How to Save Emails to Computer Mac?
Saving emails locally is important for Mac users who rely on Apple Mail email client for email management. So, in the article we will discuss the procedure of how to save emails to computer Mac to make sure you always have a copy of essential data. Furthermore, we will be covering different methods to save email data files including Time Machine and email applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Mac Mail, & Thunderbird. Besides, we have highlighted automated approach for the same. Without more ado, let’s get started!
Prerequisites
Before taking backup of emails on Mac, there are few prerequisites you should follow if you want to save emails from Gmail or Yahoo Mail on Mac.
Manage POP Access for Gmail
Setting up POP i.e. Post Office Protocol access in Google Mail allows saving a copy of messages locally and helps accessing them through email application. This protocol by default eradicates the original one from a webmail inbox after downloading it. Also, Gmail enable users to choose whether to delete, archive, keep or mark them as read.
To enable POP in Gmail, implement the below steps –
- Login to Gmail account, go to your profile picture and click Google Accounts.
- Navigate to Security and tap Less Secure app access.
- Enable Allow Less Secure apps option. It is necessary so that Gmail does not refuse a server connection created by a remote client.
- Go to Gmail Settings and tap Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Then, scroll until POP Download option gets visible; here enable POP for all mail option. Furthermore, the second option mentions what action needs to be taken with the original messages after the copy is saved.
- Tap Configuration Instructions below to set up email client option to retrieve Gmail Server settings. Scroll down to search the details.
Set up IMAP Access for Yahoo Mail
IMAP i.e. Internet Message Access Protocol helps synchronizing messages with the server to be retrieved from any device. And to enable IMAP access for Yahoo Mail, one need to modify security settings.
- Go to Account Info after login to Yahoo email account. Navigate to Account Security and enable Allow apps that use less secure sign in option.
- Use the Yahoo Help Center to locate IMAP Server Settings.
How to Save Emails to Computer Mac using Email Clients?
The method will help you to protect the data from accidental loss or damage.
Save Emails on Mac using Microsoft Outlook
Outlook is considered as one of the popular email applications to manage email accounts. It helps managing emails, calendars, tasks, and other items at one place. Additionally, Outlook enable users to backup emails locally to protect data from loss and make sure to have the access of important emails during unexpected misshapen.
To reduce the inbox size with ease, you may manually archive email messages, contacts, and other items to Outlook Data File (.olm). The file can be saved at any location or on a different machine for safekeeping.
Follow the Steps to Save Emails to Computer Mac using Outlook for Mac Email App
- Open Outlook, navigate to Export, and click Tools.
- Select the required items to export appearing in Export to Archive File (.olm) box and tap Continue.
- Go to Downloads folder appearing under Favorites in Save as box and tap Save button.
- A user will get the notification once the data is exported and then tap Finish button.
Save Emails to Computer Mac using Thunderbird
Thunderbird is another widely used open-source email management platform, used by many Mac users for sending/receiving of emails daily. It is a reliable app that helps managing emails, calendars, and contacts at one place.
In order to save emails using Thunderbird Mac, follow the below instructions –
- On Mac screen, navigate to Go menu, hold the option and click Library.
- Go to Thunderbird and you will see a list of profiles appearing on the device.
- Copy the desired profile and paste the same at desired location.
- For restore, drag-and-drop the backup profile (s) to Thunderbird and then Profiles.
Save Emails to Computer Mac using Mac Mail
Mac Mail is an inbuilt email client for macOS which also helps in managing daily emails of all individuals and organizations. Follow the steps to know how to save emails to computer Mac using Apple Mail.
- Open Mac Mail. Navigate to Mailbox menu and click Export Mailbox.
- Choose the desired location to save mailbox file and specify a name to it. Lastly, press Save button.
Mac Mail will save the files in MBOX format containing all the selected email messages from an email account. You may save the file to external hard drive or cloud storage to prevent data from loss or damage. And in case you need to restore the data again, then open Mac Mail, go to File, click Import Mailboxes, then choose Files in MBOX format, locate .mbox files and import them into Apple Mail account.
How to Save Emails to Computer Mac using Time Machine?
Time Machine is an inbuilt feature of Apple Mail which is useful to backup the complete database of the system including email client & data. It is a tool that could guide you in preventing the data from accidental deletion, hardware failures or system crashes.
Follow the procedure to save emails to computer on Mac using Time Machine
- Connect hard drive to Mac for backup. Then navigate to Apple menu and select System Preferences.
- Go to Time Machine and turn on the Time Machine if it is turned off.
- Tap Select Backup Disk and select the external drive which is connected.
- Click the Options and choose the email client as well as data to backup such as Outlook or Apple Mail. Lastly, hit Save button.
Time Machine will start the backup process. You may access the backup by tapping the Time Machine icon appear in the menu bar or opening the Time Machine app through Applications folder.
How to Save Emails to Computer Mac using Automated Solution?
There is another solution available which one can use to save emails to computer Mac i.e. MacMister Email Backup Software Mac & Windows. The application possesses 30+ email services; users choose the desired email server and save emails to 15+ saving options such as PST, EML, OLM, HTML, DOC, IMAP, Gmail, Office 365, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more. It also possesses intuitive interface which is manageable by all professional and novice users effortlessly.
Moreover, the application is programmed with multiple filter types that help users saving required emails to computer Mac. Download, the software free demo edition to explore the software working in detail for free. It also allows to save first 25 emails to computer Mac free of cost.
Working Steps of the application to Save Emails to Computer Mac
Step 1. Download the software on a Mac supported system.

Step 2. Choose the desired email server from the left, add the credentials, and click Login button.

Step 3. Once the account is connected, its mailboxes start to immediately appear on the left software screen.

Step 4. Go to the right-side of the app, click Select Saving Options, and choose the desired saving type from the menu.

Step 5. Set the sub-options, apply filter options and click Start Backup button.

Step 6. The Email Backup Report screen will appear which shows the live migration of emails to users.

The process will end with a notification displaying “Process Completed” on the screen. Click OK button and then visit the destination path to check resultant files. However, you will not encounter any change in the original data. The email messages, email structure, and email formatting properties will appear correct and precise.
Epilogue
In the write-up we have provided multiple approaches to fix how to save emails to computer Mac. The first three methods are manual and it is advised to implement them under expert’s guidance. Whereas the fourth method is direct, reliable, and easy to use. It can be used by anyone without any trouble. Even, its features will help users saving emails to computer Mac according to the requirements. It has a free demo edition as well with the help of users can experience the software process for free. It also allows to save first 25 emails free of cost.