and download IMAP Emails Locally.

Step-by-Step Guideline to Backup IMAP Mailboxes Locally on Mac

1. Install and Run the Mac IMAP Backup Tool on the Mac system.
2. Select the option Import CSV to browse the user’s ID file.
3. Select the CSV File from your Mac system. When you open the file, the software will show all the IMAP – Enabled IDs in a list form. Choose the required one here and click on the Next option.
4. After this, a tree structure loaded with all the source IMAP ID folders will appear on the screen. Select the required folder and click on the Next Button.
5. In the file, format/E-Mail Client for Backup option on the Other page, choose the format you want to migrate your IMAP mailbox data. Here from the drop-down, choose an option PST file format.
6. Choose the Destination Path, Log Path, and Hit on the Next Button.
7. After this, a new page will appear with multiple features same as in Windows. Choose the features as per your requirement and hit the Convert button.

Conclusion:

We explained both manual and professional solutions to take backups of IMAP emails locally on Mac and Windows Operating Systems. In the manual process, we used Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail email clients and explained the steps to easily back up IMAP email locally. But, the manual process is time-consuming, and chance of data loss is very high. So, I recommended professional solutions to back up IMAP email locally on Mac and Windows without any data loss, which is given in this blog. If you know the other methods then you can reply to me.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Post