Export/Copy/Backup Emails

Feature Suggestions
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#4

i’m exactly in that position: using emclient on windows and altough i want to switch so badly to mailspring, this is a core feature for me so until they implement it i can’t get along

(Originally posted by Azertooth on GitHub.)

#5

Here’s my use case.
I have tons of emails from an account that is not active anymore (I changed job). I thought I could export them from Mailspring and store them away. Instead, I’m stuck with a disabled account that I can not delete and a corresponding error message that I can not fix. Any help would be highly appreciated.

(Originally posted by franapoli on GitHub.)

(Post had three upvotes.)

#6

There are workspaces that use .msg and .eml files as attachments, like user requests, system request, bug evidence, etc. Would be very useful can open these formats in Mailspring.

Where I work today people love to use .msg files instead of a more universal format as .pdf disappointed. Although .eml would be great too, since is more acceptable by e-mail applications.

(Originally posted by carlosmichelin on GitHub.)

#7

The “eml” file format is actually the most common email file type, thunderbird saves them by default. And if one wants to archive a one particular e-mail to disk, there have to be an option to save the message to file. It is very common in enterprise use that one have to transfer email to at least some file format, for example to attach it into CRM or ERP software used.

The best thing it is you can just dump the output you get from IMAP/POP3 server and you’ll get an eml file.

Hopefully Mailspring will get saving and opening functionality for eml files.

(Originally posted by adamkruszewski on GitHub.)

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#8

Speaking for myself, I use this feature a lot in Evolution or Thunderbird, especially when filing spam reports with registrars. It would be a fairly simple thing to implement, but a very useful feature.

#9

As an “old school” user, I would also like to have this feature. I classify important emails by saving them as EML files, which serves me very well; attachments are bundled with the actual message itself. Something one can not do by printing to a PDF…

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#10

Make sure you actually “Vote” for the issue at the top!

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#11

Using eM Client on Windows, I will often drag-drop emails (which get automatically saved as .eml files) so I can keep discussions in a given place for quick reference.

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#12

I would love to see that feature. On macOS you can drag and drop messages onto any folder on your desktop and the .eml file with all attachments and so on is there. Beside the “normal” export mailbox function. Both are missing in mailspring.

Furthermore i would love to see a better “move” message / threads handling, which is kind of an export. At the moment you can not move a message from mailbox 1 to mailbox 2.
You can only move messages into subfolder of the same mailbox.

All the best

#13

Exporting email as .eml file should be a core functionality of email client.

1 Like
#14

It would be nice if I don’t have to keep Thunderbird installed just to open .eml files.

#15

Exactly like @lephuongbg I would like to not have to use Thunderbird whem I want to export or read .eml files.

Thx.

#16

I would also very much like to be able to back up my emails locally as .eml files and delete them from my email provider’s server. Perhaps an ideal solution would be the ability to sync a Mailspring folder with a folder on my desktop, so that any emails moved to that folder in Mailspring would be automatically saved as .eml files to the corresponding local folder, and automatically deleted from the provider’s server.

#17

I have started working on this feature

TODO List

Download an email as .eml format - Foundry376/Mailspring#2422
Backup at folder or account level
Opening a .eml file will preview the email in its own window (rather than attaching it)

Discussions

  • Exporting/Backing up:
    • I think both a folder and account level backup would provide enough diversity and be better for UX, thoughts appreciated
    • At a folder level, right-click on the folder to reveal the backup option
    • At an account level, not sure whether to:
      • have it in the Preferences => Account and then either: in the options, reveal on right-click of the account or hovering over reveals the option, or
      • right click on an account name in the main window to reveal it (when there are multiple accounts have it available when right-clicking on each account’s custom folders header [which is also the account name])
  • Other formats:
    • are the other formats just a different extension with the same contents? If so, this would be easy to implement
  • Local storage:
    • You mention a local storage option. There is a plugin request for this so I will leave work on that alone (hilarious, request opened by me)
  • Importing:
    • This is a massive maybe, other email clients allow the import of .eml files - possibly add this feature depending on… well, my competence in the new codebase
#18

So, I thought I could edit my above comment days later… I was wrong. So, from now on just status updates and discussion points :grin:

So, Status Update:
The PR now gives the option to download an entire email folder of messages to a system folder. There is one issue currently that (again), is a mailsync issue - damn I wish I knew C++. Downloading messages ties up the worker process, so anything else (like opening an email) will be queued until all messages have downloaded

Anyone know C++ that can help with my suggestion over at the PR?

#19

Discussion point: Can I have thoughts on exporting sub-folders?

Currently, exporting a folder will ignore subfolders (not ideal, I think) - it will only export the emails specific to the folder you have selected. Do we just recurse over them and create the subdirectories within that folder (by default)? Also, maybe have an extra option to say “Export just this folder”?

#20

Hello,
I’m here for a little emergency.

I configured Mailspring for a friend of mine, she has a domain registered to register.it . Everything was working fine.
The guy who manage her domain and socials transfer the hosting from register.it to another one, then he installed Thunderbird and … all mails are gone.

Now, she still has Mailspring in another pc with the email, obsiously the account is not syncing anymore because it is set with the old hosting’s parameters, but if I update the parameters it will syncs with the new content and I guess all the emails will be lost… am I wrong?

How is evolving the exporting feature? :sweat_smile:

#21

Sounds like the new account has been set up using POP, rather than IMAP. This pulls all the messages from the server rather than just “querying” the data. Resyncing will indeed wipe the emails.

First, I’d suggest that the Thunderbird account is made inactive - with a wrong password or something. After that add the same account again using IMAP in Thunderbird. You can then drag and drop between the two accounts, and it should sync up again.

How is evolving the exporting feature? :sweat_smile:

Progress is being made. However, the dev to live timeline is quite long when changes are required on the mailspring-sync process (as in this case).

If you JUST need to export, and the above doesn’t work or isn’t possible, there is an alternative - though it’s quite complex/longwinded: note I can only confirm directories are correct in Windows

  1. Open the directory where the CURRENT DB is stored
    • you should be able to find it by clicking Edit custom shortcuts link on the keyboard settings page
      • in Windows it’s %appdata%/Mailspring
  2. Fork/download my branch
  3. Follow the install and run instructions from the contribution guide (I think)
  4. After the first run, quit the program
  5. Copy the config.json AND edgehill.db files from the directory you found in step 1 into a directory that should be in its parent folder called Mailspring-dev
  6. Run my forked copy again, this time it should have all your accounts and emails
  7. Use the folder export option
    • as noted above, this will hang the application until all files have been downloaded. You can click an email after starting the export and, once it loads that email, that folder is fully downloaded
#22

There are a few tools available which can let you backup the data into eml or mbox. I
agree with your guys that these formats are universal and supported by many applications making it easy to open mbox to outlook or eml to outlook. If you like you can directly use mailspring converter. It is present on web but only free to try.

#23

Working with eml files is mandatory for a mail client software, which will be taken seriously. I have installed mailspring and it was very nice to work with. There were really many things which have beeb done right. But no eml save or open is a real deal breaker. Sadly I have to remove it from my computer, and use a mail client, which does not have such a lack. If someone asks me in near future, if this someone should give it a try with mailspring, I have to consult with: better not, mailspring is not yet grown to an adult mail client…

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