How to Backup IMAP to PST Format? Simple Tips & Tricks

I am having thousands of emails in my IMAP account and it is becoming really very difficult for me to manage them. So, can you please suggest to me a reliable solution to backup IMAP to PST file format? Also, I do not want any alteration with my emails as they are important to me.

The main aim of this article is to provide insights on the methods and why it is necessary to have a backup ready all the time. Users can opt for any of the solutions which meet their requirements in an appropriate way.

Internet Message Access Protocol or IMAP for short is a protocol that gives you access to your mails present on the webmail server on multiple devices at once. If the user account is configured with the IMAP settings, then, it will manage and retain the email files by creating a copy of them.

Yet there are several reasons for users wishing to move IMAP data into PST file format. We are providing some of them in the next section of the article.

Why Create IMAP to PST Backup?

• To access the data from anywhere and at any time.
• In order to protect the files from all the vulnerabilities.
• Avoid situations like accidental deletion of emails.
• To free up the space from the server, creating a backup is necessary

But the real problem arises when a user decides to move IMAP data to PST file format. This is because it requires technical knowledge to manually perform the steps.

Also Read: Direct Solution to Backup IMAP Email to Outlook

Know-How to Backup IMAP Emails to PST

There are various techniques that a user can prefer to perform the backup of IMAP data. The next section holds the manual method. Following that, an expert recommended solution is offered.

How to Manually Backup IMAP to PST Format?

• The first and foremost step is to open MS Outlook and go to the desired file.
• Secondly, navigate to Open & Export and then go to the Import/Export option provided at the top.

• From the newly opened wizard, choose the Export to a file option and select the files.

• Then, click on the Outlook Data File (.pst) option and hit the Next button last.

• Afterward, opt for the location to save the resulting files.

Shortcomings associated with the Manual Method

Anything which comes for free costs you something. Here, one wrong step would lead to severe data loss. So, it is suggested that if you belong to a technically sound group, then only go for this method. Besides this, it takes a lot of time for the users as one has to repeat the steps every time. Also, it won’t let you create the backup of selective data.

To avoid all of these, we are mentioning a solution that will ease the entire task.

Backup IMAP to PST Format – All at Once!

The solution mentioned above might alter your data. As a result, BitResQ Software has come to your rescue. It is an advanced program that is embedded with several unique functionalities. This tool guarantees that all your metadata and folder hierarchy will remain intact even after creating the backup.

Other than this, the tool provides an option to perform the selective backup. Also, the utility offers naming convention functionality which includes the options like Subject+Date, From+Subject+Date, etc. Perform Incremental backup to only move the emails that have arrived recently. Delete after download is another impeccable feature rendered by the utility.

Users can also split the resulting PST files into desirable file sizes. To know how the tool works, get the free demo version of the tool without investing in it.

The Final Verdict

In conclusion, we have provided the best manual and automated solution to backup IMAP to PST file format. If you have good technical knowledge then, opt for the manual method. Else, we recommend using an automated solution as it ensures guaranteed results.