Local email backup

rsk.mailbackup

Keep your IMAP email in your own readable backup.

rsk.mailbackup stores messages locally as EML files, supports full and incremental backups, and helps you review or restore selected content to an IMAP mailbox.

Try free for 7 days Try the browser demo

For Windows 10/11 (64-bit) · Try without a ruesken.net account · No subscription

rsk.mailbackupEN · Windows

Local email backup

A mailbox is not a backup

Years of correspondence, invoices, contracts, and personal memories often exist only with an email provider. An accidentally deleted account, a faulty synchronisation, or a change of provider can quickly become painful.

rsk.mailbackup retrieves your messages via IMAP and stores them on your Windows PC. It only reads from the source and creates a transparent local structure instead of an opaque cloud archive.

How it works

Connect an account, schedule the backup, and verify the result

Set up each account once, then choose the folders and schedule for every backup job.

1. Connect your mailbox

Set up your IMAP mailbox with an encrypted connection. Your credentials remain on your Windows PC.

2. Define the backup job

Choose all or selected mail folders and back them up manually, hourly, daily, or weekly. Separate jobs for the same account may use different folders and schedules.

3. Check the backup

See the last run, next schedule, message and folder counts, and the health of your backups at a glance.

Try it · right in your browser

From mailbox to readable backup

Choose folders and a schedule. Then open a message and check the destination mailbox mapping.

rsk.mailbackupBrowser demo

Backup jobs

Name	Email account	Schedule	Status
Sample mailbox	team@example.test	Daily	Ready

Job and email account

NameEmail account

Folders to back upInboxInvoicesProject A

Backup job schedule

Backup folder: C:\Example\Mailbackup

Start the sample job using the Play button in the toolbar.

Backup information

2 folders are selected for the sample job.

Start the simulation to review messages and destination-folder mapping.

Sample data readyLocal · sample data

Fictional mailbox, no credentials. The demo does not connect to a mail provider.
This demo is solely intended to illustrate how the application works. Its layout and functionality may differ from the actual application.

Download rsk.mailbackup for freeTry for free · no registration · Windows

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rsk.mailbackupEN · Windows

What you can get done

From daily backup to a controlled account move

rsk.mailbackup protects more than the current inbox. It keeps folder structures built over many years accessible and helps with targeted exports or a move to another account.

Protect several mailboxes

Manage any number of IMAP accounts and separate backup jobs from one clear overview.

Find messages again

Search metadata, navigate the folder tree, and open emails in a safe local viewer with tracking blocked.

Export selected content

Export selected messages as EML, or a complete backup as MBOX while preserving its folder structure.

Restore mailboxes

Restore messages through a guided process to the same or another configured IMAP account, checking target folders, conflicts, and server limits before anything is uploaded.

Features

Email backups you can read, verify, and restore

8feature areas

From multiple IMAP accounts to controlled restore, every step remains local, transparent, and under your control.

01Accounts and backup jobs

Manage any number of IMAP accounts centrally.
Set up IMAP accounts directly with an encrypted connection.
Create several jobs per account, each with its own folder scope, destination, and schedule.

02Full and incremental backup

Back up source mailboxes using read-only access.
After the first full run, add only new messages using IMAP UIDs.
Monitor UIDVALIDITY and fall back safely to a full comparison when it changes.

03Open backup format

Store every message as a standard-readable EML file.
Keep metadata in a transparent JSON structure and a rebuildable SQLite index.
Export selected messages or the complete backup as MBOX while preserving folder structure.

04Integrity and health

Verify EML contents using SHA-256 checksums.
Compare remote and local UIDs and expose missing or problematic messages.
Detect interrupted runs through journals and checkpoints, then resume them safely.

05Backup browser and safe viewer

Navigate the local folder tree and search metadata by subject, sender, recipient, or date range.
View text, HTML, and RTF messages with locally embedded images.
Block external tracking and open or save attachments only through clearly separated actions.

06Guided restore

Restore individual messages, folders, or complete backups.
Map destination folders and check server delimiters, conflicts, ACLs, and storage quotas first.
Transfer messages to the selected target folders with control.

07Scheduling and background operation

Run jobs manually, hourly, daily, or weekly.
Complete scheduled backups through a per-user worker while the main window is closed.
Use network, mains-power, time-window, catch-up, and destination-return conditions when deciding when to start.

08Local security and privacy

Store backups only in a local or available network destination you choose.
Protect credentials through the Windows user context.
Keep size-limited local logs without message contents or credentials.

Feature reference

All confirmed features at a glance

The product page helps you decide. The complete reference is organised separately.

See all features

Related use cases

From your task to the right workflow

Back up IMAP emails locally

Back up selected IMAP folders on your PC as an additional copy and review the saved messages.

Open use case

Transfer emails to another mailbox

Select emails from an existing backup and check how folders map to a new mailbox before transfer.

Open use case

Inside the app

From setup to a verifiable backup

Create a backup job step by step

Choose the account, folders, and schedule for a backup job.

Backup-job setup in rsk.mailbackup — rsk.mailbackup · Create a backup job step by step

Understand the status and result

See messages, folders, the last run, and the state of a backup job at a glance.

Backup-job status view in rsk.mailbackup — rsk.mailbackup · Understand the status and result

Control instead of a black box

Open files with verifiable integrity

Every message is stored as a standard-readable EML file. Metadata, a rebuildable index, and SHA-256 checksums make the collection transparent and verifiable.

Atomic writes, recovery after interruptions, and visible quarantine for problematic messages protect running backups. A remote-to-local UID comparison shows whether the backed-up set matches the mailbox.

Stored locally and kept current in the background

Backups remain in the folder you choose: on a local disk, an attached drive, or an available network path. Mail content and credentials never appear in the size-limited local logs.

The unobtrusive background worker runs scheduled backups even when the main window is closed. Network, mains-power, time-window, catch-up, and destination-return rules prevent jobs from starting at the wrong moment.

Try first. Decide afterwards.

Try everything for seven days, then buy once

Every feature is available throughout the trial. A personal licence is required afterwards, with no subscription and no automatic renewal.

By purchasing, you accept our Privacy Policy, Cancellation Policy, Refund Policy and the EULA for rsk.mailbackup. Payment processing by Paddle.

Directly from the developer

Software directly from the developer

I develop rsk.mailbackup myself in Bochum, from secure IMAP communication and the open backup format to the interface and restore process.

The aim is not another email client, but a calm, dependable tool for the moment when you truly need your messages: years later, after a mistake, or while changing providers.

More about me Contact

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about rsk.mailbackup

The most important answers about the application, trial, and licence.

Which accounts does rsk.mailbackup support?

rsk.mailbackup works with IMAP mailboxes. Set up an encrypted IMAP connection directly for your account.

Does a backup change my mailbox?

No. Source mailboxes are read-only during backup. Messages are uploaded only when you explicitly start a restore to a target account.

Which format is used for messages?

Every message is stored as a standard-readable EML file. Selected messages or complete backups can also be exported as MBOX.

Do backups run while the main window is closed?

Yes. A per-user background worker can run hourly, daily, and weekly jobs and reports its status in the Windows notification area.

Is rsk.mailbackup a compliance archive?

No. rsk.mailbackup is a local backup and restore tool, not an email client or a certified immutable compliance archive.

Which systems does rsk.mailbackup support?

rsk.mailbackup is built for 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 and installs with the required .NET runtime included.

Make your mailbox independent of its provider

Download rsk.mailbackup and spend seven days discovering how reassuring a readable, local, and verifiable email backup can be with your own accounts.

Try free for 7 days

By purchasing, you accept our Privacy Policy, Cancellation Policy, Refund Policy and the EULA for rsk.mailbackup. Payment processing by Paddle.