Here’s How to Migrate IMAP to Office 365 Account

Microsoft provides a productivity suite for users named Office 365. It is a robust cloud-based service consisting of various applications that alleviate and increase the productivity of a business or an organization. It comes in subscription-based plans based on the requirements and size of an organization. Moreover, Office 365 is loaded with enhanced and ungraded security features; which is why many organizations and businesses are looking to migrate IMAP to Office 365.

On the other hand, IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is the most authoritative Internet protocol used by several email clients for receiving emails from email servers via a TCP/IP connection. However, the upgraded security and features of Office 365 are making users migrate email from imap to Office 365.

Furthermore, in this article, we have shared the top two methods applied by most users. One is a manual method whereas the other one is an expert-recommended method. So without any further ado, let’s get started with IMAP to Office 365 migration. But, before that, let’s take a look at the advantages of migration.

Benefits of Migrating IMAP Email to an Office 365 Account

Moving your email data from an IMAP server to a MS Office 365 account has a huge range of benefits and advantages. Let’s take a look at them.

• IMAP Servers usually only synchronize email messages and not other elements. Office 365, on the other hand, synchronizes not only emails but also, calendar items, contacts, notes, and tasks.
• Where IMAP servers only have limited storage space depending on the provider, the M365 suite provides a generous amount of mailbox storage to its users. For instance, the standard Office 365 account storage is 50 GB.
• IMAP does not include productivity software. On the contrary, Microsoft 365 offers access to top collaboration software like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Sharepoint, OneDrive, Teams, etc.
• Office 365 supports advanced email features like email flagging and folder creation across all devices, whereas, IMAP does not.
• Backing up your IMAP data may require you to depend on third-party softwares, on the other hand, MS Office 365 provides its users with built-in features for data backup and recovery.

Now that we are aware of the incredible benefits of the IMAP to Office 365 migration, let us move on and see how we can accomplish it. For that, we are first starting with a manual approach and afterward, we will move to the expert-recommended automated choice.

Manual Approach to Accomplish IMAP to Office 365 Migration

This manual operation is divided into six major stages which have further sub-steps in them. Do note that it is highly recommended that you perform every step carefully with precision. Otherwise, you may struggle with data corruption or worse, data loss. However, before moving any further, there are a few pointers that you need to note and be aware of. They are listed as follows.

Steps to Manually Migrate to Office 365

Here are the major steps for a manual IMAP to Office 365 migration process. Below we have shared the steps to take in order to accomplish the task

• Step 1) Identify the full name of your current email server
• Step 2) Create a list of mailboxes to migrate them
• Step 3) Connect Office 365 with your email system
• Step 4) Create a migration batch and migrate mailboxes
• Step 5) Route emails directly to Office 365
• Step 6) Discontinue email synchronization

These are the major steps which have further sub-steps to execute the procedure. However, it is a lengthy and tiring process, which is why we only shared the major steps. So, we have brought an expert recommendation in the next segment to save you time and energy.

Step-By-Step Guide to IMAP to Office 365 Migration

• Step 1) Download and launch the software on your computer or laptop and click on the Open button in the software window
  
• Step 2) In the displayed menu, click Email Accounts >> Add Account
  
• Step 3) Enter your IMAP account credentials to add your account to the software
  
• Step 4) Now, you will see all your account data in the software. You can click on a specific email to view its elements in the preview panel
  
• Step 5) Use the Quick Search & Advanced Search Settings to filter through your data on a more granular level
  
• Step 6) Then, click on the Export button and choose Office 365 from the dropdown menu
  
• Step 7) Before proceeding any further, apply the Advanced Options as per your requirements
  
• Step 8) Next, enter your Office 365 account credentials
  
• Step 9) Finally, click on the Save button
  
  

As you see in just a few simple steps, you can easily and securely migrate IMAP to Office 365. Furthermore, there are several reasons why this software is the choice of numerous experts.

Also Read: Ways to Backup Cincinnati Bell Emails to Computer

Why Choose the Automated Utility Over the Manual Solution?

• Execute IMAP to Office 365 migration smoothly with full security.
• Is also capable of converting your IMAP data to multiple file formats and document formats.
• Provides the option for users to perform selective IMAP migration.
• Option to Include or Exclude specific folders for a clear folder structure.
• Automatically detects email addresses with its advanced settings.
• Also includes email header during IMAP to Office 365 migration process.

All these features contribute to the functionality and advancement of this tool making it the best choice for users looking to migrate IMAP to Office 365. These are rare to find in every other IMAP migrator.

Frequently Asked Queries

Q1: How often does IMAP migration sync with Office 365?

A1: The IMAP server mailbox and the Exchange Server mailbox are synchronized once every 24 hours after a mailbox is successfully migrated. The process is called incremental synchronization and it continues until you stop or delete a migration batch.

Q2: How do I connect to IMAP in Office 365?

A2: Here is how you can configure mail clients using IMAP for Office 365:

• Open the Office 365 mail client.
• Click on “File” and then, select “Account Settings” from the appeared dropdown menu.
• To create a new profile, click “New”.
• Afterward, choose “Manual Setup” or “Additional Server Types”. Click “Next”.
• Choose either “POP” or “IMAP” and click “Next”. Then, on the POP or IMAP account settings page, fill in the required information.
• Now, click “More Settings” from the bottom-right corner. After doing that, your email address will auto-populate in the General tab.
• Select the “Outgoing Server” tab and enable the checkbox for “My Outgoing Server (SMTP) Requires Authentication”.
• Make sure that the “Use same settings as my incoming mail server” option is selected.
• Then, click on the “Advanced” tab and update the following:
  • Incoming mail server (IMAP): 993
  • Use the following type of encrypted connection: SSL
  • Outgoing server (SMTP): 587
  • Use the following type of encrypted connection: TLS
• Click “OK”, and then, click “Next”. Ensure that the “Test Account Settings” is completed and at last, click “Finish”.

Time to Wrap Up

In this above-mentioned blog, we talked about various solutions regarding IMAP to Office 365 migration. We shared both a manual method as well as an automated tool. However, the manual procedure has some limitations that cannot be ignored to ensure data safety. Hence, technical experts recommend users go for professional software to migrate IMAP to Office 365.