Office 365 to IMAP Migration

Office 365 to an IMAP migration is essential for organizations seeking specific email management and more flexible systems. EdbMails Office 365 migration software supports direct migration of Office 365 mailbox data to IMAP enabled servers without any intermediary steps. EdbMails ensures the migration of all Office 365 email data while preserving the mailbox folder structure on the target IMAP server.

EdbMails facilitates Office 365 email migration to various IMAP enabled email servers, including Outlook, Gmail, Zoho, Zimbra, and other platforms such as IceWarp, cPanel, Plesk, GoDaddy, Rackspace, AWS Workmail, Bluehost, and Dreamhost.

The subsequent sections cover Office 365 to IMAP migration scenarios, pre-migration activities, step-by-step instructions, and the valuable tips necessary for a successful migration of mailbox data from Office 365 to different IMAP platforms.

1. Office 365 to IMAP migration : Pre-migration activities

   Before initiating the migration process from Office 365 to an IMAP server, ensure the following preparatory tasks are completed:

   • On the source Office 365 server side :
     1. Ensure to have a Office 365 Global admin account with suitable license
     2. Assign the suitable Office 365 licenses for the mailboxes you wish to migrate

         Click here to assign Microsoft 365 licenses to user accounts

     3. To migrate Office 365 public folders, archive mailboxes and shared mailboxes, ensure that you configure them appropriately .

         Click here to create Office 365 Public folder and assign admin permissions.

         Click here to create Shared mailboxes on Office 365 and set the required permission

         Click here to enable archive mailboxes on Office 365

     4. Verify that you have enough bandwidth for Office 365 migration

         Click here for network and migration planning, performance factors and best practices for Office 365 migration.

     5. For large messages(items) migration, configure Office 365 to increase the message size limit.

         Click here for the steps to increase the message size on Office 365 to 150MB.

   • On the target IMAP server side :
     1. Get your IMAP server host name, port number, email address and password required for login.
     2. If you are migrating multiple mailboxes, prepare a csv file with the columns such as email address, password, IMAP server host name and port number.
     3. If you are migrating Office 365 to Gmail account, ensure to create app password for Gmail account

         Click here for the steps to create app password for Gmail account

2. Microsoft 365 to IMAP migration steps using EdbMails

   EdbMails simplifies Office 365 to IMAP migration with its intuitive software interface, ensuring an easy and secure transfer of all mailbox data. Follow the steps below to complete the migration process successfully.

   Step 1: Download and Install EdbMails application

   • Download and install the EdbMails application on your computer.
   • Double click the EdbMails setup (EdbMailsSetup.exe) to install the application.
   • Follow the instructions that appear to complete the installation.

      See EdbMails system requirements for Office 365 migration

     

   • Click 'Login' or 'Start Your Free Trial' to access the application

     

   Step 2: Select Office 365 to IMAP migration option

   • Select the option 'Office 365 Migration'

     

   • Select ‘Office 365 to IMAP migration’

     

   • To begin a fresh migration, select ‘Start a new migration operation.’ If you want to continue the previous migration, select ‘Choose a migration from previous operations’.

     

   • Enter the job name for future reference and click the ‘Continue’ button.

     

   Step 3: Connect to source Office 365 server

   • Click the ‘Add New’ button to establish a new connection to the source Office 365. To use the previous connection, select it from the connection list and click the ‘Connect’ button to proceed.

     

   • Choose the required connection options and click the ‘Next’ button.

     

   • Select the appropriate connection method and click the ‘Login’ button to continue.

     

       Connect to Office 365 server using secure modern authentication

   • Authenticate on Microsoft sign-in page.

     

      After the successful authentication, choose one of the methods to load the mailboxes. You can also load and migrate the mailboxes using a CSV file.

     

   • Select the mailboxes you want to migrate from the source Office 365 server.
   • Click ‘Next’ to proceed.

     

   Step 4: Connect to target IMAP server

   • To connect a single user account, select ‘Single User / Account Migration.’ For migrating multiple mailboxes, select ‘Multiple (Bulk) Users/Accounts Migration.’ Then, choose the required protocol, such as ‘Connect to IMAP’ or ‘Connect to POP3,’ and click ‘Next’ to proceed.

     

   • Select the appropriate IMAP host name from the list or manually enter it. Then, provide the email address and password. For Gmail accounts, be sure to create an app password and use that instead.
   • Click the ‘Login’ button.

     

   • Once the mailboxes are loaded, click ‘Next’ to proceed.

     

      Refer to the EdbMails detailed steps on connecting to single and multiple users during IMAP migration.

   Step 5: Map source and target mailboxes

   • Choose the required mailbox mapping option

     

   • EdbMails automatically maps mailboxes between the source and target servers. You can also manually map mailboxes if needed.

     

   Step 6: Start Office 365 to IMAP migration operation

   • After mapping the mailboxes, click the ‘Start Migration’ button and initiate the migration process.

     

   • To review the migration report, click the ‘View Log’ button, which provides a comprehensive report detailing the number of emails, folders, and mailbox items successfully migrated.

     

   • Also, log in to your target server and verify the migrated items.

3. Microsoft 365 to IMAP Post-migration activities

   After the migration is complete, modify your MX records to direct mail flow to the new server.

4. Microsoft 365 to IMAP migration best practices

   Following best practices is crucial for a successful migration from Office 365 to IMAP. These practices help ensure a smooth and uninterrupted migration. Here’s a detailed look at the recommended approaches:

   1. Initiate Early Migration Planning: Starting planning well in advance allows proactive identification and resolution of potential migration challenges, ensuring readiness for a successful migration.
   2. Choose the Right Migration Tool: The selection of an Office 365 to IMAP migration tool is crucial. Opt for a solution like EdbMails that aligns perfectly with your organization's goals and requirements, ensuring a successful migration experience.
   3. Segment the Migration into Manageable Batches: Improve manageability by dividing the migration into smaller batches. This simplifies oversight and troubleshooting, providing better control over the entire migration process.
   4. Conduct Thorough Pilot Testing: Before beginning the actual migration, conduct comprehensive testing in a controlled pilot environment. This phase is invaluable for identifying and resolving any potential issues, ensuring a smooth migration.
   5. Ensure Transparent Communication with Stakeholders: Maintain open and consistent communication with all involved stakeholders, ensuring everyone is well-informed, adheres to timelines, and possesses clear expectations.
   6. Monitor Migration Progress Vigilantly: Continuous monitoring of the migration process is critical. Regularly assess progress to confirm alignment with the established plan, addressing any deviations promptly.
   7. Enhance Migration Performance: By default, EdbMails supports the simultaneous migration of 10 mailboxes in parallel. However, you can increase this concurrent mailbox count to 20 to further enhance performance and speed.
   8. Run Migration from Multiple Computers: You can install EdbMails on multiple computers to migrate different mailboxes concurrently further accelerating the process.
   9. Incremental migration support to avoid duplicates: EdbMails offers robust support for incremental migration during subsequent migrations, that migrates only the new and modified source items that are not considered in the previous migration runs and prevents duplicate items on target servers.

---

Additional resources:

• EdbMails Office 365 migration software
• Office 365 to Gmail migration
• Office 365 migration guide
• Office 365 to Exchange migration
• Office 365 to PST export