How to Backup Open-Xchange Mail Server Email, Contacts, Calendars to Several Formats & Email Services ?
You can back up Open-Xchange emails, contacts, and calendars to PST, MBOX, EML, or other formats using the Turgs Email Backup Tool. It connects to your Open-Xchange server via IMAP, loads all mailboxes, and saves everything to your chosen format or destination. The tool runs on Windows and completes most backups in under an hour.
Open-Xchange (OX) is a popular open-source email and groupware server used by hosting providers and enterprises worldwide. If you’re migrating off Open-Xchange, switching hosting providers, or just want a local backup of your email data, you need a tool that connects to OX over IMAP and exports your data to a portable format.
The Turgs Email Backup Tool handles this directly. It reads your Open-Xchange mailboxes and exports everything to PST, MBOX, EML, Exchange, or other supported formats. You don’t need access to the OX server backend or database. Standard IMAP credentials are enough.
Why Back Up Open-Xchange Data?
Open-Xchange is widely used in shared hosting environments where control over backups is limited. Here are the most common reasons organizations back up OX data:
- Migrating from an Open-Xchange hosting plan to Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or on-premises Exchange
- Creating a local archive before closing an OX account or switching hosting providers
- Compliance requirements that mandate keeping copies of business email for 3 to 7 years
- Protecting against accidental deletion or server outages with an off-server backup copy
Open-Xchange doesn’t offer a one-click “export all data” feature. You need IMAP-based access and a tool that can export to formats your other clients understand.
Open-Xchange is especially common in European hosting markets where providers like IONOS, Strato, and web.de use it as their email backend. Many users don’t realize they’re on Open-Xchange until they try to migrate and discover standard PST import tools don’t work with their provider. The IMAP-based approach used by this tool works regardless of the underlying platform.
Open-Xchange Backup Tool Overview
The Turgs Email Backup Tool connects to Open-Xchange via IMAP using your standard login credentials. It loads all available mailboxes and lets you choose what to export and where to save it. The tool runs on Windows and supports all versions of Open-Xchange.
Supported output formats include PST (Outlook), MBOX (Thunderbird, Apple Mail), EML (individual email files), MSG, PDF, HTML, and direct migration to cloud services like Gmail, Office 365, and Exchange.
How to Backup Open-Xchange Emails Step by Step
Here’s the complete backup process:
Step 1: Download and launch the Email Backup Tool on your Windows PC.
Step 2: Enter your Open-Xchange server details. Select Open-Xchange as your source and enter your server hostname, port, and login credentials. The tool connects and loads your available mailboxes.
Step 3: Select the folders to back up. Choose individual folders or select all mailboxes. The tool displays your entire OX folder hierarchy for easy selection.
Step 4: Choose your output format. Select your desired saving format from the list. For Outlook users, choose PST. For Thunderbird or Apple Mail, choose MBOX. For a simple email archive, choose EML.
Step 5: Apply advanced filters if needed. Use date range, folder, or item type filters to export only what you need. This is useful for creating monthly or quarterly backup snapshots.
Step 6: Click Backup to start. The tool connects to your OX server and downloads emails, contacts, and calendars to the specified format. A progress bar tracks the process in real time.
When the backup completes, a success message appears. Your OX data is now saved locally in your chosen format.
Key Features
Backs up emails, contacts, and calendars. All three data types export in a single run without needing separate tools or passes.
Multiple output formats. Export to PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, or migrate directly to Gmail, Office 365, Exchange, or other IMAP services.
Date range and folder filters. Create targeted backups of specific time periods or folders without exporting your entire mailbox.
Preserves folder structure. Your OX folder hierarchy appears intact in the output format. Custom folders, subfolders, and nested structures all preserve during export.
Works with all Open-Xchange versions. The tool uses standard IMAP access, so it works with OX App Suite, OX Open-Xchange Server, and hosted OX environments at any version.
No data left behind. The tool checks message IDs before downloading to avoid duplicates if you run it multiple times. You can run incremental backups by date range to capture new emails without re-exporting your entire archive.
Limitations to Know
Limitations
- The tool runs on Windows only. Mac or Linux machines cannot run the backup software directly.
- IMAP must be enabled on your Open-Xchange server. Some OX hosting plans disable IMAP access. Check with your host before attempting a backup.
- Very large OX accounts (100,000+ emails) can take several hours to export. Plan backup windows accordingly.
- The free trial limits the number of emails exported per folder. A paid license is required for a complete backup.
- Direct migration to Gmail or Office 365 requires authentication with those services. Two-step verification on destination accounts may require app-specific passwords.
- Server-side OX database backups (direct database files) are not supported. The tool uses IMAP access only, which is limited to what IMAP exposes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Open-Xchange have a built-in export feature?
Open-Xchange has limited built-in export functionality. OX App Suite allows exporting individual contact folders as vCard or CSV, and calendar folders as ICS. For bulk email export or full account backup, you need a third-party tool with IMAP access.
Can I migrate from Open-Xchange directly to Microsoft 365?
Yes. The Turgs Email Backup Tool supports direct migration from Open-Xchange to Office 365 Exchange Online. Select Office 365 as your destination instead of a local file format and enter your Microsoft 365 admin credentials.
How do I find my Open-Xchange IMAP server settings?
Your IMAP settings are typically provided by your hosting provider. Common OX IMAP settings use port 993 with SSL. Check your hosting control panel or contact your provider if you’re unsure of the exact server address.
Will my Open-Xchange folder structure be preserved in the backup?
Yes. The tool recreates your OX folder hierarchy in the output format. All custom folders, shared folders you have access to, and nested folder structures appear intact in the backup.
How long does an Open-Xchange backup take?
A typical account with 10,000 to 20,000 emails backs up in 30 to 60 minutes on a standard broadband connection. Larger accounts or those with many large attachments will take longer.
Can I schedule automatic backups of Open-Xchange?
The tool doesn’t include a built-in scheduler. You can schedule it using Windows Task Scheduler to run the backup tool automatically at regular intervals if you need automated backup cycles.
