How to Delete Email Accounts While Preserving Important Emails

Need to delete some email accounts but keep others? Before you delete anything, you need to save the messages you want to keep. Here’s how to do it safely.

The Important Thing to Know

Deleting an email account deletes everything in it. Once you remove a mailbox, all messages stored on the server are gone. There’s no recycle bin or recovery option. So if a mailbox contains emails you might need later, move or export them first.

Before You Delete Anything

1. Decide which accounts to keep and which to delete Make a clear list. This prevents accidental deletion.

2. For accounts with important messages: Move or copy those messages to another active mailbox before deleting the account. This is the critical step.

How to Save Your Messages

Option 1: Using IMAP Email Client

If you use Outlook, Apple Mail, or another IMAP email client:

1. Add both the source mailbox (the one you’re deleting) and the destination mailbox (the one you’re keeping) to your email client
2. Drag and drop the emails or folders from the old mailbox to the new one
3. The messages sync to the server automatically—you’re done

Option 2: Using Webmail

If you prefer webmail:

1. Export messages as EML files from the source mailbox
2. Import those EML files into a folder in your destination mailbox

Option 3: Get the Right Connection Settings

If you need to connect a mailbox to an email client to move messages, you’ll need the correct settings.

To find your connection settings:

1. Log into your hosting control panel
2. Go to Email Accounts
3. Select the mailbox and click Connect Devices
4. Copy the settings shown

Standard connection settings:

Username: [full email address]
Password: [mailbox password]
Incoming mail server: [mail server shown in control panel]
IMAP port: 993
POP3 port: 995
Outgoing mail server: [mail server shown in control panel]
SMTP port: 465
Authentication: required for IMAP, POP3 and SMTP

Use the exact server names and ports shown in your control panel—they may differ.

Now Delete the Account

Once you’ve moved or exported all the messages you need:

1. Go to Email Accounts in your hosting control panel
2. Select the mailbox you want to delete
3. Click Delete

Important: Email Clients May Sync

If you had the deleted mailbox connected to Outlook or another IMAP email client, that account may disappear from your email client as well once it syncs with the server. This is normal—the server is telling your client “this mailbox no longer exists.”

To keep messages on your computer, make sure they’re moved to the destination mailbox (which is still connected) before deleting the source.