Archiving Emails to Local Folder in MacMail

Overview

This article will step you through configuring MacMail IMAP Account to view emails when Offline (No Internet Connection) and archive old emails.

This can be useful when needing to reduce the storage usage of your hosted email account, as this will move emails from the Mailbox on the Server and Archive/Move locally onto your computer.

Instructions

1. First a Local Folder (Mailbox) needs to be created on your Mac in MacMail.
   In the MacMail top Nav, Click on Mailbox > New Mailbox.
   
2. Next for Location, click on the drop down and select On My Mac
   
   
   Enter Name for the Local Folder (Mailbox) e.g Local Archive
   
3. Under the section On My Mac , you should now see the Newly created Local Folder e.g. Local Archive
   
4. You can create subfolders under the Newly created Local Folder for organisation.
   Right click on the Newly created Local Folder > New Mailbox
   
   Location will automatically be selected to be your Local Folder > Enter Name of Subfolder > Ok.
   
   Subfolder created in correct location under Local Folder on Mac.
   
5. Next to move Emails to be archived in Local Folder on Mac.
   In this instance a Local subfolder Covid (1) was created to move emails from the Covid (2) folder from the Mailbox on the Server
   
6. To move Emails it is easy as selecting the Emails and drag and drop into the desired Local Folders.
   Emails have now moved from the Mailbox into the respective Local Folder.
   
   
   

 As archived emails are moved and stored locally on your Mac – this means that if your Mac computer or hard drive fails, the archived emails will also be lost in the process.
For this reason ensure you keep recent backup’s of your Archived Emails stored On My Mac