Backup IMAP Email to PST – Quick Techniques for Backup Task
Summary: The main objective of writing this article is to explained the methods to backup IMAP email to PST for non-technical users. We will also be explaining a few basic things about IMAP in case you have no technical knowledge. Without wasting anymore time, let’s jump right into it!
It doesn’t matter if you are working as a professional or a self-employed individual, you are definitely using emails as a way of communication for your work. There are various desktop-based email clients used for emailing service, one of them being Outlook, the mostly used service.
Since IMAP protocol is an email standard for synchronization of the data in the server with your email client, it is important to backup IMAP to PST.
IMAP allows you to see the email subject and body and the email client can be set up on any digital device for accessing emails. Being flexible, IMAP permits deleting or moving the emails without downloading them to the system.
Yet, IMAP data is vulnerable to threats like any other digital data. This is why, it is important to backup your data regularly to keep the data and mailboxes secure.
You must be wondering why to export data as Outlook data file. There are a number of reasons for that explained later. First, let’s go to the backup method.
Successful Technique to Backup IMAP Email to PST
One method which can take complete backup of the data without wasting much time and effort is by using the Mac IMAP Backup Tool. This software is capable of exporting the required data directly from the email client and in bulk with no sign of data-loss or corruption.
It is possible to export the data according to a certain time-period by activating Date-Filter and the data can also be deleted after completing the process by using Delete after Download feature.
Also Read: How do I Backup My IMAP Email on My Mac OS?
Let’s take a look at the steps of the software to learn the process for backup.
How Does the Tool Backup IMAP to PST?
The software can create a backup of the data by following these simple steps:
1. Run the tool and select the email client to backup data from. Fill in the credentials for your account and hit Login.
2. Now, choose the file format, PST in this case, and click on the Advance Settings option.
3. Apply the Date-Filter and set the size of files in Split PST option if required.
4. Click on the Change button to set the destination location of end results.
5. Press the Start Backup button to finish the process to backup IMAP email to PST.
During the process, you also have the option to mark the Maintain Folder Hierarchy and Delete After Download options. Other than PST, there are various other file formats that the software allows to take backup is i.e. PDF, EML EMLX, MSG, HTML, & TXT.
Manual Technique to Create Backup of the Data
There is another method that can be used for the same operation that can be performed using Outlook’s Import/Export feature. But for that, users must have Outlook installed on their local storage and synchronize their account with Outlook and then backup IMAP email to PST.
Since the synchronization takes a lot of time to show the data in the email client, it is not a recommended method for those who do not have any time to waste.
If you still want to export the data using this method, following given are the steps for it:
1. Launch Outlook application and click on the File tab.
2. Select the Open & Export option and press the Import/Export button.
3. Click on the Export to a file option in the Import & Export window and hit Next.
4. To backup IMAP to PST, choose Outlook data file (.pst) from the given options, and click on Next.
5. Choose the folder you want to take backup of and tap on Next.
6. Hit Browse for destination location and click Finish.
Remember: This method can only export one mailbox at a time. The process will be completed in a while, depending upon the size of the data. It could take time if there is a lot of data and the files are large. Also, if an error occurs, there is a possibility you could lose your data.
Why to Backup IMAP Email to PST and Not Other Formats?
As Outlook is the most popularly used email client among various large enterprises, a lot of users depend on it for creating a backup of their data. And only PST files are accessible in Outlook. There are other reasons like:
- There may be a need to access the data in offline mode for which users need to download the emails.
- To keep the data away and safe from vulnerabilities like unnecessary or un-organized threats, it is important to backup IMAP to PST and download it on the local system.
- At times, IMAP data may be listed with the subject life for which they get loaded when trying to open the mail. This causes trouble to the users and taking a backup can solve it.
In a Nutshell
You may find a hundred reasons why you should create a backup of your data but the main reason is to keep it safe from the threats that may cause data-loss. Losing data is not a suitable situation for anyone which is why experts recommend to backup IMAP email to PST for safety.
Either of the methods explained above can perform this operation for you. Only, the manual method may take a lot of time if there is data in bulk. On the other hand, the software will take the complete backup of various mailboxes without any hindrances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1 How can I use this software for downloading all my data?
Ans. Follow these steps:
Step 1 – Download the tool and login to your account.
Step 2 – Choose the file format and apply filters.
Step 3 – Navigate to pick a destination path.
Step 4 – Hit the Start Backup button to complete the process.
Q.2 Are there any modifications made to the data files or the folder structure?
Ans. No, the data and the folder structure are kept the same. The Maintain Folder Hierarchy feature allows you to keep the structure maintained.
Q.3 Can I export files from a specific time-range without wasting a lot of time?
Ans. Indeed, you have the Date-Filter option which will allow you to set the dates to choose a time-zone from which your required files can be exported.
