Download IMAP Emails from Server

You want to download IMAP emails from server to your computer. IMAP keeps your mail on your server and only shows you a copy, so a deleted account, an expired host or a full mailbox can take everything with it. Below are three ways to download IMAP emails from server, with limits of every one and fixes for mail that will not come down.

Why download IMAP emails from server?

You download IMAP emails from server because your server holds your only real copy. When you view mail in an IMAP client, a delete, a move or a read mark happens on your server too. A mail program that shows folders full of messages may hold only headers, so bodies are still online.

People need a local copy for four reasons. A hosting plan is ending. A provider deletes old mail after a set time. You are switching to a new provider and want a backup first. Or you want a copy you can lock with a password and search offline. In a Mozilla Support thread from August 2016, a user whose old host was closing within days asked how to keep that mail in Thunderbird. Fix: sync every message and copy it into Local Folders before your account goes away.

How to download IMAP emails from server with Outlook?

To download IMAP emails from server with Outlook, add your account over IMAP, tell Outlook to keep all mail, then export a PST file. It is free and works for one mailbox. Outlook only exports what it has downloaded, so that slider step matters.

1. Open Outlook to download IMAP emails from server and select File, then Add Account.
2. Enter your email address and choose manual or advanced setup. Select IMAP as your account type.
3. Enter your incoming server, port 993 with SSL/TLS, and your outgoing server details, then sign in with your mailbox password.
4. Go to File, Account Settings, Account Settings, select your account and choose Change.
5. Drag your Download email for the past slider fully right to All, then select Next and Done.
6. Restart Outlook and let every folder finish syncing, so you can download IMAP emails from server in full.
7. Select File, Open & Export, Import/Export, then Export to a file and Outlook Data File (.pst).
8. Select your IMAP account, keep Include subfolders ticked and choose where to save your PST file.

Microsoft documents slider steps in its Outlook support articles. Add-account and export menu names are general Outlook behavior that can differ in new Outlook, so check them in your version. Limits: it handles one mailbox at a time, it cannot filter by sender or size, and large mailboxes can take hours. To open your PST afterward, see how to import PST to Outlook.

How to download IMAP emails from server with Thunderbird?

To download IMAP emails from server with Thunderbird, turn on local sync for your account, then copy mail to Local Folders. Thunderbird shows headers for unsynced messages and fetches a body only when you open it. Mozilla's help says full text search covers only synchronized messages.

1. Add your account in Thunderbird as an IMAP account to download IMAP emails from server.
2. Open Account Settings and go to Synchronization & Storage.
3. Tick Keep messages for this account on this computer, Thunderbird's own wording. If you leave it off, select Advanced and tick every folder by hand, since subfolders are not included for you.
4. Open File menu, then Offline, then Download/Sync Now, to download IMAP emails from server.
5. Create matching folders under Local Folders and copy your messages into them. Copy them, do not move them.
6. Open a few copied messages with your network off to confirm they show a body.

A Mozilla Support answer from January 2020 explains a check: if an IMAP folder in your profile holds only .msf index files and no extensionless mailbox files, messages have not been downloaded. That answer adds that IMAP folders sync with your server, so they are not a reliable backup alone. Catch: one account at a time, large downloads slow Thunderbird while it indexes, and Mozilla names Download/Sync Now only in forum answers, so check menus in your version. Moving to Outlook instead? See how to migrate Thunderbird to Outlook.

Steps to download IMAP emails from server with software

1. Install Corbett Webmail Backup Tool on your Windows PC and run it as administrator.
2. Add an account you want to download IMAP emails from server for, with your email address, password and IMAP server details.
3. Tick folders you want and open a few messages in preview tabs.
4. Add filters if you need less mail, such as a date range or one sender.
5. Choose an output format such as PST, MBOX or EML and select a destination folder.
6. Start your export to download IMAP emails from server and open a few saved files to check dates and attachments.

Software connects from your PC, and Corbett relays nothing. Exact screen names can differ by version, so test one folder on free demo first. Licence is lifetime from $99 with a 30-day money-back window. For a hosting mailbox, see how to export cPanel to PST. To move mail to Gmail instead of saving it, see how to migrate IMAP to Gmail or use Corbett Email Migration Tool.

What IMAP settings do you need?

To download IMAP emails from server in any program, you need four details from your provider's help page or hosting panel.

1. Incoming server: IMAP host name your provider gives you for mail you download.
2. Port: 993 with SSL/TLS is a usual secure choice. Port 143 with STARTTLS is an older option.
3. Username: your full email address in most cases.
4. Password: your mailbox password. Some providers need an app password when two-step sign-in is on.

Ports above are standard IMAP values, so confirm them with your provider before you rely on them. Do not guess a server name. A wrong host is a common reason accounts will not connect.

Which way to download IMAP emails from server is best?

To download IMAP emails from server for one small mailbox, use a client you already have. Use software to download IMAP emails from server when you have several accounts, need filters or want formats other than PST.

Need a copy of Yahoo mail? See how to save Yahoo emails to computer or move Roundcube to Gmail.

Why will IMAP emails not download from server?

Outlook shows fewer emails than webmail after you download IMAP emails from server

Microsoft's troubleshooting guide describes an IMAP account that shows far fewer messages in Outlook than in webmail. Its fix is to open your account under Account Settings, select More Settings, open Advanced tab and type INBOX in Root folder path. Then finish your test and let Outlook update.

Outlook did not download IMAP emails from server older than a few months

Move Download email for the past slider to All. Defaults can leave older mail on your server, and an export only holds what Outlook has downloaded.

Thunderbird did not download IMAP emails from server for offline reading

A Mozilla Support user in January 2020 copied mail to Local Folders and could not read most of it offline. A reply said it was probably headers only, because folders were never synced. Turn on local sync for every folder and run offline download before you copy.

Cannot connect to download IMAP emails from server

Check your host name, port 993 with SSL/TLS, your full address and your mailbox password. If your provider requires an app password, a normal password is refused.

Large mailbox is slow to download IMAP emails from server

Download in batches. In Corbett Webmail Backup Tool, filter by date range and save a year at a time. In Thunderbird, Mozilla says downloading many messages can slow it while it indexes.

What to do after you download IMAP emails from server?

After you download IMAP emails from server, open a few files and compare folder counts with webmail. Keep your server mailbox until you confirm your copy. Store your PST or MBOX file on a second drive, since one copy is not a backup.

Questions about download IMAP emails from server