Corbett

iCloud Backup Tool

Corbett iCloud Backup Software saves an iCloud mailbox to your own drive as PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, CSV or TXT. It reaches iCloud over IMAP from a Windows PC, so no Mac is needed. You sign in with an app-specific password from your Apple ID. Folders, attachments and dates come with the mail. Windows only.

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4.6 out of 5 from 683 reviews

Your mailbox is read on your own machine. Nothing is uploaded to a Corbett server.

Free demo, verified clean by VirusTotal and 30 days to claim your money back.

Lifetime licence from $99 Free trial saves 10 emails per folder

Guide
Screens
Video

On your drive

What an iCloud Mailbox Brings Down

iCloud Mail is the message side of an Apple ID. iCloud Backup Tool copies that mailbox to your drive over IMAP. Here is what comes down and what belongs to other Apple services and stays put.

Comes across

All mail folders
Attachments
Inline images
Message dates
Read status
Full headers
Flags and stars

Folders read

Inbox
Sent
Drafts
Archive
Bin
Junk
Custom folders

Saves as

PST
MBOX
EML
MSG
PDF
HTML
CSV
TXT

Not included

iCloud Drive files
Photos library
Contacts
Calendars
Notes
Device backups

iCloud Mail, not an iPhone backup

The name iCloud covers photos, files, contacts and device backups as well as mail. iCloud Backup Tool handles the mailbox only. Contacts and calendars sit in separate Apple services and are read over their own protocols, so they are left where they are.

Backup iCloud emails to computer

Core features

iCloud Backup, One Screen at a Time

Five screens, walking an iCloud backup from the sign-in prompt to the saved file.

Adding an iCloud account in iCloud Backup Tool

Connect

Sign In With an iCloud App Password

Pick iCloud from the list and the IMAP server is filled in for you. In the password box you paste an app-specific password made on your Apple ID page, not your usual Apple password. That is the one credential a third party tool is allowed to use once two-step verification is on.

Server imap.mail.me.com and port resolved for you
App-specific password made once at appleid.apple.com
If the full address is refused, the name part alone often works
Several accounts queued in one run, each with its own password

Folder selection

Pick the iCloud Folders to Save

Open the account and it shows as a checkbox tree, each folder carrying its own count. Since iCloud storage is shared and small, most people save the whole mailbox first and prune the server later.

A tick box sits on each folder and subfolder
Item counts appear beside each folder up front
The nested folder layout is preserved on disk
Compact view tucks the empty folders out of sight

Message preview

Check iCloud Mail Before Saving

Click a message and it loads in the reading pane beside four analysis tabs. People leaving Apple use the preview to confirm the right mail is the mail going to disk.

Content shows body, sender, recipient and subject
Message header exposes routing and delivery hops
Properties lists size, priority and attachments
Hex and raw message give the full source

Selective backup

Trim an iCloud Backup to Size

The filters apply before anything downloads, so only the mail you name is written to disk. Old newsletters can be left behind while the mail that eats your storage is pulled out and saved.

Set a start date and an end date for the run
Sender, recipient, subject or message content
Limit it to messages that carry an attachment
A size cut-off to pull out the heaviest mail first
Skip junk or duplicate messages

Output options

Set the iCloud Output Format

The destination comes last. Send the mail to a file in any folder, an external drive or a network share. The mail can also go straight into another account. Document formats carry a naming scheme, so a folder of thousands of PDFs stays searchable.

Mail formats: PST for Outlook, MBOX for Thunderbird or Apple Mail, EML, MSG
Document formats: PDF, HTML, CSV, TXT, plus vCard for contacts
Straight into Gmail, an Office 365 account or any IMAP host with the email migration tool
Attachments, email addresses and phone numbers pulled out on their own

Before you connect

Connecting to iCloud Without a Mac

Apple does not let outside software use your normal password. Three things to set up before you add an iCloud account.

Required

An app-specific password

Since 2020 two-factor verification has been on by default for every Apple ID, and once it is on, a third party mail tool cannot use your real password. Generate an app-specific password at appleid.apple.com under Sign-In and Security, then paste that 16 character value into iCloud Backup Tool.

IMAP only

There is no POP option

Apple offers IMAP and SMTP for iCloud Mail and nothing else. iCloud Backup Tool connects over IMAP at imap.mail.me.com on port 993 with SSL, all filled in for you. A guide that mentions a POP server for iCloud is describing a setup Apple does not run.

Username

Sometimes the name alone

iCloud expects the short part of the address as the username on some accounts and the full address on others. If the full address is refused during sign-in, drop the part after the at sign and try the name on its own. That single quirk is behind most first-try failures.

An app-specific password is safe to hand a backup tool. It only reaches mail, it never unlocks the wider Apple ID, and it can be revoked any time from the same page without touching your main password.

Free demo

Try it on one account first

Install it, paste an app-specific password, tick a folder and pick a format. No file is created until you start the run.

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Why a copy

Why Back Up iCloud Mail

iCloud gives everyone the least free room of any big provider and no undo once mail is gone. These are the reasons a copy on your own drive matters here.

5 GB

The free tier fills fast

A free Apple ID gets 5 GB, and mail shares it with photos, device backups and iCloud Drive. When it fills, new mail stops arriving. Writing older years out to a file on your disk is how you drop back under the limit without buying iCloud+.

No undo

Delete once, gone everywhere

Deleting a message in any client removes it from Apple's servers straight away, on every device at once. There is no separate recovery window to fall back on. A copy written to your drive first is the only safety net.

Lockout

Apple ID recovery is slow

A locked Apple ID can take days to recover, and account recovery has no shortcut. Mail written to your own drive stays readable through all of that, whatever state the online account is in.

Apple keeps the service running. Keeping a copy of the mail is on the account holder. To read a saved file without altering it, use the free email viewer software. A company Google account uses the Google Workspace backup tool. Hosting and cPanel mail use the Webmail backup tool. Putting a saved file back into a live mailbox is the email recovery software.

Before you buy

Apple Mail vs iCloud Backup Tool

On a Mac, Apple Mail already holds the account and can drag a mailbox to a local folder for nothing. That works if you have a Mac and one mailbox. The table shows where it runs out.

Task	Apple Mail on a Mac	iCloud Backup Tool
Cost	Free on a Mac	$99 one time
One mailbox on a Mac to a local folder	Drag and drop does it	Handles it too, alongside the rest
Which computer	A Mac, or nothing	Windows PC, no Mac required
Output format	MBOX-style export only	Eight formats, from PST to PDF
Date, sender or subject filter	No filter on the export	Narrow by date, sender or size first
Several accounts	One at a time, by hand	Queued to run one after another
Straight to PST for Outlook	Not a format Apple Mail writes	PST is a first-class output
Headers and raw source	Buried behind a menu	A full read of a message before writing

Rows tinted green are the ones where Apple Mail wins.

One mailbox, a Mac to hand and MBOX suits you: Apple Mail does it for free. On a Windows PC with no Mac, or when you need a PST, a narrowed selection or a batch of accounts at once, the paid tool is worth it. Recasting a finished file into another format later is the email converter software.

Specifications

Running iCloud Backup on Windows

Download details

Released: Dec 2020
Download size: 87.4 MB
Trial limit: 10 emails per folder
Delivery: Download link and key by email
Licence: Lifetime, up to 5 machines

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System

Hard disk: 150 MB to install, plus room for output
RAM: 4 GB minimum
Processor: 1 GHz, 2.4 GHz advised
Rights: Run as Administrator
App password: From appleid.apple.com

Supported editions

Runs on Windows 7 to 11 in 32 or 64 bit, and on Windows Server 2008 to 2025.

No macOS or Linux build.

Windows email utilities built in one small shop since 2020. The developers are the support desk.

Working process

See an iCloud Mailbox Download

Prefer text? The written guide walks the same run with screenshots.

Common questions

iCloud Backup, Explained

The sign-in method, what gets copied and where the iCloud backup draws the line.

Do I need a Mac to back up iCloud mail?

No. iCloud Backup Tool connects to iCloud over IMAP from a Windows PC, so a Mac is not needed at any point. That is the usual reason people look for it, since Apple's own export lives on the Mac.

Why will my normal Apple password not work?

Because two-factor verification is on by default for Apple IDs, and once it is on, outside mail software cannot use your main password. Apple's answer is an app-specific password. Make one at appleid.apple.com and paste that into iCloud Backup Tool instead.

How do I make an app-specific password for iCloud?

Sign in at appleid.apple.com, open Sign-In and Security, choose App-Specific Passwords and generate one. Apple shows a 16 character value once. Paste it into the password box in iCloud Backup Tool. You can revoke it later from the same page without changing your real password.

My iCloud address is refused at sign-in, what now?

Drop the part after the at sign and try the name on its own. iCloud accepts the short username on some accounts and the full address on others, and that mismatch is behind most first-try failures. The app-specific password stays the same either way.

Does iCloud Backup Tool save contacts and calendars?

No. It saves the mailbox. iCloud contacts and calendars live in separate Apple services on their own protocols, so they are not part of a mail backup. Photos, iCloud Drive files and device backups are separate again and stay on Apple's side.

Can I back up a custom iCloud+ domain address?

Yes. A custom domain added through iCloud+ still delivers to the same iCloud mailbox, so it is read the same way. Sign in with the Apple ID that owns the domain and its mail comes down with the rest.

PST or PDF for an iCloud backup?

Pick PST when the mail may later land in Outlook or another account. Pick PDF when the copy just needs to be read or filed and open anywhere. The run can be repeated with a different format, so many people keep both.

Does the backup free up iCloud storage?

Not on its own. The mailbox is read and nothing in it is changed. After the local copy is open and verified, clear the old folders in iCloud by hand to reclaim space under the 5 GB free tier.

Is there a size limit on the iCloud mailbox?

No. The paid edition sets no ceiling on how much mail comes down. A large account is slower because iCloud caps how fast it can be read, but the run always finishes. If the connection drops, the run resumes where it left off.

Does my iCloud mail pass through Corbett's servers?

No. iCloud Backup Tool operates on your PC and talks to Apple over IMAP from there. The finished file is saved to the drive you choose. Corbett stores nothing and relays nothing.

Does iCloud Backup Tool run on Mac or Linux?

No. iCloud Backup Tool is a Windows application only, from Windows 7 through Windows 11 and Windows Server 2008 through 2025. It reads iCloud mail over IMAP, so no Mac is involved.

What does the free iCloud backup demo include?

It signs in to any iCloud account with an app-specific password, loads every folder and gives you the full preview and all the filters. The backup itself stops at 10 emails from each folder, enough to open the output and confirm it looks right.

Step by step

How-To Articles for iCloud

Every article below walks a single iCloud task end to end, from opening the tool to the finished file.

Getting the mail out

Moving and fixing

Related backups

Every provider is covered on the email backup software page. Moving an iCloud account into another account is the email migration tool. Reading a saved file without writing anything is the free email viewer software.

User testimonials

Feedback From iCloud Users

Across 683 reviews of the backup and restore wizard.

4.6 out of 5

Collected across 683 reviews from software directories and direct customer feedback. The three quoted below are left unchanged.

No Mac needed after all

I switched from iPhone to Android and still had years of iCloud mail I wanted off Apple. Every guide assumed a Mac. This ran on my Windows laptop, took an app password and pulled the whole mailbox into a PST.

Helen Park

The name-only tip fixed it

Sign-in kept failing with my full address until I read the note to try just the name before the at sign. Worked at once after that. Would have given up otherwise. Small thing, big difference.

Miguel Ortiz

Cleared the 5 GB warning

iCloud kept nagging that storage was full and mail had stopped coming in. Backed up the old years to my drive, deleted them off Apple, and the inbox started working again. Copy sits safe on an external disk now.

Deepa Suresh

Get started

Keep iCloud Mail on Your Own Drive

Download the free demo, sign in with an app-specific password and save 10 emails per folder at no charge. The full licence is a one time $99 with a 30 day refund.

Download free demo Purchase now

87.4 MB · Windows 11 to 7 and Windows Server 2025 to 2008 · 30 day money back