# Backup emails

When you remove a user, any emails from their personal account will disappear from your shared conversations, since the only copy lives in their connected account. To keep those emails, migrate them to another account that stays connected to Missive before removing the user.

Some teams create a dedicated archive account (like `archive@conferencebadge.com`) to own all preserved emails. Others migrate everything to the organization owner's personal email. Both work, though a dedicated archive account is better for larger organizations.

Missive automatically imports the migrated emails and links them to existing conversations - no duplicates.

{% hint style="info" %}
If you're also removing the user's email address from your email provider (like Google Workspace), set up a catch-all or alias first so new emails to that address keep flowing into Missive.
{% endhint %}

## IMAP

For any standard IMAP mail server (not Google Workspace or Office 365):

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Connect both accounts**

Connect both the departing user's account and the destination account to a traditional email client such as Apple Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Outlook.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Copy all emails**

Select all emails from the departing user's account and copy them to the destination account.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Confirm with Missive support**

Email support so the team can verify the import looks correct before you remove the user.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Google Workspace

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Open the Data Migration Service**

In the Google Workspace Admin console, go to **Data migration**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Migrate the emails**

Use the Data Migration Service to migrate emails from the departing user's account to another Google Workspace account that remains connected to Missive.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Confirm with Missive support**

Email support so the team can verify the import looks correct before you remove the user.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Office 365 / Outlook

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Export a PST file**

In Outlook for Windows, export all mail from the departing user's account to a PST file.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Import into the destination account**

Open Outlook connected to the destination account and import the PST file.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Confirm with Missive support**

Email support so the team can verify the import looks correct before you remove the user.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Next step

If the departing user also connected shared accounts (team inboxes, WhatsApp, SMS, social), transfer those too before removing the user. See [Transferring ownership](/docs/administration/security/removing-a-user/transferring-ownership.md). Otherwise, you can now remove the user from your organization.


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