Upload Local Emails to IMAP Server
 

I have now over 7GB of email (compacted) in Thunderbird. It was all fetched via POP3 and so the only copy of these emails is on my PC. Of course I backup the files etc.

What I have been thinking now, however, is that it would be ideal to use IMAP and keep the emails on the server also so that if my disk dies, I wouldn't lose anything. But I would like to upload all of my existing emails, including their file structure, into that IMAP account.

Tbird is supposed to have a feature whereby one can "move" emails from a local store to an IMAP inbox but I don't know about entire folders. Also my Sent folder is actually one my vital items--I very often review emails I sent to my clients there, to refresh my memory or for whatever reason. I would like those, as well as my Trash, online also.

Is this even possible or feasible? Am I just being stupid? It is 7GB we are talking about. Perhaps I should just forget about the upload and proceed to keep emails from today forward in IMAP on the server. Not sure how it works to re-create the folders that I have locally online, since they already exist here....

Any ideas are appreciated. :)

all that you're doing is possible and strategically correct. one thought: is the IMAP server on your LAN? if not, you might consider putting one up temporarily, using thunderbird to sync the local server, and then use linux tools (rsync, tar, bzip2, etc) to transfer the mail store to the remove server.

No LAN, but thanks for the reply.