This article explains how to import an email backup you created at your old hosting provider into your DreamHost mail server. You must have your email messages backed up before proceeding with this article. View the following article for instructions:

• How to backup your email

These emails may also need to end with the extension .eml in order for your mail client to recognize them. If that's the case with the client you have chosen, view the following article for instructions on how to add this extension.

• How to add the .eml extension to email files

Another option is that you could drag and drop email from your old account to your DreamHost account. View the following article for this alternative option to transfer email:

• Copying your old host's email to your DreamHost email account

If you’d like to import your backed up emails to a new host, the details below provide you with instructions.

The process for importing emails to your DreamHost mail server is done through an IMAP connection instead of a POP connection. You must use a third-party mail program for this process as well. The process is as simple as dragging-and-dropping the mail files from your home computer folder to the inbox for the email address connected via IMAP.

The following steps explain how to upload the messages to your mail server:

1. Add your email address (or addresses) to the DreamHost panel.
2. Set up your mail program with the email address you wish to upload the backups to.

   Thunderbird is a free mail program you can download to use for this process.

3. Set up your email account as an IMAP user. You can refer to the following article for the mail program configurations and port settings for this setup:
   • Email Client Configuration
4. Now that the user is set up as an IMAP user, open up the folder you moved the backed up messages to (on your home computer) and drag-and-drop the emails you backed up at your old hosting provider into mail client. This uploads the messages to your mail server.

   It is a good idea to open up the Webmail interface for your email address to ensure that the messages you moved to the inbox through your mail program show up in Webmail as well. This will confirm that the messages were properly uploaded to your server.

Once you’ve completed this process, all of your backed up mail will be stored on DreamHost's mail servers. You won’t need the backed up messages now that you’ve completed this. You can keep it for personal backups on your local computer if you wish in case there are important emails you may want to save offline.

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