Moving to a new email service does not have to be complicated. You can back up and move your email using any desktop email client such as Outlook, Thunderbird, Evolution, or Apple Mail on macOS. The entire process comes down to connecting both accounts and moving your folders.
Step 1: Connect Both Email Accounts
Open your preferred desktop email client and add both the old and new email accounts.
In Outlook, go to File then Add Account
In Thunderbird, go to Settings then Add Account
In Evolution, go to Preferences then Mail Accounts then Add
In Apple Mail, go to Mail then Add Account
Make sure you use IMAP for both accounts so your folders and messages stay synced properly.
Step 2: Copy or Move Your Email
Once both accounts appear in your client, you can simply move your messages.
Expand both account folders in the sidebar.
Select the folders or messages you want to keep.
Drag them from your old account into either
Local Folders (for a backup on your computer)
Your new account (to upload everything into the new service)
This process copies your messages from the old server to the new one. Larger accounts may take time to finish syncing, so let it complete before closing your email client.
Step 3: Verify and Clean Up
When syncing is complete, check your new account to make sure all folders and messages appear correctly.
If you backed up to local folders, you now have a safe offline copy of your entire mailbox.
You can now remove the old account if you wish or keep it as an archive.
Simple Tips
Let your client stay open until syncing is done
Avoid moving too many large attachments at once
Create a backup copy of your local folders if you plan to delete the old account
Final Thoughts
That is all it takes. Connect both accounts, move your folders, and your email is safely backed up or transferred to your new service. It works exactly the same way in Outlook, Thunderbird, Evolution, and Apple Mail.
With just a few clicks, your messages are secure, organized, and ready for use anywhere.