Univik IMAP Backup for Windows
Univik IMAP Backup is IMAP backup software for Windows. It signs in to a mailbox with an email address and a password, lists every folder with a message count beside it and saves the folders you tick as files on your PC. Add one account by hand or load a CSV file to run a batch of mailboxes. A preview shows each message before the backup runs. The Export menu holds 8 file formats and 4 direct targets, so one IMAP backup tool covers files and live mailboxes.
Free to TryAccounts From a CSV FilePreview Before Export8 File Formats
*Trial Edition exports 10 items per folder. That lets you open the result and compare it with the mailbox. A licence removes that limit.
Quick Facts
2
Ways to Add Accounts
One account by hand or many through a CSV file of email,password lines with a sample file to download.
8
File Formats
Three email formats, three reading formats, one CSV sheet and one SQL Script, each with its own options screen.
4
Direct Targets
Gmail, Office 365 and IMAP mailboxes plus a Thunderbird profile sit beside the file formats on the Export menu.
5
Extract Options
Email addresses, attachments, phone numbers, email and phone pairs and contact photos.
$99
Starting Price
Trial Edition exports 10 items per folder. Paid licences start at $99.
Key Features
Univik IMAP Backup covers eight tasks in one window. Every task here comes with the menu or button behind it.
Add accounts from CSV file reads a list with one email,password pair per line and checks each account while the file loads. Each account is signed in once and only accounts that sign in are added. The window offers a sample CSV to download and a Validate button to check the list again.
Advance Settings holds Imap Server, Imap Port and Secure Port. The port starts at 993 with Secure Port ticked. The Find button looks the server up from the email address. In a CSV batch an empty Imap Server field makes the software look it up for every address.
The folder tree of Univik IMAP Backup shows INBOX, Sent, Drafts, Trash and custom folders with a message count beside each. Tick boxes on every export screen choose which folders go into the backup, so a large folder can stay out.
The preview window of Univik IMAP Backup has a folder tree, a message list and a reading pane. Four tabs show one message in different ways, from the rendered text to the raw source. Attachments appear as chips with a file name and a size. A paperclip marks the messages that carry one.
The Export menu groups its entries: EML, MBOX and PST sit under Email Files, Document Files holds PDF, HTML, TEXT and CSV and SQL Script has its own group, Scripts. Every format opens its own screen with a folder tree, a Location box and a Save button. A Show Error Logs tick box sits at the bottom left.
Email Services on the Export menu holds Gmail, Office 365 and IMAP. Gmail takes a Sign in with Google switch or a Google app password. Office 365 offers three sign-in methods, among them admin impersonation for many mailboxes through Microsoft Graph. The IMAP entry has a Find my email settings button for the server, port and security fields.
The Extract menu has five entries. Extract Email Addresses and Extract Phone Numbers each write a text file. Associated Email & Phone Numbers writes a CSV file with an Email column and a Phone 1 column. Extract Attachments takes a file extension filter and Contact Photos writes the pictures to a folder you choose.
Create individual PST file for each folder writes one PST per folder. The CSV export lets you choose Message Body, Raw Message, Message Header, Cc and Bcc fields next to the locked From, Subject and To. The PDF export can number the pages and print the file name above the message.
Problem
IMAP keeps the master copy of your mail on a server and your mail program only shows it. Two things get in the way of keeping a second copy.
A Closed Account Takes the Mail With It
IMAP stores messages and folders on the mail server. When a hosting plan ends or the provider deletes a mailbox, the messages on that server usually go with it. Only a copy on your own PC survives.
Sign-In Rules Differ by Provider
Google Account Help says app passwords work only with 2-Step Verification turned on. Microsoft Learn says Exchange Online turns IMAP4 off when security defaults are enabled. Each provider needs its own sign-in step before any backup tool can read the mailbox.
Save a Copy of the Mailbox With Univik IMAP Backup
Univik IMAP Backup signs in once with an email address and a password and reads the folders over IMAP. Tick the folders, choose a format and press Save. The files land in a folder on your PC, so a closed account or a lost server no longer takes the only copy with it.
What It Reads and Writes
Reads
Mailbox Folders
Univik IMAP Backup reads the folder tree of a mailbox: INBOX, Sent, Drafts, Trash, Archive and custom folders like Projects and Reports. Message counts appear beside each folder, for example INBOX (65) in the test mailbox.
Message Parts
Content, Header, Hex, Raw
Univik IMAP Backup opens each message in four tabs. Content shows the rendered text, Message Header the header fields, Hex View the bytes and Raw Message the source. Attachments show their file names and sizes, for example proposal.pdf at 236 KB.
Writes
Default Output Paths
The EML screen suggests C:\Mail Backups\IMAP as the Location. The PST screen suggests a file in that folder named Exported_ followed by the account email address. The Thunderbird screen suggests the Local Folders path of the chosen profile.
| Output | What its screen offers |
|---|---|
| EML | The EML screen offers a Location box, file naming by Subject with a template box, Include email headers, Omit folder structure and Create empty folders. |
| MBOX | The MBOX screen offers a Location box, Delete old folders, Skip greyed out folders and Include email headers. |
| PST | The PST screen takes a file path as Location and adds Create individual PST file for each folder and Include email headers. |
| The PDF screen offers Show page numbers, Show file name at top of document, Include raw message, Include hex view, Save attachments in folder and file naming by Subject. | |
| HTML | The HTML screen offers Include email headers, Include raw message, Include hex view and file naming by Subject with a template box. |
| TEXT | The TEXT screen offers file naming by Subject with a template box and a folder for attachments that follows the naming option. |
| CSV | The CSV screen offers Single file for all folders, Include attachment details, a 32,767 character limit for Excel cells and a choice of fields. |
| SQL Script | The SQL Script screen offers Generate create table script, Separate SQL file per email and a Select server list that shows Microsoft SQL Server. |
| Thunderbird | The Thunderbird screen asks you to close Thunderbird first and offers a Thunderbird Profile list that starts with the default-release profile. |
| Extract entry | What its screen offers |
|---|---|
| Email Addresses | The Extract Email Addresses screen reads From, To and Cc by default and can add Subject, Message Body and Message Header. Location suggests a .txt file named Extracted_EmailAddresses_ followed by the account email. A switch adds the addresses found inside attachments and starts off. |
| Attachments | The Extract Attachments screen has a File Extensions Filter box with the usage example doc,pdf,xls. Location suggests C:\Mail Backups\IMAP and Delete old folders is a switch. |
| Phone Numbers | The Extract Phone Numbers screen suggests a .txt file named Extracted_PhoneNumbers_ followed by the account email. A switch adds phone numbers from attachments and a Phone Numbers Found list shows the result. |
| Associated Email & Phone Numbers | The Extract Associated Email & Phone Numbers screen suggests a .csv file and shows a grid with Email and Phone 1 columns. Message Body and Message Header are ticked by default, Subject is optional and a Custom Regular Expression box follows them. |
| Contact Photos | The Extract Contact Photos screen offers a Location folder with Delete old folders, Create empty folders and Skip greyed out folders switches. |
Three Steps
Univik IMAP Backup needs an email address and a password for each mailbox. With those in hand the whole job takes three steps.
Add the Mailbox
Click Open, choose Email Accounts and then Add account. Type the Email and the Password. Open Advance Settings and press Find when the server is unknown. For many mailboxes choose Add accounts from CSV file instead.
Tick Folders and Choose a Format
Tick the folders in the tree and open the Export menu. Choose one output: PST suits an Outlook import and MBOX suits Thunderbird. PDF suits a records folder. Gmail, Office 365 and IMAP fill a live mailbox. Check the Location box before you go on.
Save and Check the Counts
Press Save in the top right corner to start the backup. Then compare the files in the output folder with the message counts in the tree before you close the old account. The Show Error Logs tick box sits at the bottom left of every export screen.
Windows · email address and password only · Trial Edition exports 10 items per folder
Who Uses It
Three situations suit Univik IMAP Backup, from a hosting plan that is ending to a long list of mailboxes.
A Hosting Plan or Domain Is Ending
Mail on a hosting or domain plan lives on the provider's server. Before the plan ends, add each address, tick the folders and save them as PST or EML. Outlook opens a PST file and Thunderbird opens EML messages.
A Long List of Mailboxes
An office with many addresses can list them in a CSV file as email,password lines. The tool checks each account while the file loads and adds the ones that sign in. Accounts that fail stay out of the list.
Mail Kept as Records
Contracts and approvals often stay in mail for years. The PDF export can number the pages and print the file name above the message. Include raw message and Include hex view are two more PDF options that add the message source. The CSV export lists From, Subject and To for a spreadsheet.
Before You Start
Univik IMAP Backup reads a mailbox through IMAP, so IMAP must be on at the server. Microsoft Learn says Exchange Online has IMAP4 on by default and turns it off when security defaults are enabled. Clients reach Outlook.office365.com on port 993 with SSL/TLS.
Port 993 is the IMAP port for Implicit TLS and port 143 is the cleartext port that can start TLS later, according to RFC 9051. RFC 8314 prefers Implicit TLS for mail access. The Imap Port box of Univik IMAP Backup starts at 993 with Secure Port ticked, which matches the Implicit TLS port.
A Google app password needs 2-Step Verification on the account, says Google Account Help. The Gmail target of Univik IMAP Backup accepts an app password or a Sign in with Google switch.
The Find button fills Imap Server and Imap Port from the email address. When it finds nothing, type the values from your provider's help page by hand. In a CSV file the Advance Settings apply to every account listed.
Side by Side
A copy made inside an email program is free and fits one small mailbox. A batch of mailboxes or a set of file formats needs IMAP email backup software, as the table shows.
| What you need | Copy in an Email Program | Provider's Own Export | Univik IMAP BackupTRIAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Included with the program | Often part of the plan | From $99 |
| Many accounts in one batch | Folders copied by hand | Differs by provider | Yes, from a CSV file |
| Output formats | Store of the mail program | Differs by provider | 8 file formats |
| Preview before saving | Yes, in the program | Differs by provider | Content, Header, Hex and Raw tabs |
| Sends mail to Gmail, Office 365 or IMAP | Drag between accounts | Differs by provider | Yes, from the Export menu |
Copying folders between accounts in a mail program is free and works for one small mailbox. However, it stops there once the list of accounts grows or the mail has to leave as PDF or SQL files.
What You Need
Windows Version
Windows 11 or Windows 10. The .NET Framework must be version 4.8 or higher. Current builds of both Windows versions include it.
Mailbox Access
An email address and a password for each mailbox, with IMAP turned on at the server. The Gmail and Office 365 targets add their own sign-in step.
Free Disk Space
The saved files take space on the drive named in the Location box. Webmail shows the mailbox size, which is the number to compare.
Internet Connection
Reading a mailbox and sending mail to Gmail, Office 365 or IMAP need a connection. Saved files open without one.
| Software Information | Univik IMAP Backup |
| Version | 6.10 (Latest) |
| Licence | Free Trial Edition, paid licences from $99 |
| Platform | Windows 11 and Windows 10 |
| Framework | .NET Framework 4.8 or higher |
| Reads | Mailboxes on IMAP servers, added one by one or from a CSV file of email,password lines |
| Writes | Mail as PST, EML and MBOX, readable copies as PDF, HTML and TEXT and a sheet as CSV. Extract writes TXT and CSV lists. SQL Script writes statements for the database server that the Select server list names |
| Moves To | Gmail and Office 365 mailboxes, other IMAP mailboxes and a Thunderbird profile |
| Does Not Need | A separate email program to read the mailbox, because the software signs in to the IMAP server itself |
| Not Covered | Mailboxes on servers that have IMAP turned off |
Questions
How-To Guides
More Tools
Covers many email services in one program, including Gmail, Microsoft 365 and Yahoo.
Compiled by Univik Product team
Menus, options and defaults on this page come from version 6.10 of Univik IMAP Backup. Protocol facts were checked on 27 October 2026 against RFC 9051, RFC 8314, Google Account Help and Microsoft Learn. Screenshots show a Univik test mailbox with the licence address hidden.
The Trial Edition exports 10 items per folder. Licences carry the terms of the Refund and Cancellation policy.
Updated on 27 October 2026
Univik Team Since 2013Checked on Version 6.10Trial Edition Available
Gmail is a product of Google and Office 365 is a product of Microsoft. Univik works independently of both.
Univik IMAP Backup for Windows
Quick Facts
Key Features
Three Steps
Who Uses It
Before You Start
