Archiving your IMAP emails can be extremely important. And yet, it is something that many of us either put off for a long time or do not even think about. Partly, it is because we are not so good at weighing in the future risks and impact of any future events. But the other reason is lack of good, easy to use tools that you can quickly put to use for creating active IMAP archiving system that is real-time based and works without any hassle.

Mail Backup X – a well-known backup software application from InventPure – has put an end to that. It gives an intuitive approach to an otherwise daunting process.

Download and Installation

To start, you will first need to download and install the software. The installer file (or setup) is available on the official website and can be downloaded without any purchase or even without any signup of any kind. Simply go to the website, click on the download link associated with your operating system (Mac or Windows) and the installer (exe for Windows and dmg file for Mac systems) will be saved on your computer.

You can now start the installation. It mostly involves following the instructions that appear on your screen. You will likely be clicking on “Next” a few times and agreeing to the usual terms and conditions.

Activating Your Software

After the software is installed, the next step is to activate your copy of Mail Backup X.This involves entering a unique code, called an activation code, into the software.If you’ve purchased the software, you’ll receive this code in your email. If you haven’t purchased it, click on the button “Activate Free Trial.” This trial version works for 15 days without any limitations and is exactly like the paid version.

And that’s it! Once the software is activated, you’re ready to start setting up your first IMAP email archive.

Getting Started with a New Profile

The first step is to create a new backup profile, which will set the foundation upon which your organized IMAP email archives will be built. After running the tool, you will be looking at the main screen of “Mail Backup X” – it’s the screen that shows all the details and the overview, along with navigation links and shortcuts.

Here, there will be a pane titled “Tasks,” containing quick-action links for various tasks you can perform. One of them is to create a new profile. Click on it to start defining a new profile.

Picking Your Email Source and Folders to Archive

You’ll see a screen asking you for email platform/source that you need to archive. It should have options for popular email programs like Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird. There should also be a choice labeled “Email Server.” Click that one!

Now, another screen will pop up, listing different email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook/Hotmail. Look for an option called “IMAP.” This is the setting you want if your email provider isn’t on that list.

The great thing about IMAP is that it works the same way across most email providers, even ones you’ve never heard of. Sometimes, rarely, you might need to enter things like server addresses, ports, and which security protocol your email account uses. But don’t worry, most of the time, all you need is your email address and password.

With IMAP selected, just enter your regular email address and password.

Once you’re in, you have the choice to filter some folders or continue with the entire mailbox selected for complete IMAP email archives. This involves things like including specific folders you know hold precious emails, or maybe excluding those overflowing junk folders filled with unwanted clutter.

For each folder, there will likely be a checkbox next to it.  Checking a box tells the software to include that folder and all its contents in your archive. On the other hand, leaving a box unchecked excludes that folder from the archiving process.

If you check the box next to a parent folder, Mail Backup X will automatically select all the subfolders within it for archiving as well. If there’s a specific subfolder within a parent folder that you don’t want archived, you can simply uncheck its box, even though the parent folder is selected. For selecting the entire mailbox, tick the checkbox for the topmost root directory (usually named the same as your email address).

Fine-Tuning: How the Profile Should Work?

What you see now is the configuration screen. Before we hit the “save” button, you have few controls to specify the details of how the profile will run.

1. A Name to Remember: Let’s start by giving your profile a name that you’ll easily recognize. This is like a label for your profile that you will see and will help you identify it among other profiles. Something simple like “Work Emails 2023” tells you what emails are included and what year.
2. Where Your Backups Live (Storage Spaces): Add a location where the tool will keep the IMAP email archived files:
3. Cloud Storage: Services like Google Drive or Dropbox are an option, letting you keep things online for access anywhere.
4. Local Storage: Maybe you want those archives nice and secure on your own computer’s hard drive.

3. Encryption Lock: If you’re dealing with sensitive emails, you can check a box for encryption. This scrambles your IMAP archive files, adding a layer of protection in case anyone unauthorized tries to access them.
4. Backup Timing (Frequency or Schedule): This option lets you specify the activity level, which simply means how often should the profile archive data from the IMAP email account. You could set it at continuous or periodic or even simply manual:
   • Automatic: This is the option to keep the profile active all the time. It automatically archives new emails if it finds any since the last backup.
   • Periodic/Recurring: Daily, weekly, or even monthly backups.
   • Manual: If you prefer more control, you can set things up for manual backups whenever you choose.
5. USB Snapshot: This is an additional option that some users might appreciate. Click on “Add a USB” and then select the USB drive (it should be plugged in). You can then check the automatic option for the tool to automatically keep the latest IMAP email archive on the USB drive and also update it every time you plug it in. This tool can be kept at “Manual” mode, which requires you to click on “copy to USB” under the profile view for copying latest backups.

We are not finished with the settings. To get started with the process of archiving IMAP emails, all you have to do is click “Save. “If this is the first time, the application takes some time to process all the data and store it in the archived format at your desired location.

After the initial backup is complete, the subsequent updates in case of new emails (depending on your specified frequency) will be much quicker. The tool’s algorithms check for any changes since the last backup and processes only those files. This keeps the output aggregate size of files in check, and also helps with performance and productivity.

Try “Mail Backup X” today with its no-cost and risk-free fifteen-day trial version available on the website. It gets the job of archiving your IMAP emails done in a seamless and secure manner.