Frequently Asked Questions

How to setup my email accounts?
* Please refer to this link

How are my email backups stored?
* All emails are stored locally on your computer in the location specified by you. You have the option to set up your backup location to any location in the system, including external hard drive or NAS, providing you with additional storage flexibility. Our system is designed to ensure that no data is ever sent out of your computer, which means that your email data remains secure and private at all times.

Are the emails deleted in my email account after the backup?
* No, the emails are never deleted in your email account. There is no logic in the application that will delete any emails in your email account server.

Does it backup attachments? Where do I find it?
* Yes, the app backs up the emails with the attachments. The attachments are inside the source .eml file. It can be access after opening the email.

Where is my email passwords and credentials stored?
* Your email passwords are securely stored within the Apple Keychain. This means that even if you choose to grant the application access to your Google or Microsoft accounts, none of your credentials will ever leave your computer. The Keychain utilizes industry-standard encryption protocols to ensure that your login information is kept safe and cannot be accessed by anyone without the proper authorization.

The app just disappeared after first launch.
* Horcrux is a background application. You can go back to the window by clicking on the “H” button in the top bar and choosing “Preferences”.

Can I Browse emails in the Backup archive?
* Yes, you can.

Email Storage Details

What are snapshots?
* Each backup captures the state of your email account on the day of the backup, and is organized according to the date. For example, if you set the “No. of snapshots” to 365 and backup every day, you will have an entire year’s worth of backups.

More info:
* All of your emails are stored as open .eml files in a designated “source” folder. When a backup is initiated, a new plist file is created for that specific date, and only the new emails are downloaded; existing ones are not redownloaded. Even if you set the “No. of snapshots” to a large number, the amount of storage space used will remain minimal. This makes our backup system highly efficient and allows you to store a large number of backups without worrying about storage constraints.
* For storage, database system is not involved to avoid / minimize corruption damages.
* Our backup system is designed to be future-proof, as we store all backups in an open and simple format that can be easily accessed and used even without Horcrux. Each backup includes a “fallback.rb” Ruby programming script that allows you to migrate your emails even in the absence of the application. This means that you have complete control over your data, regardless of whether or not you have access to the app.

Email Migration

How do I migrate my emails to another email account?
* Please refer to this link

If I migrate emails multiple times, will it create duplicates?
* No it will not. Horcrux is smart enough to make sure the destination email account doesn’t have duplications. It will automatically skip emails that are already present.

How to export emails into mbox format?
*Please refer to this link

Troubleshooting

I can’t find any files in my Backup Folder/ I cannot open my Backups.
* Make sure you have the “Backup Frequency” set in the Settings Tab as described here. After you have done that, click on “Restart Backup” by clicking on the “H” element on the top.
* Make sure you haven’t paused the Backup procedure. If you have, click on “H” on the Top Bar and Click on “Resume Backup”

If any of the above doesn’t answer your question, please contact support.

I can’t seem to delete my email account. Can’t modify keychain
* There is a workaround:
Open Keychain.app (use spotlight), search for “Horcrux”, delete any email account you want (It’ll ask you for admin permission).

This sometimes happen when the binaries are changed. The sandbox doesn’t allow deleting the Keychain entry.

I have large gmail account. I can’t seem to backup or restore emails to it. Google seems to have locked me out
* According to https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7126229?hl=en, Google doesn’t allow 2500 MB per day for IMAP downloads and 500 MB per day for IMAP uploads. You probably need some time between each backup.