Microsoft 365 to IMAP migration software

Switching the migration of Office 365 to IMAP is crucial for any organization that requires certain features in email management and has a more flexible system. Office 365 to IMAP migration tool provided by EdbMails enables migration of Office 365 data into the IMAP server directly, without any intermediate stage. EdbMails guarantees that all Office 365 emails are transferred, preserving the folder structure on the target IMAP server.

EdbMails helps with Office 365 migration to multiple IMAP-enabled email servers, such as Outlook, Gmail, Zoho, Zimbra, and others, including IceWarp, cPanel, Plesk, GoDaddy, Rackspace, AWS WorkMail, Bluehost, and DreamHost.

The following sections guide you through the relevant Office 365 to IMAP migration scenarios, pre-migration tasks, migration steps, and useful tips required for migrating your mailbox data from Office 365 to various IMAP servers.

1. Office 365 to IMAP migration: Pre-migration tasks

   The following steps need to be completed before you can begin migrating your mailbox data from Office 365 to an IMAP server:

   • On the source Office 365 server side:
     1. Make sure to have an Office 365 Global admin account with the required license
     2. Assign the suitable Office 365 licenses for the required mailboxes

         Click here to assign Microsoft 365 licenses to user accounts

     3. To migrate your Office 365 public folders and archive/shared mailboxes you must set them up correctly.

         Click here to create Office 365 Public folder and assign admin permissions.

         Click here to create Shared mailboxes on Office 365 and set the required permission.

         Click here to enable archive mailboxes on Office 365

     4. Make sure that you have the required Bandwidth for Office 365 migration

         Click here for network and migration planning, performance factors and best practices for Office 365 migration.

     5. In order to move large messages (items), set Office 365 so that the message size limit can be increased.

         Click here for the steps to increase the message size on Office 365 to 150MB.

   • On the target IMAP server side:
     1. Get your IMAP server host name, port number, email address, and password to log in to the target IMAP server.
     2. If migrating multiple mailboxes, prepare a CSV file with columns as email address, password, IMAP server host name, and port number.
     3. If migrating Office 365 to Gmail, create an app password for the Gmail account.

         Click here for the steps to create an app password for your Gmail account.

2. Steps for Office 365 to IMAP migration using EdbMails

   EdbMails can help you with a smooth and simple migration from Office 365 to IMAP with a user-friendly interface. So you can migrate all your mailboxes' data easily and securely with the following steps:

   Step 1: Download and Install EdbMails application

   • Download and install the EdbMails application on your computer.
   • Double click the EdbMails setup (EdbMailsSetup.exe) to install the application.
   • Follow the instructions that appear to complete the installation.

      See EdbMails system requirements for Office 365 migration

     

   • Click 'Login' or 'Start Your Free Trial' to access the application

     

   Step 2: Select Office 365 to IMAP Migration option

   • Select the option 'Office 365 Migration'

     

   • Select ‘Office 365 to IMAP migration’

     

   • Either keep the default job name or enter your preferred job name, then click 'Next' to proceed.

     

   Step 3: Connect to source Office 365 server

   • Click the ‘Add New Connection’ button to establish a new connection to the source Office 365. To use the previous connection, select it from the connection list and click the ‘Connect to Existing’ button to proceed.

     

   • Choose the required connection options and click the ‘Next’ button.

     

   • Select the appropriate connection method and click the ‘Login’ button to continue.

     

       Connect to Office 365 server using secure modern authentication

   • Authenticate on Microsoft sign-in page.

     

      After the successful authentication, choose one of the methods to load the mailboxes. You can also load and migrate the mailboxes using a CSV file.

     

   • Select the mailboxes you want to migrate from the source Office 365 server.
   • Click ‘Next’ to proceed.

     

   Step 4: Connect to target IMAP server

   • Choose the required protocol, such as 'Connect to IMAP' or 'Connect to POP3.' To connect a single user account, select 'Single User / Account Migration.'

     

   • Select the appropriate IMAP host name from the list or manually enter it. Then, provide the email address and password. For Gmail accounts, be sure to create an app password and use that instead.
   • Click the ‘Login’ button.

     

   • Once the mailboxes are loaded, click ‘Next’ to proceed.

     

   • For migrating multiple mailboxes, choose 'Multiple (Bulk) Users/Accounts Migration,' and click 'Next' to proceed

     

   • Click on ‘IMAP Migration CSV File.’
   • You will be prompted to download the sample .csv file. Choose the destination folder where you want to save the file

     

   • Open the downloaded CSV file and update it with the required details, including the email address (mailbox name), password, host name, and port. You can set other fields to 'NA' as they are not required when migrating email data. After making the changes, save and close the CSV file.

     

   • Click the 'Load Modified CSV File' button to select the CSV file.
   • Verify the mailboxes and proceed by clicking 'Next'.

     

   • To migrate calendars and contacts, along with emails, from Office 365 to an IMAP platform that supports CalDAV/CardDAV, select ‘IMAP with CalDAV/CardDAV Migration CSV File’.

     

   • You will be prompted to download a sample CSV file, choose a location on your computer, and save it.
   • Open the CSV file and update it with the required details: Source Mailbox Name, Password, Host, Port, CalDAV Username, CalDAV Password, CalDAV Server, CalDAV Folder, CardDAV Username, CardDAV Password, CardDAV Server, CardDAV Folder. Save and close the CSV file.

     

   • Click on ‘Load Modified CSV File’ and browse to the location where you saved the updated CSV file. Select the modified CSV file and load it into the application.

   Step 5: Start Office 365 to IMAP migration operation

   • After mapping the mailboxes, click the ‘Start Migration’ button and initiate the migration process.

     

   • To review the migration report, click the ‘View Log’ button, which provides a comprehensive report detailing the number of emails, folders, and mailbox items successfully migrated.

     

   • Also, log in to your target server and verify the migrated items.

3. Post migration actions for Microsoft 365 to IMAP

   When the migration is completed, change your MX records to allow mail flow to the new server.

4. Best Practices for Microsoft 365 to IMAP Migration

   There are several recommended best practices for migrating your Office 365 to an IMAP account. These practices make the process of moving a mailbox to an IMAP account as smooth and seamless as possible.

   1. Start the migration planning process early: Begin the migration planning process well in advance to prevent possible migration challenges.
   2. Select a proper migration tool: While migrating Office 365 to an IMAP account, you need to select an appropriate Office 365 to IMAP migration tool for a better and smoother migration process. Use EdbMails as it satisfies your requirements.
   3. Batch the migration: You can better manage the migration by breaking it down into batches. This will make troubleshooting and managing the migration easier.
   4. Pilot thorough tests: Make a full test in a pilot environment before the real migration process. This step will help to discover and resolve any kind of problem.
   5. Ensure transparent communication with stakeholders: Communicate consistently and openly with all stakeholders involved. Make sure all stakeholders are aware, follow their deadlines, and understand what they need to do.
   6. Monitor the migration as it progresses: Constant monitoring throughout the migration is critical. Continue to monitor the migration and ensure it proceeds as planned, making modifications as necessary.
   7. Improves the migration performance: With EdbMails, you have the facility to migrate 10 mailboxes in parallel. In the case of performance, the performance can be improved by 20 for simultaneous mailbox migration.
   8. Run migration from multiple computers: It allows you to install EdbMails on many computers to run multiple mailboxes to speed up the migration process.
   9. Support to enable incremental migration avoiding duplicity: EdbMails ensures to support incremental migration in subsequent migrations, that migrating only new & modified source items that have not been processed in the former migration runs, and doesn't add duplicate items on target machines.

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Additional resources:

• EdbMails Office 365 migration software
• Office 365 to Gmail migration
• Office 365 migration guide
• Office 365 to Exchange migration
• Office 365 to PST export