How to Export IMAP Email Data to PST – Top 2 Methods

IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. It is a standard protocol that provides you flexibility for accessing and managing email messages on a mail server. That means using IMAP you can access your emails from any location or device. Any email account that uses the IMAP protocol to retrieve and store email messages is an IMAP account.

Why Export IMAP Mailbox to PST?

Well, you might be wondering why users export IMAP to PST. Here are some of the advantages of backing up an IMAP account to PST:

• Local Backup: Store your email data on a local drive, creating a secure backup.
• Offline Access: Access your emails without an internet connection.
• Data Recovery: Retrieve emails in case of accidental deletion or server issues.
• Cost Efficiency: Reduce storage costs by archiving old emails locally.

These are some of the significant reasons why people back up or migrate IMAP account data to PST. Next, let us dive deeper into the blog to learn how to transfer IMAP mailbox data to a PST file. We will discuss both- the manual process and an automated tool.

#1. Free Method to Export IMAP to PST

To manually export IMAP mailbox to PST you need to follow two major steps. They are:

1. Configure the IMAP account to Outlook
2. Export Mailbox data to PST

Now, let us go through the blog further and learn the stepwise procedure to migrate IMAP account emails.

Step 1: Configure your IMAP Account to Outlook

• Launch Outlook.
• In the File Menu, expand Account Settings and select Account Settings.
• The Account settings Window opens, Click New to add a new account.
• Scroll Down to select ‘Manual setup or additional server types’ and hit Next.
• Then, choose “POP or IMAP.”
• Enter User Information, Server Information, and Logon Information. Then click on More Settings.
• Open the ‘Outgoing Server’ tab and check the ‘My outgoing server requires authentication’ checkbox.
• Move to the Advanced tab and enter 993 for Incoming server (IMAP); SSL for “Use the following type of encrypted connection”; 587 for Outgoing Server (SMTP); and then, “TLS” for “Use the following type of encrypted connection”.
• Then click Ok >> Next >> Finish.

This will export IMAP mailbox data in Outlook and you can see all your emails in Outlook. So, moving forward, we need to export emails from Outlook to PST file format.

Step 2: Export IMAP Mailbox Data to PST

Finally, to export IMAP to PST, follow the steps mentioned below:

• Restart Outlook and open the File
• Select Open & Export and then the Import/Export
• Then, choose the Export to a File
• Further, select the Outlook data file (.pst) Hit Next.
• Select the IMAP mailbox folders and hit Next.
• Click on the Browse button to navigate to the saving location and tap Finish to finally export mailboxes from IMAP to PST.

The manual method is quite effective, but it has some shortcomings. Such as it is a lengthy and time-consuming process. Additionally, if you are a novice user you may get confused and risk your data loss. Therefore, experts suggest using professional tools for secure migration.

Also Read: How to Fix Thunderbird Not Downloading New Messages Issue

#2. Experts Solution to Export IMAP to PST

If you want to skip the complicated manual procedure, the DRS Softech IMAP Backup Tool is a better choice. The tool efficiently transfers your IMAP mailbox data to various file formats and email clients. The software is designed with innovative features and a self-explanatory GUI, which simplifies the migration process. You get multiple migration options to provide you with precise Output. Moreover, the tool performs secure and swift migration without hampering the originality of data. Furthermore, wide compatibility and smooth working across every version of Windows make the tool an incomparable utility to export IMAP mailbox data in Outlook.

Noteworthy Features of the tool

• Supports migration from single as well as multiple IMAP accounts at once.
• Backup IMAP mailbox into PST, EML, CSV, PDF, MBOX, and other file formats.
• Migrate IMAP to Google Workspace, Office 365, Gmail, IMAP, and FastMail.
• Eliminate duplicate emails based on subject, body, to, and from.
• Migrate emails without attachment files and save attachments separately.
• You can export IMAP to PST from a specific date range.
• Option to split the resultant oversized PST file into multiple smaller files.

Steps to Use software?

• Download and run the DRS IMAP Backup Tool.
• Enter your Email Address, Password, Port, and Host. Click on Login.
• Now, you will see a mailbox preview of your IMAP account.
• Select the necessary folders you want to migrate and hit Next.
• Then, choose PST from the field of file format/email clients. Click Next.
• Choose appropriate filters for accurate migration and click Convert.

As soon as you click Convert, the tool will begin to export IMAP mailbox to PST. This way you can easily export all your data from an IMAP account to PST without wasting much time.

However, if you are new to any third-party application, the tool has a demo version. It will help you evaluate how it’s working before you purchase the license. Also, you can migrate 50 emails per folder for free.

Conclusion

Hence, this was all about how to export IMAP to PST. We have mentioned a manual solution to perform the task as well as a professional IMAP backup tool. However, the professional tool is highly recommended by experts for its efficiency and data security.

Related Post: Migrate Emails From cPanel to cPanel.

About The Author:

Shivam Rathore

Shivam is a digital marketer and technical content writer at DRS Solution®, specializing in topics like databases, email recovery, and migration solutions. She enjoys researching and crafting content that assists database administrators, businesses, and beginners in resolving various issues related to MS SQL, MySQL, and Microsoft Exchange.