Email is one of the most used forms of communication. You can use an email client to exchange important information, share ideas, send a friendly hello or introduce new concepts. Data in emails is important, which is why you should strongly consider using an email backup service as well as some of the best cloud backup services for data protection.
What happens when you accidentally delete an important email or lose access to your account? Such a scenario can be catastrophic if you don’t have an email backup service. Email backup tools can help you recover lost emails and create copies of your emails to store separately.
The internet has hundreds of platforms that offer backups for emails. If you are a beginner, you may be spoiled for choice and might not know where to begin. In that case, our guide will recommend some of the best email backup services for personal and business use.
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11/14/2022
Added an updated list of email backup services and step-by-step instructions.
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05/21/2024 Facts checked
We have rewritten our best email backup service roundup with new information and an easier-to-read format.
How to Choose an Email Backup Solution
A simple search of the keyword “back up my emails” on your favorite web browser will return hundreds of results. Even worse for those new to email backup clients is that every solution claims to be the best. These are some of the factors to consider when selecting a mail backup solution for your emails:
- Ease of use: The ideal backup service should be easy to use and navigate, and be compatible with mobile devices.
- Compatibility: There is a variety of email client services on the market. Select one that is compatible with your email provider.
- Storage needs: Some emails are light, while others have a lot of attachments. Evaluate your situation and select one that fits your storage needs.
- Flexibility: You can have full, incremental or selective backups for emails. The ideal solution should make it easy to choose between the three.
- Security: Copies of your emails will reside outside the email client. Select an option that encrypts your data and offers password protection.
- Recovery options: The ideal service should allow you to recover specific emails or the entire account.
The 5 Best Email Backup Services
It’s time to check out the top five email backup providers on the market. We have curated a list of some of the best based on their features. Let’s take a closer look.
1. Sync.com — The Best Cloud Storage Software for Email Backup
Sync.com is a cloud storage platform that you can also use to back up your emails. Use a service like Mozilla Thunderbird or Google Takeout to download and create a file for your emails. Then, upload them to Sync.com and enjoy up to 5GB of free storage. You can subscribe to a paid plan if you need more storage space.
We have included Sync.com because of its focus on security and privacy. Sync.com implements zero-knowledge encryption, which means it encrypts the contents of your emails before uploading them to its servers. The decryption key remains with you, so not even Sync.com can decrypt your emails. Check out our Sync.com review for more details.
2. Mozilla Thunderbird — The Best Free Email Backup Solution
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free email service that allows you to back up emails from different clients on your local storage. You can use Thunderbird with GMX Mail, Outlook, Gmail and Yahoo Mail. Create copies of your email regardless of whether you are using POP or IMAP email settings.
One of Thunderbird’s best selling points is the ease of organizing emails using local folders. Simply drag and drop emails from your email provider to the local machine for storage. You can also export emails in formats like EML or PDF and store them on your favorite cloud platform.
3. MailStore Home — The Best Automatic Software for Archiving Emails
MailStore Home is a personal email archive tool that allows you to permanently archive emails and store them on your local drive. It is designed to help you save space in your inbox. The program allows you to open archived emails and reply with a few clicks. You can also restore archived emails with a single click.
This service works with Gmail, Microsoft Outlook and Yahoo email clients. MailStore is accessible for both POP3 and IMAP email clients. Its powerful search function allows users to filter through large volumes of emails to locate content.
4. Adolix Email Backup –The Best Software for Password-Protected Email Backups
Adolix is an email backup tool available for IncrediMail, Eudora, Outlook Express and Microsoft Outlook email clients. This tool backs up entire email contents, including mail folders, signatures, account settings, address books and message rules. The built-in scheduler makes it easy to select which emails to back up.
Adolix also allows users to upload email copies on remote FTP servers. In addition, you can protect your backups with a password for extra security. All email copies on Adolix servers are protected using AES 128-bit encryption. However, Adolix is in abandonware. This means you can use the tool as is but shouldn’t expect new versions to be released.
5. Google Takeout — The Best Backup for Google Products
Google Takeout is a free tool that allows you to download content across different Google products like Gmail. You can store the downloaded data in your local storage or even upload it to some of the best cloud storage platforms. Google Takeout allows you to export emails three times a day.
The customizable export settings make it easy to select specific email folders or entire email accounts for backup. You can choose to receive the downloaded data in your Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive or even receive a download link in your email inbox. You can learn more about Google Drive in our Google Drive review and Dropbox in our Dropbox review.
Other Email Backup Solutions to Consider
The backup services we have mentioned so far are the ones our experts recommend, but they are not the only ones on the market. Below, we list some alternatives you can explore.
IDrive
IDrive is a cloud storage and backup solution. The tool allows users to restore and back up multiple Microsoft 365 Exchange inboxes. The service enables you to back up and restore inbox data like email contacts, folders, tasks and calendars.
You can also download your data from Gmail and export it to IDrive. This service’s scheduling tool makes it easy to schedule data backups. Check out our full IDrive review to see if it’s right for you.
Backblaze
Backblaze is an ideal email backup service for those looking for a basic backup tool. It has a user-friendly interface and offers unlimited space for your files and emails. Backblaze is more than a simple email backup solution, as it offers full-device backup as well. Read our full Backblaze review for more information.
How to Back Up Your Emails
Now that we have shared some of the best email backup clients with you, we’ll show you how to back up your emails. We’ll use Google Takeout for this demonstration. The process is similar for other providers. You can also check out our article on how to back up business emails.
- Log In to Your Google Account
Visit takeout.google.com and log in to your Google account. The page will show the items that you can back up. Select all the items you want to back up.
- Select the “Mail” Option
Google Takeout will automatically pick almost all items for download. Deselect all and then scroll down until you find “mail” and click “next.”
- Choose the File Type, Frequency and Destination
You can receive your email data via a download link through email or save it to cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive or Box. You can also customize other settings like download frequency, file type and file size.
- Receive Your Backup
Google Takeout will compile your data and send you a notification depending on the destination. For this demonstration, we chose to receive an email download link. The time it takes to receive this data will depend on the size of your inbox and internet speed.
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Final Thoughts
An email backup service ensures you can always retrieve your email messages even if you lose access to your account or face a hardware failure. Some tools back up your emails automatically, while others require manual intervention. A tool like Sync.com is a good option if you want cloud email backup software that cares about your security and privacy.
Do you have a preferred email backup client? Which feature do you look for when searching for an email backup solution? Are there other email backup clients you would like us to cover? Leave your comments below. Thank you for reading.
FAQ: Online Email Backup Service
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You can back up your emails manually using tools like Google Takeout or schedule automatic archiving with MailStore Home.
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The best way to save old emails is to download and store them on your local device or upload them to a cloud storage service like Sync.com or Google Drive.
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Email backup software keeps copies of your emails. Such tools allow you to retrieve your emails even if you lose access to your email account, accidentally delete emails or experience a hardware failure.
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Yes. A backup ensures you can always retrieve your emails, even if you accidentally delete some or lose access to your account.
The post The Best Email Backup Service in 2024: Online Backup for Emails appeared first on Cloudwards.