Introduction: In today’s blog, we cover the most searched user query “How to backup IMAP emails to PST”? If you have the same question and are looking for a solution, this post will help you to find the perfect answer to your query. So let’s start step by step.
Table of Content
Introduction of IMAP
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is a standard protocol used by several email clients to retrieve and manage email from email servers. It allows emails to remain on the server, allowing users to send emails from any internet-connected device and access them anytime, anywhere.
When using IMAP, emails are stored in folders on the mail server and users can access the emails and folders from any IMAP-compatible email client like Outlook, Thunderbird, and others. It is also supported by web-based clients and mobile devices. In addition, IMAP supports advanced features like searching, filtering, and more.
Why Prefer PST over IMAP?
- To backup IMAP email to PST, users can save their emails on a desktop or external hard drive. It protects your email if anything goes wrong with your IMAP account.
- If users are thinking of switching from one email client to another or from one email service to another, experts recommend exporting your old account emails and moving them to the new account or new email client. If you export IMAP to PST, you can easily open your emails in your Outlook account.
- With IMAP you can access your email data online. However, if you want to access them offline, exporting IMAP emails to PST comes in handy.
Methods to Backup IMAP Email to PST File
There are two methods that will help you to export IMAP emails to Outlook PST file.
1. Backup Emails to PST Without Outlook via IMAP Backup Wizard
2. Manual Method Using Outlook Application
The following section will give you the step-by-step procedure for both methods. In the end, you can choose any method according to your needs and ease.
Professionally Export IMAP to PST Without Outlook
Yota Email Backup Wizard is the all-one solution to download and export emails from all IMAP accounts. It let you backup IMAP email to PST file without installing Outlook and other applications. The software comes with a simplified interface that any beginner can access to save IMAP emails locally without having technical knowledge. Along with PST, you can convert emails from IMAP to PDF files with the help of the software.
With this, you can export Gmail to PST file and export emails from any IMAP-based email service. You only have to enter the valid login details of your IMAP account to start the procedure. It also provides you an option to browse and select a location where you want to save the exported PST file.
Moreover, the software shows you a quick preview of your account email data including all the attached information. You can also apply filters on emails according to the subject, name, date, time, cc, etc. This way you can only backup required emails from your IMAP account. It also allows you to migrate IMAP to Office 365 account, IMAP to Gmail, and others.
Steps to Backup IMAP Emails to PST Without Outlook are;
Step 1. Launch Yota Backup Tool and click Open > Email Accounts > Add Account.
Step 2. Type your email id, password, and IMAP server details of your account.
Step 3. After preceding emails, click Export and select PST format from the list.
Step 4. Then pick a folder to store PST file and hit on the Save button.
That’s all!
Manual Method to Export IMAP to PST Using Outlook
Before moving forward, let us clear that this manual approach has two steps to backup IMAP email to PST. First, you need to configure IMAP account with Outlook, and secondly export IMAP email to PST.
Note: You need to install Outlook installation on your system to complete this task.
- First of all, open the Outlook application and configure your account.
- Then Go to the File option > Open and Export > Import/Export.
- The Import and Export Wizard will appear. Here, select Export to File from the list.
- Select the Outlook Data File (.pst) option and click Next.
- Then select the mailboxes you want to export.
- Next, assign a destination using the Browse button to save PST.
- In the end, click the Finish button.
Limitations of the Manual Approach
- During the configuration, there are many chances that you will encounter errors
- A time-consuming process that takes hours
- This operation requires technical knowledge to avoid data loss
- You cannot export selected or required emails from your account
- It does not work with all versions of Microsoft Outlook
Conclusion
Creating a backup is the best way to protect your data and access your system offline. Here we have discussed the methods you can use to backup IMAP email to PST file with or without Outlook. Manually, you can export IMAP to PST using the Outlook application, which also has some limitations. On the other hand, with the recommended IMAP Migration Tool, you can export IMAP emails to PST without Outlook in just a few clicks.