Live Chat
Home » Blog » Technology » Download IMAP Emails to PST – Workarounds to Save Data Locally
Technology

Download IMAP Emails to PST – Workarounds to Save Data Locally

Lindsey Smith ~ Published: June 30, 2021 ~ 4 Minutes Reading

Want to download IMAP emails to PST? Have no clue which method to use? Want a safe approach to keep your data secure?

Well, if this is the case, you have to the right place. Here, we will explain the methods for saving the data on your local system and a few facts about IMAP.

We all know that PST file is accessible only in Outlook and it contains all the data from your mailbox; explaining the need for this format.

It is also true that the data can only be accessed and read in Outlook which keeps it safe and away from external threats.

In order to export IMAP mail to PST, you need to convert the files to Outlook data file (.pst). Before doing so, let’s learn an interesting fact about IMAP protocol.

IMAP protocol allows users to access the messages across a number of devices and the data can be read partially before you export it.

But, why convert the data to Outlook accessible format (PST)?

This is because Outlook being the most popular desktop-based email client, a large number of enterprises use it. Employees are given an Outlook account for communication and also to save their data as a backup.

To the methods for conversion!

What Are the Methods to Download IMAP Emails to PST?

You can find a number of techniques to perform this task. Here, you will find only the easiest and the most useful methods to go through the operation.

For saving the data, you can use 2 solutions:

These are the workarounds for this task that we will be explaining in details. You can choose the method that is suitable for you and find out it’s working steps. Let’s start with the first one.

Technique 1 – Trust-Worthy Approach to Export IMAP Mail to PST

If you want to save the data from your account, you can download the IMAP Email Backup Tool. The software is capable of transferring the entire data along with the associated attachments directly from the email client.

Download Now Purchase Now

You can save your data not only in PST format but PDF, MBOX, EML, EMLX, MSG, TXT, & HTML. Moreover, it allows you to save your data as per a certain date-range by applying the Date-Filter yet, ensuring folder hierarchy maintenance.

What Are the Steps to Export the Data Locally?

There are 5 steps in total that you can follow to download IMAP emails to PST:

1. Download the tool and launch it. Choose your domain and enter the credentials, hit Login.

ldif file

2. Select the Export Type as PST and click on the Advance Settings option.

location

3. Set the Date-Filter for selective migration and choose the size in PST Split Option.

location

4. Mark the Maintain Folder Hierarchy option to keep the folder structure the same.

export

5. Click on the Change button to set the destination path of the exported files.

saving-location

6. Finally, press the Start Backup button to complete the task.

view-file

Technique 2 – Import & Export Wizard of Outlook to Export IMAP Mail to PST

To make this method work, you should first have Outlook installed on your system. If not, install it and then configure your account and wait for the synchronization to complete. Once the synchronization is completed, you can go through the givens steps to perform the task:

1. Launch Outlook on your desktop and click on the File tab.

2. Hit Open & Export and go to the Import/Export option.

open-and-export

3. In the Import & Export Wizard, to download IMAP emails to PST, click on the Export to a file option and hit Next.

export-to-a-file

4. Choose the Outlook data file (.pst) and click on the Next button.

outlook-data-file

5. Select the folders you want to export and press Next.

6. Click on the Browse button to choose the location and tap Finish.

browse-location

The data will be exported in the required format. Although, you might find some difficulties if there is data in bulk that you need converted.

Also, to export IMAP mail to PST, as soon as you configure your account, it takes time to synchronize it with the server and then exports the emails.

Due to this, the procedure sometimes takes a lot of time and causes delay.

Wrapping Up

Users are trying to export the IMAP data because IMAP settings create an OST file which is not a portable format. Professionals have recommended users to move their data and save it on the local device in Outlook data file for safety reasons as well.

With the methods given in this write-up, you can easily learn how to download IMAP emails to PST as per your requirement. You have been given the choice to go for the method that suits you the best.