How to Backup Mailbird Safely and Effectively
Nowadays, Email is one of the most valuable digital assets for a working professional, because it stores business discussions, important attachments, etc. Most users think that their emails are safe as they are able to access them on their email client but that’s not always true. If you are using Mailbird and planning to switch platforms and don’t know how to backup Mailbird.
I wrote this article to help you understand how to do it safely with different methods, share some best practices, and suggest a third-party solution to do it.
Why Backing Up Mailbird Emails Is Important
Before learning how to backup Mailbird, it is important to understand why it is important to back up Mailbird emails in the first place. Mailbird is an email client that connects to IMAP or POP accounts. Basically, it means that your emails are not stored by Mailbird in a portable format. Most of the users lose emails because of:
- When the system crashes
- Accidental deletion
- Email account suspension
- Malware or ransomware attacks
- Reinstalling Windows
In real-world scenarios, some users also face errors like IMAP authentication failed, which can block access to their mailbox and make the absence of a backup even more risky. When users experience any of these incidents they search for Mailbird export emails options and get to know that Mailbird doesn’t offer a direct export button.
Understanding Mailbird Email Storage
In order to better understand how to backup Mailbird, it is important to know how Mailbird stores data. Basically Mailbird synchronizes emails from your email provider (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) using IMAP or POP protocols. Let’s understand them in simple words:
- Mailbird doesn’t store emails in any format like PST or MBOX.
- Emails stay on the server and are not stored locally
- Locally stored data is not designed for direct export
Sometimes users notice issues where an IMAP folder is not properly syncing, which leads to missing emails and further complicates recovery attempts. These are some limitations that make Mailbird export emails a hard process compared to Outlook or Thunderbird.
Manual Method: Using Email Server Backup (Limited)
This is the basic way to understand how to backup Mailbird manually, for that you need to rely on the email provider itself. If Mailbird is connected via IMAP, then it is possible that your email is stored on the server. Personally, I don’t consider this an actual backup because:
- For any reason if the account get delete or hacked you lose your emails
- It is impossible to restore emails locally without reconfiguration
- There is no assurance that you will get the offline access
In some cases, users also face connection errors such as IMAP server timeout, making the server dependency unreliable. This method lacks credibility and is not reliable for long-term protection.
Copy-Paste Method (Not Recommended)
I have seen users try to copy emails manually to local folders or documents when searching for Mailbird export email methods. Personally, I don’t recommend this method at all. Here’s the reason why:
- Time-consuming process
- No guarantee that attachments stay intact
- Email metadata (date, sender, subject) is lost
- Not ideal for large mailboxes
This is a temporary method that works only with a few emails and this is not the right approach for backing up data.
Why Manual Options Fall Short
At this point, most users realized that how to backup Mailbird emails using a manual method is not a wise decision nor secure. Mailbird doesn’t offer an export feature, which is a major limitation. Features that any users want are:
- A complete mailbox backup
- Folder structure stays intact
- Attachments don’t get missed
- Offline access without Mailbird
After realizing that Mailbird doesn’t offer these features, many users, including me searched for professional solutions become mandatory. These failures users can also face when they want to archive IMAP emails.
Professional Solution that Is Worth Trying
I have used multiple solutions and analyzed some real cases. I realised that using an IMAP-based solution is an effective way to handle Mailbird export emails. That’s where I came across to a professional and trustworthy solution, the SysTools IMAP Backup Software which is designed to back up emails from IMAP-supported clients like Mailbird.
I recommend this tool to everyone because:
- It connects directly to the email server used by Mailbird
- Don’t rely on Mailbird’s internal storage
- Secure authentication
- Reliable performance
This tool also help users who want to export IMAP to PST .This is the right way to deal with how to backup Mailbird emails without risking data. Here are the key benefits of using this backup tool:
- No risk of data loss
- Faster backup process
- Suitable for large mailboxes
- Ideal for business and compliance needs
- Easy email restoration
How IMAP Backup Tool Works with Mailbird
The things that need to be understood are that Mailbird is just a bridge between you and your email server. This tool connects to the same server and extracts emails directly. Using this tool, you can do:
- Back up a large mailbox quickly
- Select specific folders
- Original folder stays as it is
- Export emails in standard formats
These are the features that make Mailbird export emails manageable for beginners and people with non technical background. It also supports advanced requirements such as convert IMAP emails to MSG for users who want individual email files.
How to Backup Mailbird Emails Using This Tool
Here are simple steps that I recommend when explaining how to back up Mailbird professionally:
- Run the tool on any Windows or Mac

- Choose any file format you want, i.e. PST, MBOX, EML, PDF, and MSG. For example Outlook (PST)

- Mark the email box and leverage the date filter option if desired

- Select Mailbird in the IMAP Server option

- Now initiate the export procedure by hitting the Start button

Best Practices for Mailbird Email Backup
Based on my experience, here are some best practices:
- Schedule backups regularly
- Store backups on external drives or cloud storage
- Verify backups after completion
- Keep more than one backup copy
Keeping these best practices in mind makes sure your Mailbird export emails process goes smoothly without any hassle.
Author’s Verdict
Now you know that understanding how to backup Mailbird emails is not an option anymore it is necessary. As Mailbird doesn’t offer any export feature and going with the manual methods can be risky. I strongly recommend using a professional solution that we have discussed above because it gives you the safest route and it is a flexible way to perform Mailbird export emails without risking data loss.
If you have important emails and want a long term and offline accessibility, going with the right approach will save you from future hassle.
FAQs
Q. How to back up Mailbird email?
You can use the manual method but I recommend going with the professional solution as it is reliable.
Q. What is the safest way to backup Mailbird emails?
Using an IMAP-based backup tool is the safest and most reliable method.
Q. Is it possible to backup Mailbird emails without Mailbird installed?
Yes, you can do this by connecting directly to the email account via IMAP
Q. Using copy-paste Mailbird backup method reliable?
Frankly speaking, this is not reliable as it is time-consuming and leads to incomplete backups
Q. Is it possible to export emails directly from Mailbird?
No, as mailbird don’t offer any option to export emails directly