What is an IMAP migration tool?
An IMAP migration tool is a software, app or browser application that allows you to migrate your emails to a new destination using the IMAP protocol.
IMAP („Internet Message Access Protocol“) is a protocol that is used to store emails on a mail server. It is based on the SMTP protocol, which allows you to send an email to a recipient. IMAP adds functionality to SMTP. With IMAP, you can read, write, delete, move, copy and archive your email data.
The MailJerry IMAP migration tool makes use of the IMAP technology and allows you to migrate your emails directly between two servers.
Is my mailbox supported by an IMAP migration tool?
The MailJerry IMAP migration tool supports all mailboxes that are stored on a mailserver via IMAP or related technologies, e.g. exchange accounts or some POP accounts (depending on the POP configuration of the account).
The IMAP migration tool allows to migrate mailboxes between all IMAP servers, from or to Office 365, from or to Exchange accounts, from or to Gmail and many more.
An IMAP migration tool can significantly facilitate your IMAP migration and works for many use cases. For example, you can use the IMAP migration tool to perform an IMAP migration between personal and business mailboxes, from old to new email addresses or from an old to a new domain.
How does an IMAP migration tool work?
What happens before the IMAP migration?
To start the IMAP migration, the MailJerry IMAP migration tool establishes a connection with your source and target mailserver. It then gathers all relevant data from both mailboxes, e.g. data volume, available quota, amount and structure of email folders, amount and size of emails that need to be migrated and much more. This “mailbox health check” ensures that both email servers are ready for the IMAP migration.
After the initial check, the IMAP migration tool presents a summary of all relevant data and informs you in case problems were detected with one of the involved mail servers. As soon as you start the IMAP migration, the MailJerry IMAP migration tool performs all subsequent tasks independently.
How does the IMAP migration tool work during the data migration?
During the IMAP migration, the IMAP migration tool maintains the connection between the two mail servers. The software sends a request to the source mailbox, asking for a specific batch (“group”) of emails. The size of the batch depends on various parameters, such as IMAP folder structure, email amount, size of email attachments… and is calculated by sophisticated data management algorithms.
The requested bath is then encrypted and send to the target mail server. The target server is instructed to decrypt the data batch, rebuild the necessary folder structure and store the received emails. This procedure guarantees that the target mailbox contains exactly the same data as the source mailbox, structured in exactly the same way.
The IMAP migration is performed directly between the two IMAP servers. The instructions for the mail servers on what to do next, what data batch to request and the evaluation if the data was migrated successfully are handled by the MailJerry email migration cloud service. Therefore, there is no need to keep the IMAP migration tool or your computer up and running during the IMAP migration.
What happens after the IMAP migration finished?
- amount of migrated emails and folders
- migrated data volume
- amount of emails that were skipped
- amount of emails that could not be migrated
- date and time when the migration finished
Why are some emails skipped during the IMAP migration?
To prevent duplicates in the new mailbox, emails that are contained in the source AND target mailbox are skipped during the IMAP migration.
Why are some emails not migrated by the IMAP migration tool?
There are several reasons why it might happen that some emails could not be migrated by the IMAP migration tool. In most cases, there is a problem with the target mailserver. For example, many hosts limit the maximum size of an attachment or the maximum amount of emails that can be contained in one mailbox.
In case any of these quotas is exceeded, the target mail server sends an error message. This error message is analysed by the IMAP migration tool and an easy to understand error message is presented to the user. In most cases, the error message contains instructions on how to resolve the problem. After possible problems have been fixed, the missing emails can be migrated by performing a mailbox sync after the IMAP migration.
How can I sync my mailboxes after the IMAP migration?
After the IMAP migration, the MailJerry IMAP migration tools offers to handy features to keep the new mailbox synchronised with the old one: The auto-sync feature and the “Sync Now” button.
Auto Sync Feature:
The IMAP auto sync feature checks the source mailbox for new emails every three hours and copies new emails automatically to the target mailbox. This is especially convenient if the old mailbox still receives emails as there is no need to worry about loosing data that is still sent to the old account.
Sync Now Button:
In case you do not wish to wait 3 hours, the sync now button enables you to sync the new account at any given time. For example, it might happen that some emails could not be migrated due to limitations on the target server. When these issues are resolved, hitting the “sync now” button allows to easily migrate the missing data as well.
Start your IMAP migration!
As we’ve shown in this article, it’s very easy to use an IMAP migration tool and to perform an IMAP migration.
If you wish to start your IMAP migration right away, have a look at our download page or start your free email migration using our online IMAP migration tool:
