How to restore emails onto IMAP server from TimeMachine backup?

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Level 1

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How to restore emails onto IMAP server from TimeMachine backup?

I have 2021 iMac M1 with Ventura with external hard drive TimeMachine making hourly backups. I use Apple Mail app which connects to IMAP server hosted by ionos.

By accident, I deleted entire contents of email Inbox from IMAP server(I have already looked for deleted messages on the server and they are not all there). I have backups of Apple Mail app on TimeMachine and know how to restore from TimeMachine onto iMac - so far so good.

What I need to know is how to restore onto server from iMac please.

thank you

Posted on Sep 9, 2023 7:37 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

MartinR

Level 6

19,333 points

Sep 9, 2023 3:15 PM in response to DsonApr55

First step should be to contact IONOS to see if they can restore your emails on the server. They have their own backups and it may be far easier for them to recover your emails than doing it yourself by digging into TM.

Regarding a restore from your Mac, if you have continued using Mail since your unfortunate deletions on the IMAP server, restoring your Mail folder directly from TM may not be a good idea, as you would overwrite any new messages that you sent or received in the interim (as well as any other changes you may have made in Mail).

While I do have a few ideas, they may or may not work, and I think it's best if you contact IONOS first.

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Answer 2

DsonApr55 Author

Level 1

5 points

Sep 15, 2023 9:10 AM in response to MartinR

Hi Martin

Thank you for your expertise and useful suggestion. Following your advice I did not use TM. I contacted IONOS several times and also spent 5 or 6 hours on the phone to Apple support. We found that the 'missing' messages had been moved into another one of my inboxes and it should have been a straight forward job to move them back to their proper place - this worked on iMac. But we found that my iPhone & iPad would not handle more than 3000 messages (apple support denied/were unaware of this limit) moving at one time. Therefore I had to split up the move into 20 blocks which took much time. I explain this in case anyone else comes across similar problem again.

Thanks again

C

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How to restore emails onto IMAP server from TimeMachine backup?

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