Remove IMAP Account Without Deleting Emails

  Mohit Kumar Jha
Written By Mohit Kumar Jha
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Modified On August 27th, 2025
Reading Time 6 Min Read

Are you thinking of deleting your IMAP email account? But it is difficult to do so. If yes, then this article will help you. Here, I will explain how you can remove an IMAP account from different email applications. Also, I will tell you how to disable the account. So, read this guide to the end to know how to remove your account without losing your data.

IMAP Account – Overview

As you know, many email clients support IMAP servers to access their email messages. It is one of the mail servers that keeps your emails synchronized across multiple devices. IMAP is used in the most popular email clients like Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, etc. Therefore, it is also very easy to configure your IMAP account for these platforms. Connecting your IMAP account to other email programs is easy. But deleting them is very difficult.

Want to know why there is a need to remove your IMAP email account? Below, I have discussed some instances where you are required to delete the account.

Why Delete IMAP Accounts?

  • You are switching to a new email provider. Then, it is better to remove the old IMAP account for security reasons.
  • If your account is compromised or outdated. Deleting the IMAP account can help you in this risk.
  • Removing unused or inactive email accounts helps you declutter your device.
  • Using multiple email accounts in one email program can make your service slower. So removing the unused IMAP account can solve the problem.

There are other scenarios where you are required to delete the account. But, along with it, you have to also understand certain points about the IMAP, such as.

Know More About IMAP Account

Dealing with an IMAP server is not an easy job, especially for a non-technical user. When you are removing your IMAP account from the email client. You have to think about the email that is stored in the IMAP. What impact does it make on the email client, etc? So, below are the important points that you should know about IMAP server.

  • IMAP emails are not used to store your emails on a local device. It remains on the mail server, so you don’t have to worry about losing your data, as you can access it by re-adding your account.
  • But if you save the emails on your local computer. Then, there is a chance that your data will be lost when you are deleting it.
  • If you have configured your IMAP account on two different devices. Then, there would be no effect on your one device. If you remove the IMAP account from another device, and vice versa.
  • You can add your IMAP account by entering the correct server settings, password, and email address.
  • Before you go through the process of deleting your email account, make sure you first export your crucial mailbox.

These are difficult to understand, just general information that can help you in removing your account. Now, coming back to the topic, delete the IMAP account. Although the process of removing the account is easy, but is different based on the device you are using and the email client your account is connected with.

Below I have explained the steps to remove our IMAP account from all the devices, mobile, desktop, and from all the Windows and Mac. Properly follow them.

How to Delete IMAP Account from Mobile?

If you set up your IMAP account on an iPhone or Android phone, and want to remove it. Follow the steps below.

iPhone

  1. Go to the Settings of your iOS device.
  2. Click on the Mail option and then select the Accounts button.
  3. Choose the IMAP account you wish to remove. Click on the Delete Account and confirm the decision.

Android phone

  1. Again, go to the device settings app.
  2. Go to the Accounts option or Accounts & Sync.
  3. Select the IMAP account, choose Google or personal (IMAP).
  4. Choose your account and click on Remove Account. Also, confirm the deletion process.

Remove IMAP Account from Windows & Mac

Similarly, if your IMAP account is connected to any desktop email clients. Then, these methods will help you. Here, I provide you with the steps for both Windows and Mac OS email applications.

MacOS (System Settings)

  1. In your Mac device, go to the System Settings.
  2. Then, click on the Intent Accounts.
  3. Select the email account and hit the Delete Account button.

From Mail App

  1. Run the Mail application and select the Mail menu bar.
  2. Click on the Settings option or Preferences
  3. Choose the Accounts option. and select the account you want to remove.
  4. Click on – icon at the bottom and confirm the deletion.

From the Thunderbird

  1. Open Thunderbird, search your account, and right-click the account.
  2. Select the Settings and in the account settings. Click on Account Actions.
  3. Choose Remove account. confirm the process and choose either to remove just account information or download message data as we,
  4. Lastly, click on the Remove button.

New Outlook for Windows

  1. Open the application and click on the View option.
  2. Select the View Settings, then click on the Accounts button.
  3. Choose Email accounts and find your IMAP account.
  4. Click on the Manage button next to the account name.
  5. Select the Remove button under the account details.
  6. Click yes to confirm the action.

These methods permanently remove your IMAP account. Now, you know how to delete your account. But what about your IMAP emails? As we stated, removing your IMAP account does not remove your emails. It means that you can access our data by re-configuring your account. But it is a lengthy process and time-consuming.

Therefore, it is better to take a backup of your IMAP email before deleting it. So that you can easily access them even though your account is not available. To take a backup, I have a perfect solution for you.

Export IMAP Email Before Account Deletion

It is necessary to save your emails before removing them. So, to help you in this, I have SysTools IMAP Backup Software, a professional tool that can easily export your emails. The tool smoothly saves your data from any IMAP-based application, whether you are using Gmail, Outlook, cPanel, etc. Here, it offers you several export options: PST, PDF, EML, MBOX, and many more. To export your data into your desired format. By using this, you can easily get your data without the need to open the account.

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To Be Conclude

Some users want to get rid of the IMAP account from their email application. That’s why, in this article, I have explained how to delete an IMAP account in different email applications and devices. Furthermore, I also explain a way to export your IMAP emails before deleting them.

  author

By Mohit Kumar Jha

Mohit is a Microsoft Certified expert for all things Microsoft. He brings a unique perspective gained from nearly a decade of active participation in various IT forums, blogs, and social media. Known in admin circles as the go-to guru for solving user queries in the domain of cloud migration, data backup, and digital forensics. The secret to his core expertise lies in solving problems practically. Through this hands-on experience, he has acquired knowledge in diverse domains like Microsoft 365 Cloud, On-Premise Exchange Server, AD, and Entra ID.