How to Add IMAP Account to Mac Mail Client?
It has been noticed that users often look for a reliable solution for IMAP to Mac Mail migration on the Internet. After a lot of research, we have been able to find a complete solution. Therefore, we have drafted this technical write-up to guide you on how to migrate emails from IMAP to Apple Mail. To accomplish the task, we will share the step-by-step procedure of both manual and automated approaches.
Over the past few years, Apple has gradually improved its Mail app. Recent updates to the Mac OS have introduced new formatting options, added functionalities to include scanning and other attachments, and improved responsive menus.
With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, Apple has finally introduced a way to change the default email app on your device. iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 now offer new security features to better protect your email accounts.
Subsequently, some users are looking for a reliable yet simple solution to add IMAP emails to Apple Mail accounts. The next section of the blog contains all the possible ways to achieve this task.
Best Uses for IMAP Accounts
- When you want to synchronize or mirror your account emails and folders with the server or all your devices,
- When the increased disk usage by the configuration is not much of a concern,
- When one would rely on an online backup system rather than backing up the account locally.
Now that we are aware of the best uses for IMAP accounts, let’s move on and see how to add an IMAP account to a Mac email client using both manual and automated approaches.
Add IMAP Account to Mac Mail Manually
To migrate IMAP to Mac Mail manually, we first need to configure the IMAP account to Mac Mail. So, let’s start the process.
- Launch the Apple Mail application.
- Then, go to Mail >> Add Account >> Add Other Mail Account in the Mac Mail application. Click the Continue button.
- Enter the Name, Email Address, and Password of the IMAP account.
- Add IMAP protocol settings as per the webmail account you are trying to connect with Apple Mail.
- Click the Sign In button in the Apple Mail.
- Select the option that you want to migrate, and click the Done button.
The IMAP account will be migrated to the Mac Mail / Apple Mail application.
Drawbacks Associated with the Manual Method
The manual method, though free-of-cost, comes with certain limitations:
- Users need to have the proper technical knowledge to carry out this method, or else it could lead to data loss and other problems.
- The manual process consumes a lot of time, even 2-3 days if you have a huge amount of data.
- The probability of data and folder structure loss is very high.
To overcome these problems, users can easily move to the automated solution.
Professional Tool to Export IMAP Emails to Mac Mail
IMAP Email Backup Tool is an explicit solution that allows you to move IMAP emails in a few clicks easily. It has a whole set of features that smooth the entire export process. It includes features like Incremental Backup which lets you export only the newly arrived emails without creating duplication.
The Delete after Download feature lets you create free space on the server by removing the backed-up emails after they have been downloaded. Moreover, the folder structure remains intact even after the process terminates.
Before purchasing the professional edition of the software, you may try out its free demo version. It will enable you to effortlessly convert the first 100 mailboxes from an IMAP Server to an Apple Mail format.
Steps to Add IMAP Emails to Apple Mail Client
Perform the following steps to migrate all your emails (with attachments) from the IMAP Server to Apple Mail / Mac Mail application:
- Download and run the utility on the Mac operating system.
- Enter the login credentials in the software panel and click the Login button.
- Select the MBOX file format from the given export type options.
- Click the Advance Settings option to apply any filters, if required.
- Select the destination location to save the resulting file.
- Click the Start Backup button to begin the migration process.
The MBOX file gets saved at your desired location. The next step is to import this mailbox file into Apple Mail. Follow the steps:
- Open your Mac OS and click on Mail App.
- Click the File >> Import Mailboxes button.
- Select the converted mailbox file to finalize the process.
Final Words
This article explained the step-by-step solutions for exporting IMAP to Mac Mail / Apple Mail via manual and automated methods. The suggested professional solution offers the quickest way to export IMAP to Apple Mail from all Mac versions. Users can also use this software for free before purchasing its licensed version. The technical support team is available around the clock for additional information and assistance.
