Export/Copy/Backup Emails

Feature Suggestions
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#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…