Zimbra Mail Backup: Best Methods to Protect Your Emails

Backup is one of the best ways to protect your precious emails from online threats, whether you are using a desktop or cloud-based platform. It is an expert-recommended solution to tackle unusual situations, such as accidental file deletion, server downtime, or antivirus attacks.

However, the task seems complex for some as no detailed processes or guides are available for them. No worries! The blog will walk you through the detailed procedure to backup Zimbra mail data to your desired location regardless of their type: Desktop or cloud/web versions.

Let’s start with the importance of the Zimbra mail backup process.

Why is Zimbra Mail backup important to you?

Although you know the importance of Zimbra mail backup, learning them in detail will provide a more precise and better understanding. Check out the following section for more information.

• Protects your important conversations, files, or attachments from unexpected crashes or system failures.
• Maintains your business continuity by saving your work progress regularly to prevent accidental deletions.
• Safeguards your precious email data from being lost or corrupted by malware, ransomware, or hacking.
• Helps to archive mailbox data for future references so that you can easily access them whenever it is needed.
• Keeping your email records will help you meet the legal and compliance requirements as per industry standards.
• Backup helps you migrate your important data during a system upgrade or migration toward different email platforms.

How to take Zimbra Mail backup using manual methods?

Zimbra Mail supports both web and desktop platforms for easy accessibility. Based on the suitability, users prefer either one of them or use both utilities simultaneously to manage their work. For your convenience, we have mentioned the detailed steps for both. So, follow the given steps carefully.

Zimbra Mail Backup from the web

Adhere to the following steps to backup Zimbra Mail from the web.

Step 1. Go to Zimbra.com and sign in with your account credentials.

Step 2. Go to Preferences and click on the Import/Export option.

Step 3. Tap on All folders to choose the specific mailbox folder.

Step 4. Select the required folder and click OK to continue further.

Step 5. Checkmarkl the Advanced settings option to choose between Data types and set a Date range. Then, add the Search filter if needed, check the Other options, and proceed to Export.

Step 6. It will start the downloading process of your selected mailboxes.

Step 7. Access the .tgz downloaded file from your local system and extract it to view its content.

Step 8. You get the EML files when the extraction is done.

Backup Zimbra Mail from desktop-based application

Here is the step-by-step process to backup your Zimbra Mail from a desktop-based application.

Step 1. Launch the Zimbra application and click on the Preferences option.

Step 2. Go to the Import/Export option and click All folders.

Step 3. Tap Folders to backup the entire mailbox data and proceed to OK.

Note: You can also select a specific folder to backup your data by clicking on it.

Step 4. Check Advanced settings to get the filter options. Then, choose the required Data types and set the applicable Date range. Use the Search filter if required, check the Other option, and click Export.

Step 5. Choose the option as per your convenience and tap on OK.

Step 6. Select the desired saving location and click Save.

Step 7. Your mailbox data is successfully backed up.

What is the best way to organize Zimbra Mail Backup Data?

The native solution allows you to back up Zimbra Mail in EML format, but managing and organizing mailbox data with this format can be quite complex. Besides, it is not considered as the best format to backup or archive your mailbox data for an extended period.

So, the question here is – What options do you have?

Considering the above situation, the best option is to keep your mailbox data in another format. For this, you can opt for professional tools like Recoveryfix EML to PST to make the conversion process easier. The EML to PST software gives you the flexibility to save your mailbox in eight different formats, including PST, PDF, DOC, and many others, for easy accessibility to multiple applications. Moreover, the software also helps you to open EML files in Gmail.
Let’s explore the step-by-step process of how to perform EML file conversion using this versatile utility.

Step 1. Download the software from the official website.

Step 2. Install and launch the software to begin the execution process.

Step 3. Click on + icon to add your EML files to the software.

Step 4. Tap on Set Filter and Migrate once all the selected files are displayed on the screen.

Step 5. Choose the necessary filters if needed and click Start Migration.

Step 6. Select PST as an output type and check Enable failed item conversion logs. Then, Browse to provide the saving location and proceed to OK.

Step 7. A pop-up message will notify you when all the files are converted successfully. Click OK to end the process.

The Final Takeaway

Backing up your Zimbra Mail will help you safeguard your precious data from unusual situations. So, here we have mentioned the complete steps on how to take backup of Zimbra mail server using native solutions. Its step-by-step illustration will assist you in performing the Zimbra Mail backup process by yourself.
Besides that, you can utilize the recommended solution to organize and manage the backed-up data more systematically.

Before You Ask, Read This!

How do I use Zimbra backup mailbox command line?
You can backup a Zimbra mailbox using the zmmailbox command-line tool. It allows you to export emails, contacts, and calendars efficiently. Visit the Zimbra documentation to learn the exact syntax and detailed steps for the process.

Q1- What is the Zimbra backup and restore script, and how does it work?
Ans- A Zimbra backup & restore script automates the backup process and makes it easier to schedule, store, and recover mailboxes. It helps minimize downtime and data loss during migrations or server failures.

Q2- How can I perform a Zimbra backup restore to new server?
Ans- To restore Zimbra backups to a new server, you need to transfer backup files after installing the Zimbra desktop and then use recovery commands like zmrestore. Also, make sure that the configurations match the original setup for a smooth migration process.

Q3- What is Zmmailbox backup, and how do I use it?
Ans- Zmmailbox backup is a built-in Zimbra tool that allows users to export and restore mailbox data, including emails, calendars, and contacts, with the help of command-line operations.

Q4- How do I perform Zimbra open source mail server backup?
Ans- You can use zmbackup or custom scripts for the full and incremental backup process. Regular backups of your mailboxes will help you protect data from corruption, accidental deletions, or server crashes.