How to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server? Best Methods

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  • Updated on August 6th, 2025

Jennifer Johnson Query: “I need to transfer my emails from Office 365 to a different IMAP‑based server. What’s the best way to migrate all my mail, folders, and attachments without losing data? Are there any reliable methods to migrate Office 365 to IMAP?”
Introduction: When you want to switch Office 365 email client to another email client, such as Gmail IMAP, cPanel mail, or a hosted server. You will need to transfer all your existing emails, folders, and attachments safely. Unfortunately, Office 365 does not support direct import into an IMAP server. However, there are both manual and professional Office 365 Backup Tool that make this possible without data loss. In this blog, we’ll explain how to migrate Microsoft 365 to IMAP using both methods.

Understand: Office 365 & IMAP Server

Office 365 is Microsoft’s cloud-based email service that stores emails, contacts, calendars, and more. Besides that, IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is used to access emails from different devices while keeping them in sync.

Why Migrate from Office 365 to IMAP?

  • If you’re moving to a self‑hosted or internal mail system.
  • You prefer another provider with different features or costs.
  • Also, you want local backup or offline access.
  • To access old messages while shifting platforms.

Dedicated Software to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server

For a quick and hassle-free migration, you can use the professional CloudMigration Office 365 Email Backup Tool. This utility is specially designed to migrate bulk Office 365 emails at once without data loss or minimal disruptions. You can preserve original data formatting, structure, and metadata throughout the migration process. In addition, the interface of this utility is simple and user-friendly, so even tech and non-tech users can easily use it. Apart from that, you can migrate Office 365 to AOL Email and other email clients. 

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How to Set up Office 365 to IMAP Professionally?

  1. Download and install the CloudMigration Office 365 Email Backup Tool.
    How to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server? Best Methods
  2.  
  3. Now, enter your Office 365 credentials, including ID & Password, to Sign In.
    How to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server? Best Methods
  4.  
  5. Then, you can preview and select the emails to convert. Click Next.
    How to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server? Best Methods
  6.  
  7. After that, choose IMAP as the Saving Format from the drop-down list.
    How to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server? Best Methods
  8.  
  9. Again, enter your IMAP details, such as ID & Password, to Sign In.
    How to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server? Best Methods
  10.  
  11. Lastly, apply advanced features & filters as per your needs. Click Convert.
    How to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server? Best Methods

Important Note: With this tool, you can easily export Office 365 to MBOX and other file formats.

Manual Method to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP

There is no direct manual method provided by Microsoft to transfer emails from Office 365 to an IMAP server. However, you can perform the migration manually using Outlook & Office 365 IMAP settings by following these steps:

  1. Firstly, open Outlook and add your Office 365 account.
  2. Now, let it sync all emails and folders.
  3. In the same Outlook profile, add your new IMAP email account.
  4. Make sure both accounts are active and syncing properly.
  5. Then, select the emails or folders in your Office 365 mailbox.
  6. After that, drag and drop them into the folders of your IMAP account.
  7. Wait until Outlook uploads all messages to the IMAP server.
  8. Further, log in to your IMAP account from a browser or email client.
  9. In the end, confirm that all emails have been transferred correctly.

Limitations of the Manual Microsoft 365 to IMAP Migration

While the manual method is free to use. But it has several drawbacks, including:

  • Transferring large volumes of data manually can take hours or even days.
  • Attachments or nested folders may not transfer properly if the sync fails.
  • You’ll have to save each folder of emails yourself; there’s no batch processing.
  • Moreover, if an error occurs during the drag-and-drop, it might be hard to resolve.

Conclusion

In this detailed blog, we discussed the top two methods to migrate Office 365 to IMAP reddit. The only difference between the two methods is the number of mailboxes to convert. If you have a small number of Office 365 emails to convert, you can use the manual method. Alternatively, use the professional tool to convert multiple Office 365 emails at once without data loss or minimal disruption. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are the steps to configure IMAP in Microsoft 365?

Ans: To configure IMAP in Microsoft 365, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center and ensure IMAP is enabled under user mailbox settings. Then, use the following IMAP settings in your email client:
IMAP server: outlook.office365.com
Port: 993
Encryption method: SSL/TLS
Once configured, you can connect your Office 365 account to any IMAP-supported client.

Q2. Which is the tool to migrate Office 365 to IMAP?

Ans: The CloudMigration Office 365 Email Backup Tool is a reliable solution for migrating Office 365 emails to any IMAP-supported server. It offers secure data transfer, maintains folder structure, and allows bulk migration with advanced filters.

About The Author:

Hi, I’m Md Shoaib! I enjoy writing about technologies and helping my readers with their queries, and I’m always looking for new ways to challenge myself and grow. Professionally, I work as a Digital Marketer, where I specialize in SEO and Copywriting.

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