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How to Import PST to IMAP Server? Step by Step Guide

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Published By Jamie Kaler 
Rollins Duke
Approved By Rollins Duke
Published On October 5th, 2023
Reading Time 6 Min Read

Overview: Are you also trying to import PST to IMAP server, but you could not find the right way? If yes, then do not worry, here we are going to mention complete details with a step-by-step guide for PST to IMAP migration.

IMAP stands for Internet Mail Access Protocol, which is a protocol that allows users to send and receive emails for personal and professional work. Most email clients used IMAP, so users can easily access their email clients from anywhere, for example – Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook.com, etc.

And as we all know that PST files are a file format used by Outlook email clients, which stores complete data of Outlook profiles including emails, contacts, calendars, notes, journals, etc.

But due to end number of reasons users want to import PST to IMAP server account such as:

  • PST file has a high risk of corruption and data loss, so importing emails to an IMAP account prevent corruption.
  • Also, PST files can only open with an Outlook account, while IMAP accounts can easily open emails from any device.
  • If the Outlook PST file has reached the maximum size, the email client will not open, whereas this is not the case with IMAP accounts.

There are end number of features, which makes the IMAP account the first choice of users over the Outlook email client. Without wasting time, let’s get a jump to the process to import PST to IMAP server.

Methods for PST to IMAP Migration

Here we are going to mention both manual methods and expert solutions to accomplish the task. All the steps are explained below in detail:

Manual Methods to Import PST to IMAP Server

Firstly, we will import the orphan PST file into Outlook, and then we will connect the IMAP account to Outlook by following mentioned steps.

Step 1: Upload Orphan PST file into MS Outlook

  1. Open Outlook email client.
  2. Select the File tab from the ribbon and choose Open & Export >> Import/Export option.

    Open & Export

  3. Select the “Import from Another Program or File” option and hit the Next button to continue.

    Import from Another Program

  4. Now choose the “Outlook data file(.PST)” option from the list and the Next button to continue.

    Outlook Data File

  5. Browse the file from the system, that you want to upload.

    Browse the file

  6. Lastly, select the folder where you want to import and hit the Finish button.

After uploading the file, now we will connect the IMAP server account to the Outlook account.

Step 2: Connect Accounts to Outlook

  1. Open an Outlook account.
  2. Click on the File tab and choose Add Account option.
  3. Enter the login details of your IMAP server and enter the IMAP details.
  4. After all the settings, click on the Finish icon to import PST to IMAP server.

After successfully connection, drag the emails from the uploaded PST file and drop them into the connected IMAP account. Before starting the process, there are some limitations that you must read first.

  • Outlook should be installed on your system.
  • If your PST file has a large size, then the file will corrupt the Outlook profile.
  • Lots of errors will appear while connecting the accounts.

Also Read: How to Transfer Emails from Outlook to Gmail?

How to Import PST to IMAP Server Automatically?

Download one of the best and highly recommended RecoveryTools Cloud Restore Software. The software comes with amazing and advanced features, which makes the tool more powerful and usable.

This tool has been developed with advanced algorithms so that all types of users can use the tool easily without technical knowledge. Also, users can easily download the PST to IMAP migration tool on any Windows OS including Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and all previous versions. Some of the features and working steps are mentioned below to import PST to IMAP server:

Working Steps to Import Outlook PST File to IMAP Account

  1. Download and install the software on your machine.

    software on your machine

  2. Select the PST option from the source list and add the file.

    Select the PST option

  3. After uploading, the tool will load the folders and subfolders, and check the required folder.

    load the folders

  4. Select the Select Saving Option and choose the IMAP Server option, or if your IMAP account is listed then choose it.

    Select Saving Option

  5. Apply the advanced filter option and apply the multiple filters as per your choice.

    advanced filter option

  6. Enter the login details of the IMAP account and put the IMAP Host details.

    login details of the IMAP

  7. Lastly, click on the Backup button to import PST to IMAP server.

    import PST to IMAP server

The software comes with a free demo version which allows users to import only 25 emails from each folder of PST. So that users can analyze the performance and features of how does the PST to IMAP migration tool works.

Advanced and Phenomenal Features of Software

  • The software allows users to upload single or multiple PST files manually using Select Files and Select Folders.
  • Also, if your Outlook profile is connected to a similar device, then the tool will load the data from the default storage location, whether your profile is working or not.
  • After uploading the data, all the folders and subfolders will appear on the screen, check, and uncheck the required data from here to save time and energy.
  • Also, the software has an advanced filter option, which allows users to import specific emails according to their choice by applying Date Range, To, From, Subject, etc.
  • The tool is a completely standalone and independent utility, so there is no need to download or install any third-party tool.
  • The change language option allows users to map folders into different languages including English, Dutch, Spanish, German, French, etc.

Time to Say Goodbye

Here we have explained all the information and step-by-step guide to import PST to IMAP Server account using manual methods and expert solutions. Manual methods are straightforward but have some limits which are mentioned above. So, it is better to use the expert solution, which has multiple advanced features. users can easily PST to IMAP migration in bulk without having file size limits. We have tried to provide complete information; hope you find the article helpful.