Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server in 2026: Manual & Pro Ways
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Quick Overview: Many organizations & individual subscription holders choose to migrate Office 365 to IMAP server (new provider or self-hosted) for reasons like cost-cutting & data-privacy concerns. However, there is no native tool or option offered by Microsoft.
To transfer your emails, folders, and attachments from M365 primary, shared, and archive mailboxes to any IMAP-enabled mailbox you can use Outlook – which is suitable for a smaller and limited number of accounts. For bulk enterprise level Office 365 to new IMAP migration you will need a dedicated software solution to overcome MFA related issues and reduce downtime & manual efforts.
Why Do Users Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server?
Although Microsoft 365 is a reliable productivity & email communication suite. Many businesses & individuals migrate from Office 365 to IMAP server due to the following reasons:
- Small to medium scale businesses migrate from Office 365 to local ISP-based IMAP after evaluating subscription spend.
- In industries like Healthcare, Legal Services, Tax Services and Research where data is sensitive, migration from Office 365 to a self-hosted IMAP server is common to maintain compliance as well as due to data-security concerns.
- Businesses also transfer emails from their archived or old Microsoft 365 mailboxes to an IMAP server for optimised licensed data management.
- Individuals like freelancers migrate their @onmicrosoft or domain account to an IMAP server for reasons like data consolidation and affordable pricing.
Complexities in Office 365 to IMAP Server Migration
Here are the common issues users face when they decide to migrate Office 365 to IMAP server:
- No official or native method for multiple users.
- Default OAuth2 and multi-factor authentication required – which is not available with many legacy tools available in the market.
- While CLI tools also exist to overcome the authentication problem they do require extra setup.
Due to these reasons users prefer migrating manually via Outlook or with dedicated & Microsoft Market Place verified software like BitRecover Office 365 to IMAP Migration Wizard.
Pre-Migration Checklist for Office 365 Emails to IMAP Transfer
Ensure you complete the following prerequisites before initiating either manual or automated Microsoft 365 to IMAP migration:
- Verified Office 365 account or admin credentials (for bulk migration via Impersonisation).
- IMAP credentials with server settings including host name, port (143/993), SSL/TLS type & enabled authentication & security type.
- Available storage quota on the IMAP server must exceed the M365 mailbox size.
- For hassle-free migration without data loss disable auto-archive or retention policies on the Office 365 mailbox.
- Keep a copy of IMAP & Office 365 emails locally in case a restore is required.
- Before you begin the migration, manage mailbox data and delete unwanted emails from the source.
Manual Method: Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Using MS Outlook
Using Outlook Classic to transfer Microsoft 365 emails to IMAP server is best for personal users or for businesses willing to move only archived/limited mailboxes to IMAP server for archival & better data management. It comes with the added data security of the Outlook.
Disclaimer: Although it is native it is not a dedicated solution for data transfer. No contact or calendar transfer; drag-and-drop here only moves mail items; contacts/calendars still need separate handling.
- Click on File >> Account Info >> Add Account and ensure you have configured both the IMAP server & Office 365 mailbox in the Outlook desktop (Mac/Win/New/Classic).
- Both your mailboxes will be visible on the left pane. You can directly move custom folders by simple drag & drop from Office 365 to IMAP server.
- For default folders like Inbox, Draft, Sent, Trash etc. You need to open the folder >> select required emails (or Ctrl+A to select all) >> drag & drop to move the desired emails from Office 365 folders to IMAP account.
- Check that emails and attachments come through correctly and folder structure is maintained.
Limitations of Outlook for Microsoft 365 to IMAP Migration
- Migrating emails, attachments and folders from an Office 365 enterprise account to another IMAP (enterprise or personal) account is disabled by default even by drag and drop for security reasons in new Outlook. You can either use classic Outlook (2024, 2021, 2019, 2016) for such cases or choose a professional solution if this fails.
- Not practical for IT level migration with more than 1GB of emails even though there is no official cap. Multiple mailbox migration from Office 365 to IMAP server can be time taking. And since the process is manual it is prone to missing out on emails. Users have to maintain the folder structure manually.
Recommended Tool to Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server
While going through these queries, I got one stop solution from BitRecover. I started reading about the solution BitRecover Office 365 Backup Software and found it a fully featured application. Then, I started exploring the software and got that it also has a free demo version that I can use before purchasing the software.
All the latest Windows and Mac OS users can download and install this expert-recommended solution. Thereafter, users can use it to migrate from Office 365 to IMAP Server automatically. Just configure it on your machine and follow the Office 365 to IMAP migration steps.
Steps to Migrate from Office 365 to IMAP Server
- Start Office 365 to IMAP Migration Tool. Enter the O365 email address and press the Login button.
- Enter your Microsoft 365 account password and sign in to your account with security.
- Thereafter, the tool will start uploading M365 folders in the software interface.
- Select the required O365 folders that you want to migrate.
- After that, set advanced filters to transfer O365 emails to IMAP according to choice.
- Now choose IMAP Server as a saving option.
- Thereafter, enter your IMAP server credentials with a port number.
- Press the Backup button to migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server.
- The Microsoft 365 to IMAP migration task is successfully completed, click on the Ok button.
- The tool generated a log report file that has all the information about the migrated data.
- Lastly, log in to your IMAP Server account and view all O365 data with the actual folder hierarchy.
Note That: In this way, anyone can easily migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server including entire email components and attributes.
IMAP Settings: If you have an email account but don’t know the IMAP settings of your account. Then go to IMAPSettings.com, enter your email address, and know IMAP server settings with Server Host Name and Server Port Number.
Unmatchable Software Features
I am Admin: If users check the “I am Admin” option while migrating from Office 365 to IMAP Server, then, the software will allow them to check specific M365 user accounts associated with the admin account to migrate their data.
Complete Migration: O365 to IMAP Software is authorized to migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server including emails, contacts, calendars, task, and their associated properties.
Useful Filters: Users can set advanced filter options to migrate Microsoft 365 emails to IMAP Server. The tool allows users to set a specific date range, email address, email subject, exclude folders and has specified works in emails.
Keep All Components: This utility keeps all email properties during M365 to IMAP migration processes such as To, Cc, Bcc, From, Date, Time, Year, Subject, Headings, Body Text, HTML Links, Inline Images, and all.
Migrate from All Spaces: One of the best features of this application is that it is capable to download Office 365 emails from primary, in-place archive, and shared mailbox quota spaces to an IMAP account.
Finalize Microsoft 365 to IMAP Server Migration: Verification Steps
Do not immediately cancel your Office 365 subscription after migration is completed, follow the steps to cross verify:
- After migration cross verify mailbox size, attachment integrity and folder structure.
- Re-added contacts and calendar separately as this migration does not move them. (Only if your server or service provider supports them)
- If you are completely leaving Office 365 for mail routing, update MX records last, only after confirming everything above.
FAQs: Migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server
Q: Is there a native tool offered by Microsoft to migrate multiple users to an IMAP account?
No, there is no built-in solution as per the official Microsoft documentation. Using Outlook is also a manual workaround for single users. Although there is an in-built tool in Exchange Admin Centre that lets you import mailboxes into Office 365 accounts in bulk.
Q: Do I need any advanced system setup to use the Office 365 to IMAP migration tool?
No. You can easily carry out migration from any Mac or Windows devices 32-bit and 64-bit.
Q: Will our contacts and calendar be preserved during Microsoft 365 to IMAP migration?
No, IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) protocol only deals with emails and associated attachments. During the mailbox migration from O365 to a generic IMAP server (Self-Hosted or through an ISP Email Servers) contacts & calendars have to be managed separately.
Q: Is there any “free” way to move an Office 365 user account to IMAP account
For a singular mailbox, you can use Outlook desktop application further moving emails via drag and drop however it only works for small to medium sized mailboxes.
Conclusion
Grab this utility and run it on your computer to migrate Office 365 to IMAP Server without any difficulty. BitRecover has recommended this software to several users and they all got 100% satisfaction. The tool preserves the original folder hierarchy; hence, users can easily understand the output data even on different email platforms.
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