Convert IMAP Emails to PDF in a Secure Manner

Any operation where email data is involved, the first & foremost thing that comes to the mind of users is the safety of their data. More than anything, what concerns users the most is data safety. Even while converting IMAP emails to PDF, this consideration of safe data migration is something that can never be ruled out. Let us discuss how to export IMAP emails to PDF in a secure manner.

Quick Takeaways

• IMAP emails tend to stay on servers and need internet connection for access
• PDF files tend to provide offline, safe, universal & legally acceptable storage
• Manual IMAP to PDF actions could be risky for your data
• The professional software ensures safe IMAP to PDF conversion

For keeping mails in sync across different devices and keeping copies on the email server, using IMAP (Internet-Message-Access-Protocol) is a good choice, no doubt. But if you wish to keep permanent copies of those IMAP emails, then converting them to PDF becomes a crucial step.

Also, emails saved on IMAP servers are always online so they are at risk all the time. Many people wish for secure, offline, readable copies of their mails, which is why they seek this conversion as we all know that PDF is a portable format, which is the most common one to open on any device. The big dependability on PDF format can be assessed by the fact that even courts accept legal evidence in this format.

Here, in this blog, we will be discussing the process to convert IMAP emails to PDF using manual actions and how a professional software brings more safety for your email data.

Why to Convert IMAP Emails to PDF?

Imagine you woke up one fine day and found that your email account has been locked/deleted. All your crucial emails are gone. This is when you need to save emails as PDF urgently to safeguard your crucial email data. Many users face such an issue during job switches, account closures, or record keeping of legal/business data. So, have you ever thought: “How will I access my crucial emails if my email account stops working one fine day?” Check out some similar user queries below:

Q: How to save IMAP emails securely?
A: It is possible to save IMAP emails by converting them to PDF format for offline access & long-term usage.

Q: Can I read IMAP emails without the internet?
A: Yes! Once you convert IMAP to PDF, you won’t need the internet to read them as they will be stored locally on your system.

Understanding the Process to Export IMAP to PDF

IMAP mails actually stay on mail servers. These aren’t fully saved on your machine. If servers crash, or accounts are hacked, or access gets removed, these emails could get lost forever. This is the reason why many people wish to export IMAP to PDF format. PDF files are safer to use, easier to open, and universally accepted.

Also, the big inconvenience of the IMAP server is that you need internet connectivity for reading, answering & searching mail messages, which is not the case with PDF!

Some Situations Encouraging to Export IMAP to PDF

Here are some situations that encourage doing such a conversion:

• Job switch
• Company exit
• Legal records
• Compliance needs
• Offline email access required
• Long-term email data storage
• To share the mails as proof
• For printing crucial messages

Email Using Stats You Must Know

As per the Radicati Group’s email statistics report, more than 361 billion mails are being sent/received on an everyday basis globally. This indicates the criticality of email usage for personal as well as business communication.

Check Out a Real Scene from the Corporate Life

A seasoned businessman had lost access to his company emails after switching the service provider. He needed some old invoices for tax filing purposes. But unfortunately, he was not having any offline backup. He fetched a professional software to convert IMAP file to PDF that solved his purpose well.

He said, “Emails tend to be critical business records, not just plain messages. So, it is crucial to safeguard this data at all costs.”

This shows why PDFs are so much preferred.

Manual Actions to Convert IMAP Emails to PDF

Manual actions can be taken, but they would need a lot of time & effort.

Method 1: Try the “Print to PDF” Option (For single emails)

You can try opening each email and then use the print option to save it as a PDF.

• Open Email: Firstly, you have to open the specific email in your email program (example Outlook).
• Print: Now, you can select More actions > Print (or just Print).
• Select Printer: then, from the printer dropdown, you can choose Microsoft “Print to PDF.”
• Save: Lastly, click Print and select a location for saving the PDF.

Pros:

• You don’t need any additional software here.
• This is a free to try method.

Cons:

• You must know that it is quite a slow process.
• The frequency would be one email at a time.
• There is no bulk conversion option here.

Method 2: Try Using Mozilla Thunderbird 

Some email programs tend to allow export and then saving the mails manually.

• Configure IMAP: First of all, you have to set up your IMAP account in Mozilla Thunderbird, ensuring that you select the IMAP option while doing the setup.
• Install Add-on: Now, go to Mozilla Thunderbird’s Add-ons and then install “ImportExportTools NG”.
• Export Folder: After that, you have to right-click the desired folder, and then select ImportExportTools NG > Export all messages in the folder.
• Choose PDF: Here, in the export options, you must select the PDF file format, and then select the destination to save the resultant PDF files.

Pros:

• This is a kind of basic control.

Cons:

• You need technical expertise to carry out these steps.
• Folder structure might break while doing this action.
• Email attachments are also likely to be missed.

Obstructions in Manual Actions 

Manual actions are certainly not foolproof. There are some obstructions that come in the way of attaining success with these manual actions, as follows:

• Such actions are not ideal for big mailboxes.
• There are pretty high chances of data loss.
• There are no such email filters.
• Such actions take a lot of time.
• You do not get any professional support.

To avoid such obstructions, choose to use a safe professional tool.

Main Features of IMAP to PDF Converter

This software provides multiple benefits. Following features of this tool will help you:

• Bulk Conversion: This IMAP to PDF converter allows conversion of emails in batch all at once. This saves both your time as well as effort that might otherwise be wasted in manual exportation of each email file one by one.
• No Size Restriction: The software does not impose any size restriction on the files to be uploaded for migration.
• Everything Preserved: The tool keeps the structure, formatting, & hierarchy of all folders, attributes, email headers, etc intact in the resultant PDF files.
• Multiple Saving Options: This tool supports multiple file saving formats. Hence, you can enjoy great conversion flexibility.
• Easy Steps: This software has been designed by keeping beginners in mind. So, it is easy-to-use for all people with any level of technical knowledge.

How to Convert IMAP to PDF Securely?

Mentioned underneath are the simple steps telling how this software converts IMAP to PDF in a secure way:

1. Firstly, you must launch this software.
2. After that, from the left panel, select the relevant IMAP email source.
3. Then, you have to enter the credentials and click Login.
4. The software then analyses your email folders.
5. You can easily see the folder list on the left side.
6. After that, you have to select PDF as the saving option here.
7. Now, select a destination path for saving the resultant PDF files.
8. You can even select the folders/emails that you want to convert.
9. Thereafter, click the Backup button to begin the migration process.
10. You can monitor the conversion progress until the process is complete.

Professional Software is Better than Manual Actions

Let us draw a comparison between manual actions and professional software:

Quick Answers for Some Users’ Queries

Users always have something on their minds that they want to ask. Here are some relevant queries with their quick answers to help you in this regard:

Q: How to convert IMAP file to PDF safely?
A: You can make use of a professional software solution for data-safe conversion.

Q: How to export IMAP emails to PDF in the most secure way?
A: An automated software is the safest option that preserves folder structure, email attachments, & metadata.

Q: Can email attachments be stored in this PDF conversion?
A: Yes, a professional IMAP to PDF converter saves email attachments too.

Final Remarks

Emails happen to be valuable communication records. Server-based storage isn’t always sufficient. The safest way out is to convert IMAP emails to PDF and keep them with you forever in the offline mode. Manual actions might work for a few emails only, but for attaining process accuracy, a professional tool is recommended.