Call for testers: new IMAP email-backup feature in Minarca Client (beta 6.2.0b4)
Patrik Dufresne
Hello everyone,
I’ve been working on a new feature to better integrate backup and archiving of email into Minarca Client. In many businesses, email contains vital information that simply can’t be lost. To address this, I’m introducing a built‑in mailbox backup command in the client, and I’d love your help testing it before the next release.
Beta download: https://minarca.org/beta
Version: 6.2.0b4
What’s new
- A command‑line tool:
minarca imap-backup - Backs up your mailbox locally as EML files
- Preserves the folder structure
- Filenames are:
<id>-<date>-<from>-<subject>.eml
How to use
- Google accounts (Gmail + Google Workspace):
minarca imap-backup --auth google --username acc...@example.com
- Personal Microsoft (Outlook/Hotmail):
minarca imap-backup --auth outlook --username acc...@hotmail.com
- Professional Microsoft 365 (Office 365):
minarca imap-backup --auth microsoft365 --username acc...@example.com
- Plain IMAP (basic auth):
minarca imap-backup --server imap.example.com --username acc...@example.com --password changeme
When you run the command, the backup should start immediately and download each message in .eml format, preserving folders and using the filename pattern above.
What I’d like help testing
- Different providers and account types (personal vs. business)
- Large mailboxes and deep folder hierarchies
- Labels/folders with special characters or non‑ASCII names
- Attachments of various sizes and types
- Network interruptions or re‑runs after partial backups
- OAuth flows (Google/Microsoft) with 2FA enabled
Notes and current caveats
- First run may take a while on large mailboxes.
- Providers may throttle or rate‑limit heavy access; please let me know if you hit limits.
- This is a beta; errors and rough edges are expected—logs are very helpful.
How to report results/issues
Please reply to this thread with:
- OS and version
- Minarca Client version (6.2.0b4)
- Email provider/account type
- Command used (with credentials redacted)
- Approximate mailbox size (# of messages)
- Any errors and a relevant log excerpt
Thank you in advance for testing and for any feedback or suggestions. Your input will help make email backup in Minarca reliable and ready for production in the next release.
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