How to Backup Emails from cPanel Webmail

Warning: Horde Webmail was removed from cPanel in version 108 (released late 2022) because the upstream Horde project is no longer maintained. If you are on a current InMotion Hosting plan running cPanel 108 or later, Horde does not appear in your interface. The steps in the legacy section at the bottom of this article apply only to servers still running cPanel 106 or earlier. If you are on a current server, use the Roundcube, IMAP, or File Manager methods described below.

Your email is on a server, and you need a local copy, whether to protect against accidental deletion, migrate to a new provider, or archive a project inbox.

This guide covers three methods that work on current InMotion Hosting plans: downloading messages from Roundcube webmail, syncing your full mailbox to a desktop client such as Thunderbird via IMAP, and downloading raw mail files through cPanel File Manager.

A legacy section at the end preserves the original Horde export steps for accounts still on cPanel 106 or earlier.

Prerequisites

• An active InMotion Hosting account with at least one email address configured.
• Your email account username and password.
• For the Roundcube method: access to cPanel webmail at https://webmail.yourdomain.com (replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain).
• For the IMAP method: Thunderbird installed on your computer. See the Thunderbird download page if you do not have it.

Method 1: Download Emails from Roundcube Webmail

Roundcube is the webmail client bundled with current cPanel versions. Its built-in downloader saves individual messages as .eml files, which most email clients (Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Outlook, and others) can open or import directly. This method works well for saving specific messages. If you need to back up an entire mailbox with all folders, Method 2 (Thunderbird IMAP sync) or Method 3 (File Manager download) is more practical.

1. Log in to cPanel. See How to Log in to cPanel if you need help.
2. In the Email section, click Email Accounts.
3. Find the address you want to back up and click Check Email to open Roundcube webmail.
4. In the left panel, click the folder you want to export (for example, Inbox).
5. Select the message you want to download by clicking it in the message list.
6. In the message list toolbar, click More, then click Download (.eml). Roundcube saves the message as an .eml file to your computer.
7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 for each message you need to save.

Tip: Downloading messages one at a time is practical for saving a few important emails. To back up an entire mailbox, use Method 2 (Thunderbird IMAP sync) or Method 3 (File Manager) instead.

Method 2: Back Up Emails via IMAP Sync with Thunderbird

An IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) connection downloads a full local copy of your mailbox. Once Thunderbird syncs, every message is stored on your computer, and you can back up the Thunderbird profile folder. This method is the most complete option because it captures all folders, flags, and metadata in one pass.

Step 1: Add your email account to Thunderbird

1. Open Thunderbird. If this is your first account, the account setup wizard opens automatically. If you already have accounts set up, click the three-line menu icon, select New Account, then click Existing Email.
2. Enter your name, email address (for example, [email protected]), and email password, then click Continue.
3. Thunderbird will attempt auto-configuration. When it detects server settings, confirm the protocol is set to IMAP (not POP3). IMAP keeps folders in sync; POP3 only downloads the inbox and may delete messages from the server.
4. Click Done. Thunderbird begins syncing your mailbox. The time this takes depends on how many messages you have.

Note: If auto-configuration fails, enter your incoming mail server as mail.yourdomain.com, port 993, SSL/TLS. Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain. See Finding Your Email Settings in cPanel or Webmail for the full settings list.

Step 2: Locate and archive the Thunderbird profile folder

Thunderbird stores all downloaded messages in a profile folder on your computer. Copying this folder creates a complete, restorable backup.

1. In Thunderbird, click the three-line menu icon, select Help, then click Troubleshooting Information.
2. Under Application Basics, locate the Profile Folder row, then click Open Folder. Your file manager opens to the profile directory.
3. Go up one level so you can see the profile folder itself (not its contents), then copy the entire folder to your backup destination (an external drive, a cloud storage folder, or another disk).

Method 3: Download Raw Mail Files via cPanel File Manager (Advanced)

Every email on an InMotion Hosting account is stored in the Maildir format under your home directory at /home/<cpanel-username>/mail/. Downloading this directory gives you the raw message files, which any mail client that supports Maildir or mbox import can read. Use this method when you need to back up an account that you cannot access through webmail.

1. Log in to cPanel and open File Manager in the Files section.
2. In the left panel, navigate to your home directory (the top level, typically labeled with your cPanel username).
3. Locate the mail folder. Inside it you will find one subfolder per domain, and within that, one subfolder per email address.
4. Right-click the mail folder (or the specific address subfolder) and click Compress. Choose Zip Archive and click Compress File(s).
5. When compression finishes, select the resulting .zip file and click Download in the toolbar.

Important: The mail folder can be large. If your inbox holds several gigabytes of messages, the compression step may time out in File Manager. In that case, use SFTP to download the folder directly. See SFTP Setup Guide for Shared Hosting for setup instructions.

Troubleshooting

Roundcube does not show a Download option

The Download (.eml) option only appears when a message is selected. Make sure you have clicked a message in the message list before clicking More.

Thunderbird cannot connect to the mail server

Confirm that your incoming mail server hostname is mail.yourdomain.com (replace with your domain) and that port 993 with SSL/TLS is selected. See Finding Your Email Settings in cPanel or Webmail for verified server settings.

File Manager compression times out on large mailboxes

cPanel File Manager has a processing time limit that can be reached when compressing large mail directories. Switch to SFTP and download the /home/<cpanel-username>/mail/ directory directly to your computer. See SFTP Setup Guide for Shared Hosting for setup instructions.

Legacy: Exporting Email with Horde (cPanel 106 and Earlier Only)

Warning: The steps in this section apply only to servers running cPanel 106 or earlier. Horde was removed from cPanel in version 108 and is not available on current InMotion Hosting plans. If you are unsure which cPanel version your server runs, check your cPanel dashboard. If you see version 108 or higher, skip this section and use Method 1, Method 2, or Method 3 above.

On servers running cPanel 106 or earlier, Horde Webmail includes a built-in export that saves messages as an MBOX file.

1. Log in to cPanel webmail and select Horde as your webmail client.
2. Right-click the Inbox folder in the left panel and click Export. Repeat this step for each folder you want to export (Drafts, Sent, and any custom subfolders).
3. Choose MBOX for a standard mail archive, or MBOX (ZIP compressed) to reduce file size, then click OK.
4. Save the downloaded file to your computer.

Conclusion

You now have at least one local copy of your email, whether as individual .eml files from Roundcube, a synced Thunderbird profile, or a raw Maildir archive from your server. For ongoing protection, run one of these methods regularly rather than only before a migration. To set up a new email address or adjust your mailbox storage quota, see How to Create an Email Account in cPanel.