How to Archive my Hosted IMAP Email to meet Quota

Question

How to Archive my Hosted IMAP Email to meet Quota

I am using Apple Mail on my MAC and iOS devices and have several domains hosted with a service provider that allows 10GB per email address. I am looking for an alternative domain host as I need CALDAV, and the renewal price is crazy.

My challenge is most hosts that meet my needs have an email quota of 2-3GB per email address. I also have WordPress sites and several other needs from my domain host in addition to email hosting.

I have tried archiving messages, but they stay in the quota as the archive folder is still under the IMAP. It also seems there is no automated way to archive other than setting up a rule in the Mail settings on MAC MAIL, which has limited attributes.

How do I archive emails on APPLE MAIL that reduce my IMAP size?
Is there any way I can move the emails to a Media Server, iCloud or another local device and still access them?
I have been told I should down load the emails I want to archive from my host using POP3. Does that make sense? How do I do that? Can I still access them in APPLE Mail and iOS Mail?

Any other ideas that I could consider? I would appreciate suggestions.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.4

Posted on Sep 3, 2024 8:46 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Sep 3, 2024 9:14 PM in response to Possibilities

Possibilities wrote:

.

…

1 How do I archive emails on APPLE MAIL that reduce my IMAP size?

Download the mail message to a folder / mailbox on the client, or move the message to a folder / mailbox on a different mail server, or extract or archive the mail message from the mail server as available.

The automatic download of arriving mail messages on the mail server to a folder / mailbox on the mail client can be automated using rules within macOS Mail, if that is preferable and appropriate.

As for archiving, here is how that works, and how to select where the archive folder / mailbox is located:

If you don’t want the mail archive folder / mailbox located on the mail server, select a folder / mailbox on the local mail client. probably on the local Mac.

2. Is there any way I can move the emails to a Media Server, iCloud or another local device and still access them?

See 1, above.

3. I have been told I should down load the emails I want to archive from my host using POP3. Does that make sense? How do I do that? Can I still access them in APPLE Mail and iOS Mail?

That’s a whole lot of completely unnecessary work. POP downloads every mail message to fastest the mail client, when there are multiple mail clients active. It’s really not what you want here. Even if you do want one winning mail client, that’s probably going to be the Mac, and mail rules let you sort where the arriving message gets stored on the Mac.

Any other ideas that I could consider? I would appreciate suggestions.

Stop listening to whoever suggested switching from IMAP to POP here? 🤭

Without intending offense, there seems some unfamiliarity or confusion with the functions and operation of mail, mail servers, mail clients, POP and IMAP and probably SMTP and ESMTP, and seemingly with servers more generally, too.

Reply

Answer 2

Sep 4, 2024 3:41 AM in response to MrHoffman

Hi,

Thank you for your information and suggestions. You are not offending me and I did not describe my issue well. I do understand the fundamental difference between different types of mail servers (not in full technical complexities).

I was trying to understand the best way to reduce my different IMAP email addresses to a manageable size, e.g., less than 2GB, and was looking at the Archive feature on APPLE MAIL. I want to keep my emails but do not need real-time access to all of them. Thank you for the link to the mailbox behaviors.

My real issue relates to finding a new domain host that fits all of needs and is not a crazy price/

Thanks for your help.

Reply