Moved Yahoo to a personal account
A really wonderful software. I wanted to take the backup of multiple Yahoo emails to my personal account. This application helped me in getting the work done seamlessly, with no data loss.
Corbett
Corbett Yahoo Backup Tool downloads a complete Yahoo Mail account to a Windows PC in ten formats from PST to ICS. Save the copy to any folder, external drive included, with folders, attachments and dates in place. Several accounts in one session, no size cap, Windows only.
Download free demo Purchase now
Mail moves between the local PC and Yahoo. Nothing passes through a Corbett server.
Free demo, scanned clean on VirusTotal and a 30 day refund window.
Lifetime licence from $99 Free trial saves 10 emails per folder
Yahoo specifics
Yahoo empties a mailbox left unused for 12 months and the free plan caps storage. Yahoo Backup Tool saves mail, attachments and dates to a local drive. Yahoo uses plain folders so the structure transfers cleanly.
Comes across
7Folders in backup
6Saves as
10Not included
4PDF holds the message and nothing else
Printing straight from Yahoo Mail includes the surrounding page. PDFs saved from the backup hold only the message.
Related backup pages include Gmail backup tool, Outlook.com backup tool, Hotmail backup tool and Office 365 backup tool. Any other mail source is on the email backup software page.
Core features
Five Yahoo wizard screens, from app password to finished file.
Connect
Choose Yahoo and imap.mail.yahoo.com on port 993 is set automatically. Paste the code created in the External connections area of Yahoo and the folders for @yahoo.com, @ymail.com or @rocketmail.com load.
Corbett remembers the login so next month's backup starts without a new code. App passwords work where two step verification is on, batch mode takes several accounts from a CSV list and pause and resume survive a weak connection.
Folder selection
Yahoo folders show as a tree with tick boxes and mail totals. Compact view hides the empty ones, a relief on a decade old account full of abandoned folders.
Every folder and subfolder has its own checkbox, totals sit beside every Yahoo folder and Bulk and Trash can stay on Yahoo.
Message preview
Nothing is saved before the preview. Four analysis views sit beside the normal view, which a Yahoo account copied for a legal request needs and a plain archive does not.
Content opens the email exactly as delivered, message header charts the path from sender to mailbox, properties counts attachments and gives the size and hex and raw message contain the encoded original.
Selective backup
Filters work before anything is written. One search box narrows folders, another narrows messages so a single thread can be lifted out of a busy Yahoo inbox.
Start and end dates for any period, sender, subject or message content, messages with an attachment, a size limit to leave out heavy video mail and duplicate messages left out.
Output options
After the preview, decide the target. Options include a folder on the PC or a live mailbox elsewhere, the usual choice when a Yahoo account is being shut down.
PST, MBOX, EML and MSG for any desktop client and PDF, HTML, CSV and TXT for offline access. Move Yahoo mail into Gmail, Microsoft 365 or another IMAP mailbox with the Yahoo Mail Migration Tool.
Flexible use
Yahoo Backup Tool handles all three, from one account, a household of accounts or a move to a new inbox. Test your job in free demo before you buy.
Backup one Yahoo account
Paste the app password, tick folders and save a PST or PDF copy before the 12 month deadline.
Backup several accounts
Load a CSV list of accounts and work through them in bulk. Every account still needs its own app password.
Move Yahoo mail to a new inbox
Name Gmail, Microsoft 365 or any IMAP box as the target and the mail lands in matching folders.
Before connecting
Two settings decide whether any mail software can reach a Yahoo account. Both live in Yahoo, not in the Yahoo backup tool. Neither takes more than a minute.
Check first
IMAP has to be turned on
Unlike Gmail, Yahoo still has an IMAP switch. Open Yahoo Mail Settings, then More Settings, then Mailboxes.
Confirm IMAP access is on. Switched off IMAP is the second most common reason a setup fails.
Required
App password, not the Yahoo password
With two step verification switched on, the normal Yahoo password is rejected by every mail client. Open the Yahoo Account Security page, find External connections and click Create app password.
Then clean up
Delete it after the backup
Changing the Yahoo password does not cancel an app password. Codes continue to work until deleted on the same security page so remove it once the backup is done.
If mail is missing instead of unreachable, the cause is elsewhere. Notes explain Yahoo Mail not syncing and Yahoo emails disappeared from inbox.
Working process
Follow four steps to get a Yahoo account onto your drive. Practice on one folder in free demo.
Create the app password
Open Yahoo Account Security, find External connections and create an app password. Choose Yahoo in the tool and paste the code.
Select folders and filters
Yahoo folders show as a tree with totals. Tick the folders to save, then limit by date, sender, attachment or size.
Select format and location
Choose PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, CSV or TXT, then point the tool at a folder, an external drive or a live mailbox.
Start Yahoo backup
Press Export and track every folder on the progress screen. You get a log and a CSV report that list all saved mail.
Want screenshots for every click? Follow IMAP backup guide.
Working process
Prefer screenshots? IMAP backup guide shows a Yahoo backup one click at a time.
Extra options
Small options that save hours on a decade old Yahoo mailbox.
App password accepted
Works where two step verification is on
Server filled in
imap.mail.yahoo.com on port 993
Batch from a CSV list
Several Yahoo accounts in one session
Totals per folder
Live tally beside every folder
Date range filter
Frame the backup with From and To dates
Sender and text search
Look up by sender, subject or words
Attachment filter
Only mail carrying attachments
Size limit
Leave out heavy video mail
Duplicates dropped
Never save the same message twice
Pause and resume
Weak connection does not end the backup
Folder or external drive
Save to any folder or drive
Log and CSV report
Proof of what was saved
Choose output
Eight output formats are on offer. Match the format to what you plan to do with the saved mail.
| Format | Best for | Opens in |
|---|---|---|
| PST | Outlook users and a move to a new inbox | Microsoft Outlook |
| MBOX | Moving mail to a free email client | Thunderbird and Apple Mail |
| EML | One file per email, searchable by name | Windows Mail and most email clients |
| MSG | Single messages kept as Outlook items | Microsoft Outlook |
| Printing and reading without Outlook | Any PDF viewer | |
| HTML | Reading mail with no email client | Any web browser |
| CSV | Lists of senders, dates and subjects | Excel and Google Sheets |
| TXT | Plain text archives of Yahoo mail | Any text editor |
Free demo
Test Yahoo Backup Tool on a Yahoo Inbox
Install the free demo, paste the app password and select one folder to test. No file appears until the backup starts.
Download free demoTry before you buy
Free demo signs in with an app password, shows every folder, applies every filter and previews mail. Only saving is capped.
| Feature | Free demo | Full version |
|---|---|---|
| App password login and folder list | Yes | Yes |
| Preview, filter and analysis views | All available | All available |
| Emails saved per folder | 10 | Unlimited |
| Mailbox size limit | Saving stops at 10 per folder | None |
| Price | Free | $99 one time |
| Machines per licence | Not applicable | Up to 5 |
| Money back window | Not applicable | 30 days |
Use cases
Anyone with a Yahoo address that holds mail worth keeping.
Owners of idle Yahoo accounts
Yahoo empties a mailbox unused for 12 months. Copies outlive that deadline.
Households with several accounts
Load a CSV list and save them together. One licence installs on up to 5 machines.
People with a full mailbox
Backup old years, delete them online and get under the storage cap of 15 GB to 20 GB.
Why Corbett
One licence
Works with Yahoo and 209+ other providers
No subscription
Lifetime price from $99
Read only access
Nothing is deleted in Yahoo
Direct connection
PC connects to Yahoo itself
Eight formats
Plus move to a new inbox
No size limit
Any mailbox size or message count
Free demo
10 emails saved per folder
30 day money back
Refund window on every licence
Before purchase
Yahoo has no export button of its own. You can add the account to Thunderbird over IMAP and let it sync, which costs nothing and works. Here is where both routes stop.
| Task | Thunderbird | Yahoo Backup Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $99 one time |
| One account, kept on a PC | Does it well | Also does it, the price pays for the extras |
| Choice of output format | MBOX only, stored inside the Thunderbird profile | Ten formats including PST and PDF |
| Save one sender or one year | Syncs the entire account | Date, sender, size and attachment filters |
| View headers and raw source | Source view only | Content, header, properties, hex and raw |
| Setting it up | Install a mail client, then wait for a full sync | Sign in and start |
| Several accounts | Added one at a time, all syncing at once | Queued together |
| Opening the result later | Needs Thunderbird or Apple Mail to open | Outlook opens the PST, any device opens the PDF |
Rows tinted green are where Thunderbird comes out ahead.
For one Yahoo account kept as MBOX on a single computer, Thunderbird costs nothing and is good enough. Save Yahoo emails to computer handles the free route in full.
Specifications
Download details
System
Supported editions
Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8 and 7, in 32 and 64 bit. Windows Server 2025 down to 2008. Outlook is not required.
No macOS or Linux build.
Corbett has built Windows email utilities since 2020. Developers behind Yahoo Backup Tool answer its tickets.
Full specification
Full source and output list for Corbett Yahoo Backup Tool.
Goes in
Yahoo account sources
Comes out
Backup destinations
Convert saved files later with email converter tool or single format PST File Converter Tool, MBOX File Converter and EML Converter Tool. Move a Yahoo account to a new provider with the Yahoo Mail Migration Tool. Open a saved file without exporting with free email viewer software.
User testimonials
683 reviews score the wizard that drives Yahoo Backup Tool.
Pulled from 683 reviews on rating sites and customer emails. Below are three, quoted exactly.
A really wonderful software. I wanted to take the backup of multiple Yahoo emails to my personal account. This application helped me in getting the work done seamlessly, with no data loss.
I wanted to backup my Yahoo mailbox. However, I wasn't sure how to get this task done. A Google search led me to this Yahoo Email backup tool and so far this solution has worked well.
What I really liked about this Yahoo Mail Backup tool is its ability to archive the particular files that I needed. Actually, I had to save email addresses from my Yahoo mails. For that, this application worked pretty great.
Best practice
Saved mail is only useful if it opens later. These four habits protect your Yahoo archive.
Backup before the 12 month mark
Yahoo empties a mailbox left unused for 12 months. Save the mail first.
Open a sample file
After saving, open a handful of messages. Confirm folders, photos and attachments came across.
Save PST and PDF
Repeat the backup with a second format. PST for Outlook and PDF for reading anywhere is a common pair.
Store a copy elsewhere
Store one copy on a home drive and one on a USB stick or NAS, named by address and date.
Common questions
App passwords, Yahoo inactivity rules and the limits of the tool.
Yahoo empties any mailbox left unused for 12 months unless the account pays for Yahoo Mail Plus. Mail, folders, contacts and settings disappear and logging back in recovers the address only. Forgotten passwords and locked accounts cut access just as fast so a local copy is the version that stays safe.
Not by itself. Free Yahoo accounts now have a storage cap of 15 GB to 20 GB depending on the region. Full mailboxes stop receiving mail and anything sent to you meanwhile is never stored and cannot be recovered. Backup first, confirm the copy opens, then delete from the server yourself.
With two step verification on, Yahoo blocks the normal password in every mail app. Open Yahoo Account Security, go to External connections, choose Create app password and paste that code into Yahoo Backup Tool.
Yes. Yahoo still has that switch, which is where it differs from Gmail. Open Yahoo Mail Settings, then More Settings, then Mailboxes. Confirm IMAP access is on before you connect.
No. App passwords work after a password change. Delete it on the same Account Security page once the backup is done.
Yes. Yahoo stores mail in plain folders so the tree is rebuilt exactly the way it stands, subfolders included. You can flatten it if one folder suits you better.
Yes. Batch mode opens a CSV list of accounts and works through them in bulk so a household or small office finishes in one session. Every account still needs its own app password.
Yes. Attachments and inline photos stay with their emails. Contacts held in the account export as vCard. Extract option can save attachments, addresses, phone numbers or contact photos by themselves.
Yes. Printing from the Yahoo website includes the surrounding page. PDFs saved from the backup hold the message, headers and attachments. Nothing else from the screen appears in it.
No. There is no incremental backup mode so a second backup copies whatever you select instead of only what arrived since. Skipping duplicates stops the same message being saved twice. Narrowing the date range makes a repeat backup short.
Yes. Neither account size nor message count is capped in the licensed edition. Yahoo limits download speed for any client so a large mailbox takes longer. Backups do not stop partway and resume after a dropped connection.
Yes. Select a live mailbox as the destination and mail transfers straight into Gmail, Microsoft 365, Outlook.com or any IMAP host with the Yahoo Mail Migration Tool. Saving to PST first and importing that into Outlook works too.
No. Your own PC opens the connection to Yahoo and saves to your chosen drive. Corbett stores and forwards nothing.
No. Windows only, from Windows 7 up to Windows 11, plus Server editions from 2008 to 2025. There is no macOS build and no Linux build.
All folders load, every filter works and every preview tab opens. Only 10 emails per folder get saved, enough to check the output.
Yes. Your Yahoo login works for @yahoo.com, @ymail.com and @rocketmail.com and all their folders load together.
Yes. PST suits Outlook and MBOX suits Thunderbird or Apple Mail. Repeat the backup for a second format at no extra cost.
No. Corbett only reads the mailbox. Delete old folders yourself once the archive is checked.
Yes. Open it read only in the free email viewer software or see Open PST file.
Yes. Windows 11 and 10 are supported along with all older versions.
Yes. Filters apply to From and To dates, sender, subject, words in the mail, attachments and size. Only matching mail is written.
One payment of $99 buys a lifetime licence for up to 5 machines, with a 30 day refund window.
Step by step
Guides for Yahoo Mail tasks before and after a backup.
When something is wrong
After the backup
You find the full list of providers on the email backup software page. Moving a Yahoo account uses the Yahoo Mail Migration Tool and putting saved mail back into an inbox uses email recovery software. Related backups include Outlook.com backup tool, Office 365 backup tool, Gmail backup tool, Yahoo backup tool, iCloud backup tool, Google Workspace backup tool and Webmail backup tool.
Get started
Download the Yahoo Backup Tool demo, enter an app password and save a test folder. You pay $99 once for the full licence and can claim a refund within 30 days.
Download free demo Purchase now
87.4 MB · Windows 11 to 7 and Windows Server 2025 to 2008 · 30 day money back