Protecting your emails from the unexpected is an assurance that your conversations, commitments, and creations are preserved against digital mishaps. Mail Backup X provides a straightforward solution to backup your IMAP-based emails—a set of simple steps that stand between you and potential data loss.

Here’s a step-by-step guide with screenshots to help you through with the process in a seamless way:

1. Open Mail Backup X Application: Start by launching the application on your computer. You may find it on your desktop or open Windows search and look for “Mail Backup X” in the list of your programs. For Mac Users, it will show up in your Applications folder by default. To get it up and running, just open the folder and look for the ‘Mail Backup X’ icon. If you’ve already added it to the Dock, just click it. You can also search for it using the ‘Spotlight Search’ feature. Just press Command + Space, type ‘Mail Backup X’, and hit ‘Enter’.

2. Navigate to the Dashboard: Once the application has been opened, you will be directed to the main dashboard. This dashboard serves as the central hub for all backup operations. It provides you with access to the configuration of your IMAP and other backup profiles, displays notifications, records, and other features.

3. Initiate New Backup Process: On the dashboard, you have two ways to add a new backup profile. You can either click on “Setup a new backup now” under the “Tasks” section, which is a quick-access button, or you can click on “My Backup Profiles” on the left sidebar if you wish to manage multiple backup profiles. Both options will lead you to the “Setup a New Backup Profile” screen.

4. Setup a New Backup Profile: Clicking on “Setup a new backup profile” will take you to a screen where you can add a new backup, for IMAP in this case. Here you should see options like “Microsoft Outlook,” “Mozilla Thunderbird,” “Postbox,” and “Email Server.” Click on “Email Server” to backup an IMAP account.

5. Choose Email Service Provider: In the next screen, you’ll have options for various email service providers like “Google Mail,” “Outlook.com,” “Office 365,” “Exchange Server,” and “IMAP Server.” Since you’re backing up an IMAP account, select “IMAP Server.”

6. Enter Account Details: After selecting the “IMAP Server” option when setting up a new backup profile, you will be prompted to enter your email address and password for the account you wish to back up.

• In some instances, automatic configuration may not work, and manual settings will be required instead. This typically occurs when specific security protocols are in place or if automatic setup fails.
  • If manual configuration is necessary, you will need to provide additional details such as the IMAP server address, port number and encryption preferences (usually SSL/TLS). Your email service provider’s website or support team can assist with locating these details if unsure.
  • Entering this information correctly is important, as incorrect IMAP server settings could prevent the application from accessing your emails from IMAP account during the backup process. Taking care to double check any manual configuration entered is advised.
  • Mail Backup X will then connect to your email account using the credentials provided.

7. Select Folders for Backup: Upon successful login, you’ll be able to select which folders from your email you want to back up.

• Once logged in, you’ll see a list of all the folders in your email account. Here, you can select which folders you want to include in your IMAP backup. You might opt to back up everything, or just select specific folders, such as your inbox and sent items.
  • At the bottom of the folder selection screen, there is an option to “Automatically backup newly detected sub-folders under selected folders.” This is useful if you often create new folders for organizing your emails and want them included in the backup without having to update your settings each time.

8. Configure Backup Settings: After selecting the folders, you will be taken to a screen where you can name your backup profile and choose various backup settings for IMAP emails and other data:

• Backup Profile Name: to easily identify it later.
  • Storage Locations: You can select one or more destinations for your backup. This could be a local hard drive, an external drive, or a cloud storage service. Using multiple locations, also known as mirror locations, is also a great idea to be extra safe.Security Settings: Choose whether to secure your IMAP backup with encryption. An encrypted backup ensures that your data is protected and can only be accessed with the correct key or password.Backup Schedule: Decide if you want the backup to run automatically at regular intervals (recommended for most users), manually on demand, or at recurring scheduled times.USB Auto-Snapshot: You can configure the IMAP backup to automatically save a snapshot to a USB drive when inserted. This is handy for creating off-site backups that you can store physically separate from your computer.
  • Automatic Source Cleanup: Enable this if you want the software to manage the size of your storage on the server by cleaning up older data according to rules you set.

9. Complete the IMAP Backup Setup: Finally, review all your settings, and if everything is correct, click on “Save” to complete the setup process. The application will start the backup process based on the schedule you’ve set.

Tips for a successful IMAP email backup and general:

• Connection: Ensure you have a stable internet connection before starting the backup process of emails on IMAP account to avoid any interruptions.
• Storage Space: Make sure you have enough storage space in the location you’re saving the backup to prevent any issues.
• Security: If you’re storing sensitive information, consider using the encryption option for added security. Although, it’s recommended anyway.
• Regular Backups: Set up a regular backup schedule to ensure your emails are backed up frequently.
• Confirmation: After setting up the backup, check to confirm that it’s running as expected. You can do this by looking at the backup logs or the backup files in the destination you specified.

Remember, backing up your emails is crucial for data security and to ensure you have access to your messages in case of an unexpected service outage or account issues.

Try Mail Backup X free version if you want to find out more and want to have direct experience of the tool backing your IMAP emails. There are other features that you can use, such as format conversion, export to PDF, and so on.