How to Securely Archive IMAP Emails?

You run out of IMAP mailbox space? And thinking of archiving your important emails. Then you are in the right place. Here, I will explain how you can archive IMAP emails in different email applications. But, before that, let’s understand why you need to archive the emails.

Nowadays, IMAP is used in most email applications, including desktop email clients. Unlike POP, this email protocol keeps your emails in the online mail server. Which makes it easier for you to accesss your data from any device. Although your data is safe in the server, keeping it in an online platform can cause you problems, like a large IMAP mailbox and the theft of your sensitive data. To avoid this problem. Archiving your data is best for you.

Why You Need to Archive IMAP Emails?

Archiving emails means moving your emails from the main IMAP mailbox to another folder. This folder properly stores your data for unlimited times. So, in the future, when you need old emails, you can easily access them. The reason why users must archive their IMAP emails is because of several factors, like.

• In IMAP, all the emails are stored on the server. So, your account will quickly hit its storage limit. In that case, if you archive your emails, you will have the space to store more data.
• There is a risk of accidental data loss, server crashes, or hacking the account. To protect from these issues. Archiving is the best option.
• For a business perspective, it is important to archive the important communication for audits and any legal matters.
• To make your IMAP mailbox clutter-free, archiving it will be easy, and managing it will be.
• Whenever you want to see your data from anywhere. An archive folder would be mushc simpler and reliable solution.

So, these are the reasons why you need to archive IMAP emails. Now, for the methods, I have found several ways to archive your data, which I am going to explain in the next section of the article.

How to Archive IMAP Emails in Outlook?

If you are using MS Outlook, then archiving your IMAP emails will be easier. The process of archiving the data is the same as archiving regular emails. But first, configure your IMAP account in Outlook, and then archive them using these steps.

1. First of all, go to the File >> Options >> Advanced button.
2. Now, click on the AutoArchive Settings and choose Run AutoArchive every n days.
3. Set your desired frequency and choose other options like whether to be prompted before archiving and if expired items should be deleted.
4. Click on the Browse button from Move old items to and click on the PST file. Hit OK.
5. Go to your IMAP account and choose the folder you want to archive. Right-click on it.
6. Click on the Properties button and then the AutoArchive option.
7. Select Archive this folder using the settings and configure the preferences. Hit the OK button.

Archive IMAP Emails from Thunderbird

If you use Thunderbird, then follow the steps below to see how to archive IMAP emails. Ensure you have first configured your IMAP account.

1. In Thunderbird, at the top-right corner of the screen. Click the three bars as a menu button.
2. Select the Account Settings option. and then Copies and Folders.
3. In the Message Archives section, click on Keep message archives in and select the local folders option.
4. Choose your IMAP emails that you want to archive.
5. Click on the Archive button. The Thunderbird automatically moves the emails to the Archives folder.

Move IMAP Emails to Archive using Apple Mail

In Apple Mail, you can use the built-in archive feature to perform the job. First of all, sync the IMAP account in Apple Mail. Then,

1. Select the emails you want to archive from the configured IMAP account.
2. Click on the Archive option from the Mail menu. Alternatively, you can go to the Message option and then the Archive button.
3. Your IMAP emails will automatically move to the Archive mailbox.

These are all the manual ways to archive IMAP emails. They are simple and free to use. However, not all emails can be archived. Also, some of you may have difficulties in configuring your IMAP account. For this reason, I have a perfect solution for you.

Use Professional Tool to Archive Emails from IMAP Account

If you don’t want to use the above methods to archive your emails. Then, try to use SysTools IMAP Backup Tool. An automated tool that can easily archive your emails from any IMAP-enabled account. The utility is created to backup your data. But you can use it to save your IMAP emails into different file formats and store them on your local device. To use this tool, follow the steps below.

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Steps to Archive IMAP Emails

1. First, download the software and run it on your device.
   
2. Click on the IMAP option and choose any destination options you want.
   
3. Select the Email option and use the date filter to sort out the emails you want to save.
   
4. Choose the IMAP server and validate it.
   
5. Set a destination location where you desire.
   
6. Also, add the user by clicking Download template and submitting the CSV in Import Users.
   
7. Lastly, click on the Start Backup option.
   

Final Words

If you don’t know how to archive IMAP emails, read the complete article. Here, I have explained the steps to archive your IMAP account in different IMAP accounts, including Outlook, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail. I have mainly explained their in-built archive features. If you are having a problem following the manual methods. Then, use the professional software that can also be used to move your data to a secure place.