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Backing up my Email Folders

SylviaB
Dabbler
Posts: 11
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎06-02-2020

Backing up my Email Folders

Please can anyone advise me.

I have a lot of old emails in folders on my webmail account. I am worried about the possibility of losing them.

Does anyone know how I can copy them or have them backed up.

I am not very techie so some simple advise would be appreciated.

Thanks

3 REPLIES 3
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 23,502
Thanks: 9,885
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Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Backing up my Email Folders

Hello Sylvia,

First you need to access your email using a PC based IMAP email client.  That functions in the exact same way as webmail but runs allows you to also have local email folders, "outside" of the email account.  You can move emails you want to keep into those local folders, which will remove them from the server.

Note that having created a local archive, YOU must ensure that those files are backed up in case of a disk crash on your machine.

Suitable IMAP mail clients include (proper) Outlook from Microsoft which comes with Office 365 and Thunderbird (much like marmite for many) and is free.  There are others - do a Google search.

See How can I archive IMAP email to my computer with Outlook? - Knowledgebase - Ethical Web Services Inc... as an example of how to do it.  There are many guides around - do a Google search.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

pvmb
Pro
Posts: 702
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Registered: ‎12-02-2014

Re: Backing up my Email Folders

Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 23,502
Thanks: 9,885
Fixes: 165
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Backing up my Email Folders

However be wary of any advice to use POP3 which can create utter confusion. See https://community.plus.net/t5/Email/Saving-Emails/m-p/1913406#M42518

POP3 only looks at the inbox - no other folders (including sun folders if the inbox) and notably NOT the sent items folder.

Use any preferred client only in IMAP mode.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.