Download IMAP Emails from Server

You want to download IMAP emails from server to your computer. IMAP keeps your mail on the 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 the limits of every one and the fixes for mail that will not come down.

Why download IMAP emails from server?

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

People usually 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. The answer was to sync every message and copy it into Local Folders before the account went away.

How to download IMAP emails from server with Outlook?

To download IMAP emails from server with Outlook, add the 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 the 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 the manual or advanced setup. Select IMAP as the 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 the account and choose Change.
5. Drag the 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 the IMAP account, keep Include subfolders ticked and choose where to save the PST file.

Microsoft documents the slider steps in its guide to increase the sync slider. The 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 the 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 the account, then copy the 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. If you leave it off, select Advanced and tick every folder by hand, since subfolders are not included for you.
4. Open the 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 the check: if an IMAP folder in the profile holds only .msf index files and no extensionless mailbox files, the messages have not been downloaded. The same answer says IMAP folders sync with the server, so they are not a reliable backup alone. Limits: one account at a time, large downloads slow Thunderbird while it indexes, and Mozilla's page names Download/Sync Now only in forum answers, so check the menu 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 the account you want to download IMAP emails from server for, with your email address, password and IMAP server details.
3. Tick the folders you want and open a few messages in the 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 the export to download IMAP emails from server and open a few saved files to check dates and attachments.

The 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: the IMAP host name your provider gives you for mail you download.
2. Port: 993 with SSL/TLS is the usual secure choice. Port 143 with STARTTLS is the 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.

The 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 the most common reason an account will not connect.

Which way to download IMAP emails from server is best?

To download IMAP emails from server for one small mailbox, use the 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 the account under Account Settings, select More Settings, open the Advanced tab and type INBOX in Root folder path. Then finish the test and let Outlook update.

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

Move the Download email for the past slider to All. The default can leave older mail on the 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. The reply said it was probably headers only, because the folders were never synced. Turn on local sync for every folder and run the offline download before you copy.

Cannot connect to download IMAP emails from server

Check the 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 the copy. Store the PST or MBOX file you made on a second drive, since one copy is not a backup.

Questions about download IMAP emails from server