CodaMail - Importing & Exporting Your Mail

Overview

CodaMail's webmail lets you download one message, a hand-picked group, or every message in a folder — in any of three industry-standard formats. You can just as easily import messages saved from another mail client or another mail provider directly back into any folder.

📦 Open, Portable Formats

Downloads use plain RFC 822 message files (.eml), Unix mailbox files (.mbox), or zipped Maildir trees (.maildir). Every major mail client — Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Outlook, mutt, K-9, and others — can read at least one of these.

Downloading Messages

The webmail interface lets you select messages from the message list and download them through the message toolbar's more actions menu.

Step-by-step:

Click the folder you want to download from in the folder list on the left (Inbox, Sent, an archive folder, etc.).
At the top of the message list, click the cursor-arrow icon in the toolbar above the message list. This opens the selection menu.
Pick how you want to select messages:
- Selection — turns on a checkbox next to every message so you can hand-pick them
- All (★) — selects every message in the folder, across all pages
- Current page — selects only the messages visible on the current page
- Unread, Flagged, Invert, None — quick filters
If you chose Selection, tick the checkboxes for the messages you want.
In the upper-right of the message toolbar, click the … (more) icon to open the actions menu.
Click Download.

Tip: If you're downloading just one message, you can also open the message first and then use … → Download from the same menu inside the message view.

Choosing a Format

If you have more than one message selected, CodaMail asks you which format to use. Here's what each one is best for:

.eml

Each message is saved as a separate RFC 822 file. When several messages are selected, they are bundled into a single .zip archive.

One file per message — easy to share or attach individually
Opens in almost every mail client by double-clicking
Supported natively by Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Outlook, and many viewers

Best for: Saving a few specific messages, forwarding evidence, or attaching a message to a support ticket.

.mbox

All selected messages are concatenated into a single Unix mailbox file, separated by From lines.

Single, compact file no matter how many messages
The standard format for Thunderbird's local folders
Readable by mutt, Apple Mail (via import), Evolution, KMail, and most Unix tools

Best for: Whole-folder backups, importing into Thunderbird, or long-term archiving in a single file.

.maildir

A zipped Maildir directory tree where each message is its own file inside a structured folder.

One file per message inside a standard Maildir layout
Native format for Dovecot, Postfix, qmail, and many mail servers
Easy to script over with command-line tools

Best for: Server-to-server migrations, scripted processing, or restoring a folder back into a Dovecot-based server.

Importing Messages

You can pull messages back into CodaMail from any of the same formats. This is the easiest way to migrate from another mail provider, restore a backup, or move local Thunderbird folders into your account.

Step-by-step:

Click the destination folder in the folder list. Imported messages always go into the currently open folder, so pick (or create) the right one first.
In the upper-right of the message toolbar, click the … (more) icon.
Click Import messages.
In the dialog, click Browse (or drag-and-drop) and pick one or more files.
Click Import and wait for the confirmation. Large mbox files may take a moment.

Note: The Import messages entry only appears when you're looking at a folder. If you're inside an open message, return to the folder view first.

Supported Import Formats

.eml — one or many individual message files (you can select multiple at once)
.mbox — mailbox files from Thunderbird, mutt, or other clients; auto-split into individual messages
.msg and message/rfc822 — raw RFC 822 message files
.zip — archives containing any of the above formats; CodaMail extracts and imports them automatically

🔁 Round-trip Friendly

Anything you download from CodaMail can be imported back into CodaMail (or any standards-compliant mail server). A folder you save as .mbox today can be restored to that same folder — or any other folder — later.

📚 Common Use Cases

Personal Backups

Select a folder, choose All (★), and download as .mbox. Save the file to encrypted storage. Repeat per folder for a complete account snapshot.

Migrating from Another Provider

Export your old account to .mbox or .eml from your previous webmail or desktop client, then use Import messages to load them into the matching CodaMail folder. Create folders first to mirror your old structure.

Moving to a Desktop Client

Download your folders as .mbox and import them into Thunderbird's Local Folders. Your local copy stays available even when offline.

Saving a Single Important Message

Open the message, click … → Download, and you'll get a single .eml file you can store, forward as an attachment, or open later in any mail reader.

🔧 Troubleshooting

The Download Item Is Greyed Out

Make sure at least one message is selected. The Download command stays disabled until you've ticked a message or opened one.

I Don't See "Import Messages" in the Menu

The Import messages entry only appears when the folder view is active — not when you're reading an individual message. Click the folder name in the left-hand list to return to the folder view.

My Browser Blocked the Download

Some browsers prompt before allowing multiple files or large downloads. Check your browser's notification bar or download manager and approve the file when prompted.

Import Says "0 Messages Imported"

Confirm the file is one of the supported formats (.eml, .mbox, .msg, or a .zip containing those). Plain text files that aren't actual mail messages will be skipped.

Where Did My Imported Messages Go?

They're placed in whichever folder was open when you started the import. If you imported into the wrong folder, just select the messages and use … → Move to to move them.