I need to archive an IMAP mailbox that contains a large number of emails with PDF documents, spreadsheets, images, and other business attachments. The mailbox itself is accessible, but I am concerned that messages containing large files may take longer to download or cause interruptions during the backup process.
I want to preserve complete email conversations rather than exporting only the message text. If an attachment is missing, the archive may not be useful for reviewing the original correspondence. I am therefore trying to understand how attachment size, network stability, and IMAP server restrictions can affect the export process.
A few technical questions have come up. Can large attachments cause individual message downloads to fail even when the IMAP connection remains active? Is it better to process folders separately when they contain many large files? How can I identify emails whose attachments were not exported successfully? Does the selected output format affect how attachments are stored? What checks should be performed before deleting or moving anything from the original mailbox?
I came across the
SysInfo IMAP Backup Tool, which supports folder selection and exports to PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, PDF, and other formats. I am planning to test it with a folder containing different attachment sizes and verify the exported messages before running the complete backup.
I would also like to compare the original and exported attachment filenames, open sample files, and review the processing report for skipped or failed items.
For anyone who has archived IMAP mailboxes with large attachments, what practical steps helped prevent incomplete exports? Would you recommend splitting the job by folder or processing the mailbox in smaller batches.
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