Export Emails from Virgin Media and Backup Data Safely
Some people in the UK and surrounding islands express a need to export emails from Virgin Media Mail. They might be switching services, or want to keep an offline record of all transactions done while they were a subscriber.
However, it has been almost a decade since the official announcement from Virgin Media, where they stated that
“If your mailbox isn’t accessed within a 90-day period, we may suspend access to your mailbox without prior notice. If we do this, your mailbox will remain suspended for 60 days.”
So many users may be unable to access the emails from their official Webmail accounts.
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Moreover, the usage of Virgin Media Mail was reduced to such a level that from 2022 onwards, no new accounts received an official mail address.
That being said, all current account holders need not worry, as in this writeup we underline some tactics that can help you secure a copy of Virgin email conversations. Let’s start by discussing the reasons first.
Why Do So Many Users Want to Export Emails from Virgin Media?
For that, there is a bit of background on how Virgin Media acquired such a large consumer base.
Before the formation of Virgin Media Group, two entities dominated the consumer internet market in the United Kingdom. They were Telewest and NLT, the former used the Beyonder subbrand to provide internet accessible email accounts, while NLT accounts were available under the same name.
In 2006, both of these brands merged and a year later, the merged entity was acquired by the Virgin Media Group. As a result, a single operator has become the sole provider of the domains @ntlworld.com, @blueyonder.co.uk, and @virgin.net.
After that, they stopped issuing the old domains and began giving the @virginmedia.com domain to new subscribers.
Since then, all official communication (regarding bills or subscription updates) between Virgin Media and consumers has been conducted via the same email.
However, slowly, with the advent of better email services, like Gmail, Outlook, etc., usage of Virgin Media declined. Combine that with outages and hacking events to trigger a bulk exodus of people out of the email service.
How to Save Emails from Virgin Media via Other Email Clients?
Virgin Media recommends that you use external email clients such as Outlook or Thunderbird to connect the email address. If you do not use a desktop-based client, then you can connect your functioning Virgin Media account to the email client and continue from there. However, there are some minor differences between the export steps and the file format you receive. So go through the instructions for each of the email clients carefully.
Use Classic Outlook and Export Emails from Virgin Media
- Open Outlook (2019, 2016, or 2013) > Go to File.
- Click on Open & Export > Select Import/Export.
- In the Import and Export Wizard, pick the Export to a File option.
- Choose the output format, either CSV or PST. The steps change according to the file format.
| For CSV | For PST |
| Select A Folder > Click Next. | Select a Folder (apply Filters) > Click Next. |
| Type a Path with a Name or Browse for a location and Press Next | Enter a Name or Browse for a location, choose an option, and Press Finish |
| Map Custom Fields or Continue with Default selection and Press Finish | If a password prompt appears, just click OK |
Users can use classic Outlook to back up Virgin Media emails in MSG format; all they have to do is select the emails.
- Ctrl + A (For All Mail)
- Shift + Cursor (For Bulk List)
- Ctrl + Cursor (For Custom Selection)
Then hold the cursor and move the selection to the desktop/folder where you want to keep them.
In the new Outlook, there is no export mechanic or download option. So users have to drag and drop the results one by one. Moreover, you get an alert every time you perform this task, and at the end, you get a .eml file. Note: If you select multiple emails, the drag-and-drop feature is disabled.
A workaround is to toggle the classic Outlook button and export via the earlier strategy. Be careful, as instead of going to Outlook Classic, you may end up in the Windows Mail app. Which does not allow even a single mail to drag and drop. It is about to be decommissioned soon.
How to Download all Emails from Virgin Media With Thunderbird?
Use this when you want the emails in MBOX format.
Step 1. Install Thunderbird and set up your Virgin Mail account as we did during the import AOL mail to Thunderbird process.
Step 2. Click on Tools > Add-ons > Search and install the ImportExportTools NG extension.
Step 3. Take your cursor to the email folder and right-click.
Step 4. From the context menu, pick ImportExportTools NG > Export folder > Export to MBOX file.
Step 5. Select a location and hit Save.
You can use Thunderbird for mass EML conversion as well.
Trigger Auto Forwarding as an Alternative
If your Virgin Media account is still active, you can send all emails to a better email service, like Gmail. To do that
- Login to https://mail.virginmedia.com/.
- Press “Settings Gear” in the top right corner.
- Press the “Email” button on the left-hand side
- The forward option should appear in the main window.
- Set your destination email email
However, sometimes Virgin Mail may not behave properly. This is similar to the problem where Zoho mail not forwarding to the Gmail domain.
Professional Solution to End Email Backup Woes
If you are looking to export emails from a Virgin Media account, there is no better way than the SysTools IMAP Backup tool. You can back up incrementally to give yourself enough time for account closure.
Moreover, you can declare data safety with its delete-after-download feature. So you can be sure that no trace of email conversations stays on the server after the backup is complete. Moreover, users can use a date filter to slice up the historical data and only export the pieces they require.
All this is possible on any Mac device by following the steps given below.
Step 1. Get a copy of the tool, In the IMAP host section, select Others.
Step 2. Fill in the user and server details.
Step 3. Choose the Export type file format for Virgin Mail data.
Step 4. Apply the optional advanced settings or filters.
Step 5. Browse for a destination and click on Start Backup.
Conclusion
With this write-up, anyone can export emails from Virgin Media to the location of their choice. The series of steps describing the process covered email clients like Outlook and Thunderbird. However, setting up an account for a client can be hectic, which is why a professional exporting mechanism is also covered here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. If I stop paying, does my Virgin Mail account close on its own?
Some users are under the assumption that if they stop paying, then their account will close automatically. Well, this is true but not paying for the service may end up reducing your credit score or even blacklisting you from applying to other Virgin Media subscriptions. So taking this route is not recommended.
Q. I have not logged in to my Virgin Media email account for a while, Can my emails still be salvaged?
That depends on how much time has passed since your last log-in. If its is within the 90-day threshold, then the emails can be retrieved. However, any longer than that means your email data is lost forever.
Q. Does this tool backup data from emails that are not directly under the Virgin brand name?
Yes, if every email address with any of the following domains can be backed up offline via the tool.
- @virginmedia.com
- @ntlworld.com
- @blueyonder.co.uk
- @virgin.net
