The Email Backup feature automatically creates a daily backup of your mailbox, ensuring your important business emails and attachments stay protected at all times. Even if emails are accidentally deleted, permanently deleted, lost during migration, or removed during cleanup activities, you can restore them on demand whenever needed. This provides continuous protection and reliable access to your critical communications.
Here’s a quick video walkthrough on how to use Neo’s Email Backup.
- Why You Need Email Backup
- How Email Backup Works
- Who can enable Email Backup
- How to Enable or Disable Email Backup
- Daily Backup
- Backup Now
- How to Navigate Between Backup Versions
- How to Search for an Email in a Backup?
- Restore Backup
- Backup Coverage, Storage Rules & System Limitations
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Note: Email Backup settings are visible only to admin accounts. If you don’t see the Backup option, please ensure your mailbox has admin access, Learn More here |
Why You Need Email Backup
Email data can be lost due to accidental deletion, mailbox corruption, migration issues, or security incidents. Email Backup provides:
- Continuous protection for all emails
- Easy restoration in case of accidental loss
- Secure email data retention
- Ability to restore or backup emails when needed
- Peace of mind knowing your data is backed up daily
How Email Backup works
- A daily backup of the mailbox is created automatically.
- Each backup version contains all email messages in the account at the time of backup.
- Users can preview backup versions, search through them, restore emails, or backup them (admin only).
Who can enable Email Backup?
Only Admins have permission to enable or disable Email Backup for any user.
Non-admin users cannot enable or disable Email Backup. They can only access backup options if the Admin has already enabled the feature for them.
How to enable or disable Email Backup
Go to the Email Backup section.
Look for the Backup Status column.
Find the email address you want to manage.
Use the toggle next to the email address to enable or disable the backup.
The status will update instantly once the toggle is changed.
Daily Backup
When Email Backup is enabled, the system automatically creates a new backup version every day at a predetermined time. Each daily backup captures all emails in the mailbox at that point in time, ensuring you always have a recent copy of your data.
Backup Now
Backup Now is helpful when you are about to make significant changes to your mailbox such as deleting large folders, migrating to a new email client, or performing cleanup activities and you want to ensure you have the latest copy of all emails safely backed up before proceeding.
You can take an on-demand backup using the Backup Now option.
To run a manual backup:
Go to the list of email addresses.
On the right side of the desired account, click View.
In the top-right corner, click Backup Now to create an immediate backup.
Use Case Example:
If you’re about to perform a major mailbox cleanup, migrate to another email client, or delete large folders, taking a manual backup ensures you have the latest, most up-to-date copy of all your emails before making any changes.
How to Navigate Between Backup Versions?
To open a backup version, click View next to the user in the Email Backup section.
This will display a list of all available backup versions for that mailbox.
You can scroll through the list to browse older or newer backup versions and select the one you want to preview or work with.
How to Search for an Email in a Backup?
You can search through any backup version to quickly locate specific emails.
To open a backup version, click “View” next to the user in the Email Backup section., then click View next to the backup version you want to open. This will load that specific backup for preview.
To search within a backup:
Click inside the Search field at the top.
A dropdown will appear with three options: From, To, and Subject.
Enter an email address, domain, or keyword in any of the fields.
Click Search to view the results.
Restore Backup
When you choose to restore, all emails from the latest Backup Version will be restored unless you have applied search filters.
Why choose a specific restoration method?
Different restore options are provided to help you recover only what you need without disrupting your existing mailbox:
If only a few emails are missing, and you want them placed back into their original folders without affecting current emails, use Add to Original Folders.
If you need to restore an entire backup version, or want to keep restored emails separate for review, choose Restore to a Separate Folder.
Restore Options
1. Add to Original Folders
Use this if you want to seamlessly recover missing messages without creating duplicates or overwriting existing emails.
Restores emails back to the folders where they originally existed.
Only missing emails are added. Emails already present in your mailbox are not modified.
Use Case Example:
You deleted a few emails last week and only need those specific messages restored to their original folders, without altering the rest of your mailbox.
2. Restore to a Separate Folder
Use this if you want to restore a large number of emails or an entire backup version without mixing them into your current mailbox structure.
Restores all selected emails into a new folder created in your mailbox.
The folder is automatically named with the restore date, such as:
“Restored Emails 18-11-25”
Use Case Example:
You want to review an older backup before merging it into your mailbox, or you're recovering emails after a major cleanup/loss and want everything grouped in one place.
Backup Coverage, Storage Rules & System Limitations
Does Backup Count Toward My Mailbox Storage?
No. Backup storage is completely separate from your mailbox quota.
However: Restoring emails back into your mailbox does consume mailbox storage. If your mailbox is full, restore may fail—free up space and try again.
Restore Behavior (Read/Unread, Duplicates, Timestamps)
When restoring emails:
Original timestamps are always preserved.
Restored emails are marked as unread.
Existing emails are never overwritten.
Attachments and formatting remain intact.
What Is Included in a Backup?
A backup includes:
All emails
All attachments
All folders (Inbox, Sent, and custom folders)
Trash & Spam (if they existed at the time of backup)
What Is NOT Included?
Contacts
Calendar
Rules, filters, signatures, or settings
Drafts
When Are Backups Created? (Timing & Timezone)
Backups run once every 24 hours at a system-defined time based on your region.
This schedule cannot currently be changed.
Performance & Limits
Small restores: Instant
Large restores: May take a few minutes depending on mailbox size
No limit on the number of backup versions
Processing time varies based on mailbox size
Need Help?
If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out to our customer support team at hello@neo.space We’re here to help.