Everything you need to know about email backups

Whether you're considering transferring your hosting service to us, or just concerned about security or compliance, it's important to know how to back up your emails.

Before you can make an effective plan, you'll need to understand a few important points about email hosting. This guide will take you step by step through the process of identifying how your email accounts are set up, creating your first local backup, configuring your mail client (email program) to use the best settings for your needs, and setting up secure encrypted cloud backups.

By the end of this guide, you will know:

• The most important aspect of managing your mail: Understanding the difference between POP3 and IMAP, the two options for for how your mail is set up .

• What a mail client is, and Which version of which mail client you're using.

• Where your emails are stored on your device.

• What a 3-2-1 backup strategy is

• How to set up your mail client.

• How to safely and securely backup up your email for:
  • transfers
  • safety, disaster recovery, and compliance

Mail clients

A mail client is the program you use to send and receive emails.

The most popular choices are Microsoft's Outlook, and Mozilla's Thunderbird.

Account settings are very similar in all mail clients, but the exact phrasing or name of each setting might differ between different programs, or between different versions of the same program.

IMAP vs POP3

Understanding the differences between IMAP and POP3 is the most important step toward taking control of your mail and performing a complete and safe backup.

The backup process

Your emails are stored in your mail client as a database or a collection of files. Different mail clients and different versions of each mail client might store mail differently.

Check your mail client version

The first step in backing up your emails is determining which version of which mail client you're using.

Outlook

Take a look at Which version of Outlook am I using to determine which Version of Outlook you're using.

Thunderbird

Click the main menu button, then go to the Help menu and choose Troubleshooting Information. In the new tab that opens, look for the version number under Application Basics.

Apple Mail

Open the Mail app, and click the Mail menu. Choose About Mail to see the version you're using.

Current account configuration

Your mail account could be configured as POP3 or IMAP, and this will determine how you'll need to proceed.

To find out which you're using, you'll need to check your email account settings.

In Outlook

• In Outlook 2010 or 2013, go to File, then Account Settings. Accounts are on the Email tab.

• In Outlook 2016or 2019 click File, then Account Settings and then click the new Account settings option that appears. You'll see a list of your email accounts with Name and Type.

• In Outlook 2021 and 365 click select File, then Account Settings and then Manage Profiles. Click Emial accounts

For all versions of Outlook, take note of the Type of your email account, which will be listed as IMAP/SMTP or POP3/SMTP.

In Thunderbird

• Click on the main Menu button.

• Go to Options and select Account Settings.

• Click Server Settings

• Take note of Server Type which will be listed as IMAP Mail Server or POP3 Mail Server.

Apple mail

MacOS 13

Open the Mail app, and then click Mail.

Click Settings then click Accounts.

Select your account on the left, and then click Server Settings on the right.

MacOS 12 and earlier

Open the mail app and click Mail.

Click Preferences, and then click Accounts.

Click Server Settings.

Incoming server

In all versions of MacOS the incoming server will be listed at the top of the server settings tab like incoming server (IMAP) or incoming server (POP3).