How to Convert IMAP Emails to EML Format? Best Guide

How Is Convert IMAP to EML Useful?

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) serves to access email messages across multiple devices. While the messages themselves remain stored on the mail server. EML files, on the other hand, are utilized by email clients (for example, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, and Windows Mail) to store individual email messages (which include attachments, metadata, and formatting) locally. Some top reasons to save IMAP to EML are:

• Transferring emails to a new email platform that only supports EML.
• A local archived backup of email is essential for compliance or auditing.
• To consume emails offline selectively, without having to sync a whole mailbox.
• Maintain email attachments and headers intact as presented on the internet server.
• EMLs are lightweight and thus convenient for sharing and storage of large data.

Reliable Approaches to Convert IMAP Emails to EML

When you need to perform the IMAP to EML migration, only two probable ways are present. The first one is the manual method with full user control and no cost, but it may have some limitations. The other one is the professional tool with both a free demo version and licensed versions for all individual end users, professionals, IT Admins, and business users. 

DIY to Quick Export IMAP to EML

This approach works best for small mailboxes or a small number of selected folders. The process is:

1. Initially, set up your IMAP account in Mozilla Thunderbird.
2. To do so, go to Account Settings >> Account Actions >> Add Mail Account.
3. Input your email credentials and IMAP server information. Then, click Add.
4. Sync your account, and open the mailbox folders you want to export.
5. Further, select the emails you want to save. From the list, select one or more emails.
6. After that, right-click and go to Save As, choose EML Format.
7. Finally, select the path on your computer to save the resultant EML. Tap Select Folder.

Each email you select will be saved as an individual *.eml file, including the header data, attachments, and HTML formatting.

Loopholes of the Manual Method

• The process to save IMAP email to EML can be very tedious with larger mailboxes.
• Folder structure will not be preserved during IMAP to EML file conversion.
• There is a possibility of data not being consistent with a large number of emails.
• You need to repeat the steps for each IMAP account separately.

Instantly Convert IMAP Emails to EML

For organizations that manage large data sets, investing in automation is a wise decision. Tools such as MailConverterTools IMAP Mail Backup Tool offer ease of use for: 

• Exporting IMAP to EML in bulk.
• Preserving folder hierarchy and metadata.
• Exporting multiple accounts with authentication security.
• Removing duplicates and attachments with custom support.
• Selective migration option with a preview feature of IMAP data.
• Compatible with both Mac and Windows and clients like Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, eM Client, etc.
• Supports multiple IMAP servers such as Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Zoho, and others.

Working to Follow to Convert IMAP to EML

1. Launch the tool and sign in using your IMAP credentials.
2. Then, choose the mailbox folders you wish to archive. Click Next.
3. Afterward, select EML as the export format from the output list. 
4. Also, specify the destination to save the EML file with IMAP emails. Tap Next.
5. Apply any advanced filters and click Start Process to convert. 

The tool will automatically archive all of your selected IMAP emails in .eml files. Later, use them in any email client of your choice.

Conclusion

Converting IMAP email to EML makes sense as a way to backup, transfer, and archive important emails. If you only use a few emails, manually saving each from IMAP to EML may be sufficient. For larger enterprise cases, automation, precision, and speed are what is needed. So, if you are an IT team managing large mailboxes or multiple accounts, use the recommended tool to convert IMAP emails to EML. It will create exactly what you want in a secure, consistent process.

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