How to Export or Back Up Emails from Airmail

<h2>Problem</h2><p>You want to export, save, or back up individual emails or entire mailboxes from Airmail.</p><h2>Solution</h2><h3>Exporting Individual Emails</h3><h4>On macOS</h4><ol><li>Select the email you want to export</li><li>Go to <strong>File → Export as EML</strong> (or drag the email to your Desktop/Finder)</li><li>The email will be saved as an .eml file</li></ol><h4>Save as PDF</h4><ol><li>Open the email</li><li>Go to <strong>File → Print</strong> (or Cmd+P)</li><li>In the print dialog, click <strong>PDF → Save as PDF</strong></li></ol><h3>Backing Up All Emails</h3><p>Since Airmail is an IMAP client, your emails are stored on your email provider's server. The best backup strategies are:</p><ul><li><strong>Google Takeout</strong> (for Gmail): Download all your email data at takeout.google.com</li><li><strong>Outlook Export</strong>: Use Outlook web or desktop to export as PST</li><li><strong>IMAP backup tools</strong>: Use dedicated backup software that connects to your IMAP server</li></ul><h3>Important Notes</h3><ul><li>Airmail itself does not have a bulk export feature</li><li>Your emails live on the server, not just in Airmail</li><li>Deleting Airmail does not delete your emails</li><li>For local folders (On My Mac), those emails ARE only on your computer — back up your Mac regularly with Time Machine</li></ul>

Updated on: 03/28/2026