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How to Backup IMAP Email Locally Using MS Outlook?

Admin | Modified: 2023-01-04T05:45:13+00:00| Backup | 5 Minutes Reading

In this world of technology, to protect data from getting hacked or lost, it is very important to create a backup. Basically, backup refers to the process of creating and storing copies of the data. To backup email from IMAP server is very important as the users can use the copies of data in the event when the loss of original data occurs.

Nowadays, most people use different email clients for their business as well as personal work. Outlook is one of the most frequently used email clients as it is integrated with advanced features. Moreover, Outlook is one of the most reliable and efficient email clients. Therefore, there are many users who want to backup IMAP email locally from server in different file formats.

Thus, in this blog, we are going to discuss a complete procedure to create a backup copy of IMAP configured email clients’ data. But before that, let’s know the reason behind backing up emails.

Need to Backup Emails Locally? Know Why

Many such situations arise due to which users have to face data loss. Once significant data loss has occurred, it is very difficult to get it back. Web-based email has one of the biggest problems, that is, if the user’s account is hacked and there is no backup, all the data will be lost. Hence, it is essential to backup data including emails, contacts, tasks, etc. on a daily basis.

Some of the situations that can lead to data loss are:

  • Deleting Files Accidentally / Human Mistakes: Many times by mistake users delete necessary files or data during work. If this deletion is normal, then user can recover data from Trash or Recycle Bin. But, without the backup of the data, if any data is permanently deleted, it cannot be retrieved.
  • Viruses and Malware: Most systems are prone to viruses because they are always using the Internet. The virus causes serious damage to the data stored in the system. Due to which, you have to face the problem of data loss. Therefore, we recommend you to use efficient antivirus software to protect the system from virus attacks.
  • Hard Drive Failure: There have been many advances in technology, yet it is not perfect as it has various issues. It is very difficult to eliminate any single point of failure. Similarly, hard drives can fail at any time because they have a limited lifespan. Therefore, sudden death of hard drive can affect the data. Moreover, most of the users face data loss due to hardware malfunction. Therefore it is important to backup IMAP email locally on regular basis for preventing future uncertainties.

Many other incidents such as unethical hacking, software failures, and sudden power outages could lead to severe data loss. So, we would highly recommend you create a backup of the data beforehand to avoid all the nuisance.

Read More: Learn how to execute IMAP migration from Yahoo to Office 365.

Steps to Backup Email from IMAP Server Using Outlook

To backup IMAP email locally using the MS Outlook, you just need to follow the steps given below:

  • First, you have to go to the File and then click on the Open & Export option.
  • After that, you have to click on the Import/Export option

backup email from imap server

  • Now, you have to select the Export to a file option and then mouse-click on the Next button

export to a file

  • In the Create a file of type, you have to select Outlook Data File (.pst) and then tap on the Next button

Outlook data file

  • Now, select the mail folder you want to backup to your computer and then click next

select folder to backup email from imap server

  • After that, just tap on the Browse button to select the desired location and name of the backup file and then click on the Finish button

browse folder

  • However, to prevent access to your files, enter and confirm your password and then click on the OK button.

By following these steps in the correct way, you can easily backup emails from IMAP server in Outlook in a hassle-free way.

Important Note: But this was the case when you only want to backup all the emails in PST format. What if you want to access the backup in other than Outlook? Therefore, in this condition, you will need a professional solution that can overcome these challenges. So, if you are wondering to access those emails in other email client, then, we recommend you to use IMAP to IMAP Migrator tool to recklessly migrate all the IMAP emails on Windows OS. 

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Conclusion

However, situations like sudden power loss, virus attack, hardware failure, etc. can occur at any time. Therefore,  you must prepare yourself in advance to fight these situations. Though, you can protect the data by backup IMAP email locally on regular intervals. Now, all the IMAP server users can backup email from IMAP server using Outlook by following the steps explained above. Hence, creating backup is a good habit and everyone should adopt it to prevent data loss. But, we have also shared an automated method if in case you just want to access those emails into other email client or service later.