How to Easily Migrate IMAP to Office 365 Without Losing Emails

Why Migrating IMAP to Office 365 is Important?

• IMAP mail can fail or go offline because it is dependent on the local server.
• O365 provides regular updates and better built-in security features.
• Emails are automatically backed up, which saves effort later.
• Managing users and mailboxes becomes easier for admins.
• Overall, email access is smoother and more reliable for everyone.

Additionally, some users want to backup IMAP to PST for future reference. They can take reference from here to backup emails without hassle.

Short Comparison Between IMAP and Office 365

IMAP Mail	Office 365
Uses a local or third-party mail server	Runs fully on Microsoft’s cloud
Mostly email only	Email plus calendar, contacts, and apps
Limited security options	Built-in security and regular updates
Depends on server health	No local server to manage
Access can be restricted	Access from anywhere, any device
Manual backups needed	Automatic backup and recovery

Quick Manual Solutions to Migrate IMAP to Office 365

Here, we covered the two very quick manual steps that are practical for a small migration. The user needs to have some knowledge about M365 and Outlook to avoid errors and achieve the goal.

#1: IMAP to O365 migration Using Microsoft 365 Admin Center

1. Firstly, create a CSV file with users’ emails, usernames, and passwords.
2. Then, verify your domain in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
3. After that, assign Microsoft 365 licenses to all users.
4. Thereafter, set up a migration endpoint with your IMAP server info.
5. Further, go to Data Migration to choose Migration.
6. Then, create a migration batch for your Office 365 in the EAC.
7. Afterward, upload the CSV file for the IMAP accounts that you want to migrate.
8. Start the migration and monitor progress.
9. Finally, wait for the final sync and complete the migration batch.
10. After migration, update your domain’s MX records to Office 365.

#2: Use Drag & Drop to Import IMAP email to Office 365 

1. Firstly, add both the old IMAP account and the new Office 365 account to Outlook.
2. Thereafter, let Outlook sync the emails.
3. Then, drag emails from the old inbox and drop them into the Office 365 inbox.
4. Finally, wait for Outlook to upload the emails to Office 365.

Limitations:

• You need users’ passwords, which can be hard to collect or manage.
• It works best for small to medium-sized migrations, not very large mailboxes.
• If there are connection issues or server limits, migration can slow down or fail.
• There’s a risk of missing some emails if you forget to drag everything.
• Contacts and calendars still need separate handling.

Pro Method to Migrate IMAP to Office 365 Easily

To handle limitation of the manual method, we have MailConverterTools IMAP Backup Software that can migrate small, medium, and even large numbers of files. This software can be used for multiple purposes, for instance, to migrate email from one host to another and more. This tool gives you 100% accurate results and makes sure that your folder structure will remain the same.

Steps to import IMAP to Office 365

1. Firstly, download the tool, choose the mode, and log in with IMAP credentials.

2. Then, preview and select a file from the tree structure.

3. After that, choose Office 365 and the authentication option.

4. Thereafter, log in and choose User ID.

5. Further select the mailbox and click Next.

6. Finally, apply the filters and click Start Process.

Conclusion

To conclude, this blog gives you fine solutions to migrate IMAP to Office 365. You can use any method to migrate according to your needs. Always understand and implement every step carefully to get the best outcome. Any incorrect step can cause problems and sometimes become the reason for the data loss. To avoid these things, using a professional tool is an easy and reliable solution.

Frequently Asked Questions

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