Moving existing Webmail (IMAP) emails to Exchange Online

Overview

Faculty and staff email moved to Exchange Online in 2022.  Effective early March 2023, student email moved to Exchange Online.  For those wanting to move emails from Webmail (IMAP), access to Webmail (IMAP) email will be available until the end of the Spring 2023 semester.  Reminder announcements will be posted prior to this date.  This allows time to move email from Webmail (IMAP) to Exchange Online.

Procedures 

1. Fowarding:

• With the ease of access and 100gb quota, forwarding is disabled for Exchange Online:
  • https://itssc.rpi.edu/hc/en-us/articles/6812929938317-Forwarding-email-rules-are-disabled
  • Security is handled with Duo multi-factor authentication so connection to the RPI network, either via hard-wire or WiFi rpi_wpa2 if on-campus or VPN if off-campus is NOT required to access your email.
  • Email is easily configured on various email clients and mobile devices
    https://itssc.rpi.edu/hc/en-us/sections/7179233718797-Exchange-Online
  • Web interface is robust: https://outlook.office.com

2.  Change to Exchange Online:

• If you only want to access your email from a web browser you would begin to access your email at:
  https://outlook.office.com
• If you want to configure your email client there are several articles depending on which email client you are using: https://itssc.rpi.edu/hc/en-us/sections/7179233718797-Exchange-Online

3. Moving existing email from Webmail (IMAP) to Exchange Online:

• In order to move your existing email, you need to configure an email client with both your IMAP and your Exchange online accounts.   
• The most common email clients include Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, Mac mail, Thunderbird.
• Once these two accounts are configured, the easiest method is to drag and drop emails from IMAP to Exchange.
• Once your email is moved, all email will now be available in your Exchange Online no matter what device or method you access it from.  You can remove your IMAP account from the email client.  You can continue to use the email client for Exchange Online and/or just use the browser: https://outlook.office.com

  4.  Moving emails using Outlook for Windows (reference 5 below for links to other email clients:

• If you do not have Outlook installed:  https://itssc.rpi.edu/hc/en-us/articles/360009791772-Microsoft-Office-Suite-Application-Installation-instructions
• Since Outlook for Windows does not allow you to configure two email accounts with the same address, you need to add the email accounts without having Outlook open:
  • Go to Windows search bar - type in "Control Panel" - go to "Mail - "Email Accounts" - "New"
  • First configure Exchange if you do not have it configured already - should be prompted to enter your RPI email address - RCS password - Duo prompt
    https://itssc.rpi.edu/hc/en-us/articles/7181126826637-Outlook-365-Windows-OS
  • Configure your Webmail (IMAP): 
    
    • NOTE:  This requires being connected to the RPI network - either hard-wire or RPI WiFi if on-campus or VPN if off-campus 
    • Windows search bar - type Control Panel - click on Mail - click Email Accounts - click New - choose manual configuration and followig the steps in the below article:
      https://itssc.rpi.edu/hc/en-us/articles/360009068091-IMAP-Client-Configuration
  • Open Outlook for Windows
  • To move email, the easier method is dragging and dropping emails from IMAP to Exchange Online for Inbox, each folder and Sent.  If you have folders under your Inbox in webmail, you need to first create a new empty folder under your Inbox in Exchange Online.
  • Exporting/Importing:  in lieu of dragging and dropping, you can then export your Webmail (IMAP) email to a file and Import that file to Exchange 
    • • The export/import option varies depending on which email client you are using.   
        • These links are for the most common email client Outlook: 
          • Export from Webmail (IMAP):  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/export-or-backup-email-contacts-and-calendar-to-an-outlook-pst-file-14252b52-3075-4e9b-be4e-ff9ef1068f91
          • Import to Exchange Online:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/import-email-contacts-and-calendar-from-an-outlook-pst-file-431a8e9a-f99f-4d5f-ae48-ded54b3440ac
      • You will have time to migrate existing emails to Exchange Online, but the Webmail (IMAP) email server is set to be decommissioned shortly after the end of Spring 2023 semester

5.  Please visit these sections for configuring other email clients:

https://itssc.rpi.edu/hc/en-us/sections/7179233718797-Exchange-Online

https://itssc.rpi.edu/hc/en-us/sections/360001759052-Webmail-Roundcube-IMAP-Student-Email

Get Help:

If you need assistance with any of the above, please do not hesitate to submit a Support Request.  

References

None other at this time.

Last Reviewed:  08-Mar-2023