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Claws Mail Backup: Secure Your Entire Email Setup in Minutes

  Tej Pratap Shukla
Written By Tej Pratap Shukla
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Modified On January 29th, 2026
Reading Time 8 Min Read

If you use Claws Mail as your daily email client, then you already know it stores everything locally on your system:

  • Emails
  • Folders
  • Account settings
  • Filters and rules
  • Plugins
  • Address books
  • Preferences

That means if your system crashes, gets corrupted, or you switch machines without a Claws Mail backup, you lose everything.

If you’re here, you’re well aware of these risks of data inaccessibility or permanent deletion. 

But your search ends here. In this guide, I’ll share tried-and-tested methods to quickly create a backup of Claws Mail. If you’re still unsure whether you need a backup, let me first explain the key reasons so you can make a quick and informed decision.

Why Claws Mail Backup Is Important

Claws Mail is a desktop-based client which saves your account data locally in MH (Message Handling) format by default. The MH format stores your every email individually. For instance, if you have 100 emails, Claws Mail stores them as 100 separate files in MH format in the backend.

But, as we discussed, any crash or system issue will lead to permanent deletion of data. Here are the points that support why taking an email backup is a wise decision:

  • Protects emails, folders, and attachments from system crashes or disk failures
  • Saves account settings, filters, and custom configurations
  • Prevents data loss during OS reinstallation or system upgrade
  • Makes it easy to move Claws Mail to a new computer
  • Helps recover data after accidental deletion or file corruption

Now that you understand why a backup is essential, let’s see where Claws Mail stores its data on your system, so you can make a complete replica of your account.

Where Claws Mail Stores Its Data

Claws Mail stores all data inside a hidden directory in your home folder:

On Linux

~/.claws-mail

On Windows

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\claws-mail

On macOS

/Users/<username>/.claws-mail

This single folder contains:

  • All emails
  • Account settings
  • Preferences
  • Filters and rules
  • Address book
  • Signatures
  • Plugins config

This is the only folder you need to back up. 

Now that you know exactly which files and folders contain your entire Claws Mail data, you’re ready to proceed with the actual backup process. Next, let me explain the same.

How to Perform Claws Mail Backup Process?

Before starting with the methods, make sure Claws Mail is completely closed. This prevents errors like IMAP authentication failed and ensures a complete backup. Since all emails are stored locally in specific folders, the backup process involves copying that directory safely. Once Claws Mail is closed, you can proceed with the method that best suits your situation:

#Method 1. Manual Folder Download

This is the most straightforward technique. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Open your file explorer, depending on your OS (Finder/Explorer/File Manager).
  2. Search the Claws Mail data folder where your MH mail and config files are stored.
  3. Select the entire directory that contains your Claws Mail data.
  4. Copy the folder (Ctrl + C / right-click Copy).
  5. Paste it to your backup location, like an external drive.

That’s it! Within 5 quick steps, your entire folder data is copied locally. It is suggested to keep this copy updated regularly by repeating the same instructions.

#Method 2. Create a Compressed Backup Archive

If you want a single backup file, instead of multiple ones, then this will be your go-to. Just, you have to compress the folder by following these steps, and as a result, you get a zip file. Here’s how to archive IMAP email:

Linux / macOS

tar -czvf claws-mail-backup.tar.gz ~/.claws-mail

Windows

Right-click the claws-mail folder > Send to > Compressed (zip) folder

This gives you a portable backup file which you can store anywhere. Additionally, you can send that file to another computer or user, which I found to be the best advantage of this technique.

#Method 3. Claws Mail Backup in MBOX

MBOX is a simpler and more readable file format than MH. Unlike MH, which stores each email as a separate file, MBOX stores multiple emails in a single file. Now, learn how to back up Claws Mail in the MBOX file format simultaneously:

  1. Open Claws Mail.
  2. In the left-side folder panel, select the mail folder to back up.
  3. Right-click the selected folder.
  4. Click Export (or Save As).
  5. In the export dialogue, choose MBOX as the file format.
  6. Pick a destination location on your drive.
  7. Click OK or Save.
  8. Repeat for each mail folder to back up.
  9. Store the exported MBOX files in your backup location.

This process is time-consuming due to repetitive steps, but for a small dataset, you can try this.

#Method 4. System Backup Tools

Doesn’t matter whether you’re using a Mac, Windows, or Linux; this technique works smoothly:

  1. Open your system’s backup utility (Time Machine, File History, rsync script, etc.).
  2. Add the Claws Mail data directory to the list of folders to be backed up.
  3. Configure scheduling (daily/weekly).
  4. Start the backup job.
  5. Confirm that the Claws Mail directory is stored in the backup set.

This is also a reliable solution that I found online and tested personally.

#Method 5. Automatic Claws Mail Backup Simultaneously

If your emails in Claws Mail are configured with an IMAP account, you don’t actually need to depend only on the local .claws-mail folder for backup. You can back up the mailbox directly from the mail server using the SysTools IMAP Backup Software.

This solution connects to your IMAP email account and downloads all mailbox data to your system in a secure and structured format. It allows you to save emails in multiple formats such as PST, MBOX, EML, PDF, and more. 

The tool also supports incremental and date-based backups, so new emails are backed up automatically without repeating the entire process.

Download this now for free, and follow these steps to download Claws Mail emails on Windows and macOS: 

  • Install and open the solution.
  • Choose the desired backup format (PST, EML, MBOX, PDF, etc.).

Endpoint Selection

  • Enter the IMAP server name, i.e. Claws Mail.

Select IMAP Server

  • Set the destination location by clicking on the Backup Folder Path button to save the backup.

Backup Folder Path

  • Click Start Backup.

Start Backup

#Method 6. Download Messages for IMAP Folders

This is not the direct method, but you can still opt for this, as this is free and ensures zero data loss backup:

  1. Open Claws Mail.
  2. Go to the IMAP account to download mail from.
  3. Right-click each folder to download.
  4. Click Download Messages in the context menu.
  5. Wait for the mail to download locally.
  6. Close Claws Mail.
  7. Back up the local mail directory created (same as Method 1).

#Method 7. Automated Claws Mail Backup with Cron (Linux Users)

If you are a Linux user, then you can automate this export process by creating a cron job that runs daily:

crontab -e

Add this line:

0 2 * * * tar -czf /home/user/backups/claws-mail-$(date +\%F).tar.gz /home/user/.claws-mail

Now every day at 2 AM, your Claws Mail is backed up automatically. 

What Exactly Gets Backed Up?

When we talk about Claws Mail backup, basically, you’re backing up:

  • All POP/IMAP downloaded emails
  • Folder structure
  • Account passwords (if saved)
  • Custom filters and rules
  • Email signatures
  • Themes and plugins
  • Address book contacts
  • Preferences and layout

All this data will be backed up. After the completion of the procedure, you don’t need to export anything manually.

How to Restore Claws Mail from Backup

If you have a complete Claws Mail backup, then you can restore that Claws Mail directly (if needed).

Why do we need this?

Because situations like system crashes, OS reinstallation, moving to a new computer, or accidental deletion can make your email data inaccessible. Instead of setting up Claws Mail again from scratch, you can simply restore the backup and get everything back exactly as it was. 

Here is the complete set of instructions to do so:

  • Install Claws Mail on the new system, but do not open it.
  • Now, replace the folder:
~/

Delete the newly created .claws-mail folder.

Then paste it backed-up .claws-mail folder there.

Afterwards, start Claws Mail. When you open it, everything appears exactly as before:

  • Accounts
  • Emails
  • Folders
  • Filters
  • Settings

No reconfiguration or migration is needed. Still, after restoring, run these cmdlets to prevent errors (only for macOS/Linux):

Mac: chmod -R 700 ~/.claws-mail

Linux: chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.claws-mail

Author’s Verdict

Claws Mail is powerful because it keeps everything local. But that’s also why backup is 100% your responsibility. Moreover, switching systems, reinstalling Linux, or risking data loss are common issues. That’s where the need for Claws Mail backup becomes necessary, and in this discussion, I shared all the possible methods with their proper step-by-step instructions. 

So, opt for any now, and create a local replica of your complete Claws Mail account simultaneously.