Corbett

Webmail Backup Tool

Corbett Webmail Backup Software saves a Roundcube, Horde or SquirrelMail mailbox to your own drive as PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, CSV or TXT. It reaches the mailbox over IMAP with the server details from your cPanel account, so no shell access is needed. Every folder, attachment and date is kept. 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 Ends Up in a Webmail Backup

Webmail is the browser view of a mailbox that lives on a hosting server. Webmail Backup Tool reads that mailbox over IMAP and writes it to disk. Here is what the backup holds and what belongs to the hosting panel instead.

Comes across

All mail folders
Attachments
Inline images
Message dates
Read status
Full headers
HTML formatting

Webmail clients

Roundcube
Horde
SquirrelMail
cPanel mail
Plesk mail
Any IMAP host
Maildir on disk

Saves as

PST
MBOX
EML
MSG
PDF
HTML
CSV
TXT

Not included

cPanel files
Website databases
Horde calendar
Horde contacts
Server-side filters

The webmail client is just a window onto IMAP

Roundcube, Horde and SquirrelMail all read the same mailbox on the server. Which one your host shows in the browser makes no difference to the backup, because Webmail Backup Tool talks to the IMAP mailbox directly rather than through any of them.

Export cPanel mail to PST

Core features

Webmail Backup, Screen by Screen

Five screens, following a webmail backup from the server details to the file on disk.

Entering IMAP server details in Webmail Backup Tool

Connect

Enter Your Webmail Server Details

Choose the IMAP option and type the incoming server, port and your email address with its password. These four values sit in your hosting panel, usually on the Connect Devices or Configure Mail Client page next to the webmail login. No provider preset is assumed, because a hosting mailbox can sit on any server.

Incoming server, commonly mail.yourdomain or the host name in cPanel
Port 993 with SSL, or 143 where the host has no certificate
The full email address as the username
Proxy support for a server behind a firewall

Folder selection

Choose Webmail Folders to Keep

The mailbox arrives as a tree, every branch with a checkbox and a count. Hosting inboxes often carry years of contact-form mail and order receipts, so a single busy folder can be lifted out while the rest is skipped.

A checkbox on each folder and every subfolder
A message count against each branch up front
The folder tree kept intact in the saved copy
Folders holding nothing tucked away on request

Message preview

Inspect Webmail Before Saving

Click a message and it opens in a reading pane with four analysis tabs beside it. A developer archiving a client site before handover uses the header and raw views to confirm which address really sent a message.

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

Filter a Webmail Backup by Sender

Filters run before the copy begins, so the disk holds only what you asked for. On a shared hosting inbox that is often one project, or everything before the date a site changed hands.

A date range set by a start and an end
Sender, recipient, subject or message content
Messages that carry an attachment only
A size ceiling to leave the bulkiest mail behind
Skip junk or repeated messages

Output options

Choose a Format and a Destination

Where the mail goes is the final step. Point it at a folder on disk, an external drive or a network share, or push it straight into another mailbox. Document output is named to a scheme, so a folder of thousands of files stays easy to search.

Mail formats: PST for Outlook, MBOX for Thunderbird or Apple Mail, EML, MSG
Document formats: PDF, HTML, CSV, TXT
Straight into Gmail, a new host or another cPanel mailbox with the email migration tool
Attachments, email addresses and phone numbers pulled out on their own

Before you connect

Finding Your Webmail IMAP Settings

A hosting mailbox has no fixed server the way Gmail does, so three details come from your panel before the first run.

In cPanel

The server name and port

In cPanel open Email Accounts, then Connect Devices next to the address. The page lists the secure IMAP server and port 993. Plesk shows the same under Mail then the account. Copy those two values into Webmail Backup Tool with your address and password.

Which client

Roundcube or Horde does not matter

The webmail client you see in the browser only changes how mail looks on screen. Roundcube, Horde and SquirrelMail all sit on the same IMAP mailbox, and the backup reads that mailbox, not the client. Horde was dropped from cPanel in 2022 and SquirrelMail years before, but the underlying mail is reached the same way.

If it fails

A blocked port or self-signed cert

Some hosts sit IMAP on a non-standard port or use a certificate the tool flags. Port 143 without SSL works where 993 is closed, and the connection can be allowed past a self-signed certificate. Both are set on the same sign-in screen.

Well-known hosts already have their own pages: GoDaddy, Bluehost, SiteGround and others sit under the email backup software list. Webmail Backup Tool covers any cPanel or IMAP mailbox that has no page of its own.

Free demo

Try it on one mailbox first

Install it, paste your IMAP server and port, tick a folder and pick a format. Nothing is written to disk until you start the run.

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Why a copy

Why Back Up Hosting Webmail

Email tied to a hosting account is only as safe as the account, and hosting accounts change hands, lapse and get suspended. Three moments where a local copy earns its place.

Leaving a host

Mail dies with the hosting plan

When a domain moves to a new host or a plan is cancelled, the mailbox on the old server is wiped. Pulling every folder to a file before the switch is the only way that mail survives the move.

Quotas

A full mailbox bounces new mail

Hosting inboxes run on a set quota, and a busy address hits it fast. Once the quota is full, senders get a bounce. Moving old years to a file on your drive clears the space without losing anything.

Suspension

A billing lapse locks the panel

Miss a hosting invoice and the whole account, webmail included, can be suspended overnight. A copy already saved to your own drive keeps the mail reachable while the account is sorted out.

The host keeps the server running. Keeping a copy of the mail sits with the account holder. Opening a saved file for reading, with nothing written back, is the free email viewer software. To load a saved file back into a mailbox, use the email recovery software.

Before you buy

Thunderbird or the Webmail Tool

Thunderbird can add the IMAP account and hold a synced copy for nothing. That fits one mailbox kept inside Thunderbird. The table marks where it runs short.

Task	Thunderbird over IMAP	Webmail Backup Tool
Cost	Free and open source	$99 one time
One mailbox kept inside a mail client	Exactly its purpose	Handles it too, alongside the rest
Where the copy lives	Inside the Thunderbird profile, hard to reuse	A standalone file you name and move
Output format	MBOX inside the profile only	Eight formats, from PST to PDF
Date, sender or subject filter	No filtered export	Narrow by date, sender or size first
Several mailboxes	Add each, then wait for each to sync	Queued to run one after another
Waiting on a full sync	The whole mailbox downloads into the profile	Reads the server straight to a file
Headers and raw source	Behind a source-view shortcut	A full read of any message before writing

Rows tinted green are the ones where Thunderbird wins.

One mailbox you are happy to keep inside Thunderbird: add it over IMAP and pay nothing. For a standalone file, a chosen format, a filtered slice or several mailboxes in one run, the paid tool is worth it. Recasting a finished file into another format later is the email converter software.

Specifications

Webmail Backup System Needs

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
Connection: IMAP access on the host

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.

A small Windows shop shipping email utilities since 2020, where the same hands write the code and answer the tickets.

Working process

Watch Webmail Download to Disk

Prefer to read it? The written guide covers the same run in screenshots.

Common questions

Webmail Backup, Answered

Server settings, which clients are covered and where Webmail Backup Tool stops.

Which webmail clients does the tool back up?

Roundcube, Horde and SquirrelMail, plus any cPanel or Plesk mailbox and any other IMAP host. They all read the same mailbox on the server, so the tool connects to that mailbox over IMAP rather than to any one client.

Where do I find my IMAP server and port?

In cPanel, open Email Accounts and click Connect Devices next to the address. The secure IMAP server and port 993 are listed there. Plesk shows the same under Mail. Copy those into Webmail Backup Tool with your full address and password.

Do I need cPanel or server access?

No. You only need the IMAP server name, the port, your email address and its password. All four come from the panel, but the backup itself runs from your own PC and never touches the server beyond a normal mail connection.

Does SquirrelMail still work even though cPanel dropped it?

Yes. cPanel removed SquirrelMail as a browser client, but the mailbox behind it is unchanged and still reachable over IMAP. The same is true of Horde, which cPanel dropped in 2022. The backup reads the mailbox, not the retired interface.

Will it save the Horde calendar and contacts?

No. Webmail Backup Tool saves the mailbox. Horde stores calendar and contact data in its own modules outside the IMAP mail store, so those are not part of a mail backup. Export them separately from Horde if you need them.

Sign-in fails on the standard port, what now?

Some hosts block port 993 or serve a self-signed certificate. Try port 143 without SSL, or allow the connection past the certificate warning. Both are set on the same screen where the server and password go, and neither needs anything changed on the host.

Which format should I pick, PST or PDF?

PST when the mail may go into Outlook or another account later. PDF when the copy is for reading or filing and needs to open on any machine. The run repeats with a different format, so keeping both is common.

Does the backup free up space on the hosting quota?

Not on its own. The mailbox is read and left unchanged. Once the local copy is open and checked, delete the old folders in webmail yourself to win back room under the hosting quota.

Is there a limit on how much mail it saves?

No. The licensed edition sets no cap on mailbox size. A large account is slower because the host limits read speed, but the run finishes. If the connection drops, it resumes from the last saved message.

Does my mail pass through Corbett's servers?

No. The tool runs on your machine and connects from there to your host over IMAP. The saved file lands on the drive you choose. Corbett stores nothing and relays nothing.

Does Webmail Backup Tool run on Mac or Linux?

No. Webmail Backup Tool is a Windows application only, from Windows 7 through Windows 11 and Windows Server 2008 through 2025. It reads webmail over IMAP, so the host and its panel can run anything.

What is in the free webmail backup demo?

It connects to any webmail account over IMAP, loads every folder and gives you the full preview and all the filters. The backup stops at 10 emails from each folder, enough to open the output and confirm it looks right.

Step by step

Webmail Walkthroughs and Guides

Each guide below runs a single webmail task from the opening click to the written file.

Getting the mail out

Moving to another host

Named hosts

Provider pages with their own sign-in notes: Gmail backup tool, Yahoo backup tool, Outlook.com backup tool, Hotmail backup tool, Office 365 backup tool and iCloud backup tool. Moving a webmail account into another account is the email migration tool. To read a saved file without writing anything, use the free email viewer software. Business Google mail uses the Google Workspace backup tool. To load a file back into a mailbox, use the email recovery software. Turning a file into another format is the email converter software.

User testimonials

What Webmail Backup Users Say

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 here are printed as sent.

Saved a client inbox before a move

I move client sites between hosts and always dread the old cPanel mailbox getting wiped. Punched in the IMAP server from the panel, ticked every folder and had a clean PST before I cancelled the old plan. Painless.

Nadia Brooks

Old SquirrelMail account still opened

Our host retired SquirrelMail but the mailbox was still there. I was sure the mail was stuck. Turns out the tool just connects over IMAP and ignores the interface completely. Pulled fifteen years of records without a hitch.

Emeka Adeyemi

Cleared a full hosting quota

The info address on our domain kept bouncing mail because the mailbox was full. Backed up everything older than two years to a PST, deleted it from the server, and the quota warning was gone. Copy is on our NAS now.

Lena Toschev

Get started

Own a Copy of Your Webmail

Download the free demo, enter your IMAP server and save 10 emails from every folder at no charge. A full licence costs $99 once and comes with a 30 day refund.

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