Advanced Email Migration/Backup Techniques

Note: This article will be supplemented with a video later because on read this may not exactly sink in without seeing it done in a video – so watch for it soon.

This article will:

Show you how to import/export from client to client using completely free software. The clients used will be Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird.

Migrate every single email from one account to another using completely free tools and keep all the timestamps. The types of accounts used will be POP, Gmail and Hotmail.

In this article we’ll start with the basics showing simple backup techniques for Outlook Express (abbreviated OE) and Windows Live Mail (abbreviated WLM).

Both OE and WLM allow for any email to be dragged outside the main application window to the desktop and into a folder.

Here is WLM with an email in a folder:

I create a folder on the desktop called mail backup.

I open the folder I created on the desktop so I can easily drag things into it.

I think click the email with the left mouse button, hold, and drag it into the folder behind the main email window, then let go. This is what happens:

A copy of the email has now been put to the mail backup folder.

I can do this with any email I wish from OE or WLM. Both act the same way.

Yes, you can drag/drop mass selections of emails. However bear in mind that the more mail you select, the longer it will take to copy.

For large emails it may appear that the system is locking up during the copy. It isn’t. For very large mails and/or very large selections of mails, be patient, it will eventually copy.

Other important note: You can do the exact reverse and drag mails from a folder into OE or WLM and it works the same way. The proper timestamp is carried over and works great.

In the next article, there will be video of what was just described and more info on other clients and email services.