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4.2. Email backup for IMAP accounts
These instructions are for users who operate out of RJR webmail only, and need a backup solution. Anyone who uses Outlook or Outlook Express to access their email should continue to use those applications as their backup source.
How to Back Up IMAP Email Using IMAPSize
For those still needing the software, your Office Manager should be able to provide it to you, but it can also be downloaded from the developer's website: http://www.broobles.com/imapsize/download.php -- The program is free to download and use, though there is a donate button to show appreciation for the developer's hard work.
Click on the "Zipped Distribution" option under "Latest Release" to download a zip file. This version can be run on a flash memory disk, so you can carry your backups wherever you need, conveniently.
Unzip the file, and you will see a directory called "IMAPSize_###" (where the ### reflects the latest version number--currently 037). You can leave this directory on your desktop or laptop, or copy it to any sort of flash disk; the program will run and save your backup entirely inside that folder.
- Backing Up Your Email
Open the directory and double click on the "imapsize" program icon:
This will prompt a window asking if you want to add an account. Select "yes" and another window opens. Enter your name under "Account", your webmail login and password, and "mail.mycompany.com" (replacing with your company's appropriate email domain).
Select "OK" and and then "no" if it asks you to add another account. You should now notice the name of the account in the upper-left of the program window, and a button to perform an Account Backup.
This will find any folders that exist on your account. You can select them individually, but it is easiest to "Select All" and then "Backup"
You can watch the progress on the bottom bar. The process may take a while (half and hour or more) for particularly large folders. When it is finished, an Information window will open to let you know.
- Viewing Email After Backup
If you look inside your IMAPSize_### folder now, you will see a "backup" folder, and folders for any accounts you have backed up. The program saves all your email folders separately inside that, and each email is saved as a separate file. Attachments are also saved inside those files.
These files will attempt to open in Outlook Express (XP) or Windows Mail (Vista or Windows 7), and if you do not have an account set up in those programs, they will launch and ask you to create one. You can freely cancel out of the setup prompts, and your email will still open, allowing you to view the message or the attachments.