Export IMAP mailboxes to PST files
Organizations often need to export IMAP mailboxes from servers like Gmail, Zimbra, or Yahoo to PST for backup, offline access, or long-term storage. IMAP’s limitations, such as lack of full support for calendars and contacts, and restricted control over mailbox sizes, create challenges when managing large volumes of email data. Exporting to PST helps overcome these issues, but it introduces its own set of hurdles, including potential data loss, mismatched folder structures, and throttling issues during large exports. To address these complexities, reliable tools are required to ensure a smooth export while maintaining data integrity.
EdbMails IMAP migration software lets you easily export emails, attachments, and folders from IMAP servers to Outlook PST files. Its advanced filtering options provide granular control, allowing exports based on date range, subject, or sender for precise data management. The free PST split and merge features help manage large mailboxes by automatically segmenting PST files. The software also offers a preview of mailbox folders, ensuring the export process is tailored to your needs.
Prerequisites to export IMAP to PST
- Make sure you have your IMAP server hostname, port number, email address, and password ready.
see how to find IMAP server hostname.
- To export multiple users, download the sample CSV file from the EdbMails application and update the details such as IMAP server hostname, port number, email address, and password, for each user's mailbox you wish to export.
- If you're connecting to Gmail, create an app password and use it in place of password.
- To export IMAP to PST with EdbMails, you need to have Microsoft Outlook installed on your computer. Install the latest applicable updates for MS Outlook ensure that you have sufficient space on your computer to save the output PST file.
- For a successful IMAP to PST export operation, ensure to create an Outlook profile.
- Make sure you have your IMAP server hostname, port number, email address, and password ready.
Steps to export IMAP to PST using EdbMails
Step 1: Download EdbMails IMAP migration software setup
- Download and Install EdbMails on your computer running Windows Operating system
- Launch the application and click ‘Login’ with the email address and password or ‘Start Your Free Trial’.
See a detailed list of EdbMails system requirements for IMAP migration and export process.
- Select ‘IMAP migration’ (All IMAP clients, Gmail, G Suite & more…)
Step 2: Connect to source IMAP server
- To connect to a single user mailbox, select ‘Single User / Account Migration’. Choose the desired ‘Host Name’ from the list or manually enter the IMAP server hostname. Verify the port number and enter the email address and password.
- To connect to multiple user mailboxes, select ‘Multiple (Bulk) Users/Accounts Migration’ and click the ‘Load Mailboxes From CSV File’ button.
- Download the sample CSV file
- Modify the CSV file with the required details such as email address, password, host name, port number and save the changes.
- Next, browse and load the CSV file.
- Verify the list of mailboxes and proceed.
- To connect to a single user mailbox, select ‘Single User / Account Migration’. Choose the desired ‘Host Name’ from the list or manually enter the IMAP server hostname. Verify the port number and enter the email address and password.
Step 3: Select source IMAP server mailboxes
- Choose the mailboxes and folders
- Click ‘IMAP to Outlook PST’
Step 4: Select Export method
- EdbMails supports incremental export, where the initial export is a full export, and subsequent runs are incremental. It only exports data that was not included in previous export operations.
- Verify the mailboxes and folders and ensure ‘Action’ is set to ‘Export’
- Click the 'Folder and Item Filter' button to customize your export operation. For example, you can export only the emails within a specific date range. Additionally, you can apply other filters such as subject, attachment names, sender address, recipient address, and the read/unread status of the messages.
- You can split the PST file.
- You can exclude standard and custom folders from the export operation
- Save the settings.
- EdbMails supports incremental export, where the initial export is a full export, and subsequent runs are incremental. It only exports data that was not included in previous export operations.
Step 5: Start IMAP to PST export operation
- Give a name to your export job
- Specify the location to save the PST file on your computer drive.
- Upon completion of the export process, EdbMails prompts the operation completion message. Click the 'View Log' button to view the export operation report. Finally, open the PST file in Outlook and verify the exported items.
Advantages of EdbMails to export IMAP to PST
- EdbMails is an all-in-one tool that supports backup IMAP to Outlook PST and also import PST to IMAP effortlessly.
- Support for all IMAP servers such as Outlook Gmail / G Suite, Office 365, Exchange, IceWarp, Zoho, Zimbra, Rackspace, cPanel, Plesk, Dovecot, and many more.
- You can export single or multiple PST files in bulk from IMAP servers
- EdbMails offers a free PST file viewer, allowing you to easily view PST file data.
- EdbMails has a free PST file viewer that you can use to view both ANSI and Unicode PST files.
- EdbMails free PST merge tool can combine multiple PST files into a single file.
- Export to Outlook PST without any size limitations for mailbox or mail items.
- During the export operation, EdbMails maintains the folder hierarchy of the folders and emails, ensuring that your data is consistent.
