How to Backup and Restore Emails in Webmail?

Emails have now become a crucial part of communication at the personal and professional levels. Each user should have a backup solution to save or download their Webmail emails (Gmail, Outlook.com, HostGator, Blue Host, etc. This guide will share the complete stepwise instructions for the Webmail backup and restore process. Here, users will learn the simple and easy-to-follow solutions to restore and backup Webmail email data.

Users will get manual and professional ways to download Webmail emails to the hard drive or local folder. So, let us discuss the reasons for and methods of exporting Webmail emails without taking any ado.

Table of Content

Why backing up Webmail emails is necessary?

To simplify the Webmail backup task, users must understand the benefits of saving Webmail emails locally. Learn the reasons in the points below and then know the solutions to download/back up Webmail emails.

Webmail data security: If users have a backup, they can easily avoid disrupting situations, like accidental data loss, restore data if someone hacked their account, etc.
Clearing old emails: Sometimes, users need to free up space in the Webmail. In that case, users can back up old emails and delete them later to free up space.
Archive important emails: By backing up the Webmail emails, users can archive the essential emails for future reference. Users can easily use the archive if they need it later.

Let us now explore the backup and restore process of the Webmail emails.

Trusted ways to back up emails in Webmail

Users can go through several methods to back up Webmail, such as Outlook.com, HostGator, Blue Host, etc., to the local folder. We will know each solution in detail to back up or restore Webmail emails.

To backup emails from specific Webmail (Outlook.com, Gmail and Yahoo):

1. Export Outlook.com or Outlook web emails

2. Back up Gmail emails

3. Download/Export Yahoo emails

We will use the Outlook and Thunderbird desktop applications to back up other webmail emails on the local drive.

Method 1: Back up Webmail emails using the Outlook desktop software

If your Webmail doesn’t offer a direct way to download Webmail emails for backup, you can use the Outlook email client to back up your Webmail emails. This process will help users export Webmail emails to PST format; see the steps below.

Open the Outlook program and configure your Webmail account using IMAP. (HostGator, Blue Host, etc.).
Then, navigate to the File tab, Account Settings and click the Account Settings option.
Now, select your configured Webmail email account and tap the Change button.
Ensure that the account is configured with IMAP and click the Next button. Wait till Outlook syncs all your Webmail data.
After that, move to the File section, choose Open & Export and click the Import/Export option.

Select the Export to a file option and click the Next button.

Thereafter, choose the Outlook data file (.pst) and continue with the Next.

Pick the folders and subfolders to backup, and click the Next button.

Then, tap the Browse to select the location where you want to save resultant PST and click the Finish button.

Export webmail to PST(browse local location to export)

Now, the Outlook program will start exporting your Webmail emails to PST format. Once the backup is done, navigate to the PST file location and verify the PST file containing all emails.

Method 2: Use the Thunderbird desktop application for Webmail email backup

Download and install the Mozilla Thunderbird client to download Webmail emails. This method will back up webmail emails in MBOX format.

Launch the Mozilla Thunderbird app on your device and set up your Webmail account using IMAP.
After setting up your Webmail account, the app will sync all your emails.
Once synced, navigate to the Tools section, select the Export Profile and choose to export the entire profile or only mail. Then, click the OK button.
Thereafter, the Thunderbird app will create a backup of your Webmail emails. You can save the backup file to the desired location on their local storage.

These two ways can be used to back up Webmail emails to the local folder. Now, we will know how to restore Webmail emails to the external drive.

Solutions to restore Webmail emails using Outlook & Thunderbird

For users who are using email clients, the option to restore emails directly to the Webmail account, like Gmail, Outlook, etc., from the MBOX and PST file formats.

Moreover, if your Webmail doesn’t provide a way to restore Webmail emails, you can use the Outlook & Thunderbird programs to do so.

Solution 1: Restore Webmail emails using the Microsoft Outlook

If you have the Webmail email data in PST format, you can quickly restore Webmail emails. Make sure you have configured your Webmail account on Outlook, and then follow the below steps.

Start your Microsoft Outlook application.
Then, arrive at the File tab, select the Open & Export and tap the Import/Export option.

After that, choose the Import from another program or file option and hit the Next button.

Now, select the Outlook data file (.pst) option.

Next, browse the backup file location and click the Import button.

Finally, your emails will be restored to the Webmail account.

By performing these steps, you can effectively restore Webmail emails from PST file format using the Outlook program.

Solution 2: Mozilla Thunderbird to restore Webmail emails

If you have Webmail emails backed up in MBOX format, you can use the Thunderbird app to restore them. The steps are as follows:

Open the Thunderbird software to proceed with the Webmail email restore task.
After that, move to the Tools and select the Import Profile option.
Then, tap the Browse and choose the backup file (MBOX). Give a name to the profile and click the Next button.
Once done, the app will start restoring emails to the Webmail account if you have configured it on the Thunderbird using IMAP.

We hope you now understand the process for Webmail email backup and restore tasks. However, these manual tricks can take too much time and affect the Webmail data. Fortunately, users can also try the Shoviv IMAP Backup and Restore Tool to back up or restore Webmail emails.

One Stop Way to Back up & Restore Webmail emails:

Shoviv IMAP Backup and Restore Tool is a professional way to back up and even restore Webmail emails effortlessly. It works without any restrictions on the size and number of emails. This software allows users to back up Webmail emails in various file formats, including PST, MSG, MBOX, and EML. Along with that, users can also restore their Webmail emails from several file formats, like PST, OST, MSG, MBOX, etc.

It allows users to use the date range and folder filters to select the only items they want to back up. Users can also create and run multiple backup or restore projects in parallel for a quick backup of Webmail emails. It also supports all IMAP-using email clients, including Gmail, Outlook, Thunderbird, Blue Host, HostGator, etc.

This tool offers the facility to avoid duplicate items in the target Webmail account.
In addition, users can set the resultant PST file size to prevent oversized PST file issues.
Backup and restore webmail emails without any size or count restrictions.
It also offers a simple user interface; every user can back up Webmail emails.
Users can also try its free demo version on their system to check its efficiency and functionality.

Working procedure of the Shoviv IMAP Backup and Restore Tool:

Steps to back up Webmail emails:

Open the tool and create the backup directory for Webmail email backup.
Now, click the Backup Jobs and create a backup project to download Webmail emails.
Then, enter your Webmail account details to connect it as the source.
Give a name to the backup job, map the source to the target, and select the backup directory.
After that, filter items using the folder and date range and use the scheduler to automate backup.
Make other changes on the settings page and click the Create Backup Job button.

Steps to restore Webmail emails:

Start the Shoviv IMAP Backup and Restore Tool.
Create a backup directory from the location where you want to restore Webmail emails.
After that, tap the Restore Jobs and select the file format to restore.
Add the backup directory, enter the restore job name and your Webmail details, map the source to the target, and click Next.
Then, set the date range and folder criteria to filter items.
Modify restore project details on the settings page.
Lastly, review the complete Webmail restore project and click the Finish button.

The Closing Thoughts!

Backup and restore tasks are crucial for startup, mid and large-scale organizations to maintain their confidential data. However, using traditional methods to back up and restore Webmail emails is challenging. Moreover, the backup and restore tasks can take ample time to complete.

Users can use the Shoviv IMAP Backup and Restore Tool to quickly and effortlessly back up Webmail emails. Users can also use this tool to restore Webmail emails. So, they can easily manage both processes (backup and restore) with the help of a single platform.

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Stuart

Stuart Clark is working as a technical content writer at Shoviv Software for the last 5 years. He specializes in crafting informative and engaging articles for diverse audiences. With a solid understanding of complex technologies, he explains complex concepts in a simpler manner that Leyman users can also understand easily. He has vast expertise in writing articles related to email migration and conversion niches. Apart from that, he likes to research newer technologies and gain knowledge to stay updated with the current trends.