Excel export for IT admins

By the Mail → Excel team · Updated 2026-10-20

Migration and offboarding need facts: size, count, last activity and forwarding rules. Guessing here breaks migrations. This page lists the exact columns, an example row and the command that produces it.

Columns to keep

Column	Why it matters
`mailbox`	Which mailbox the row belongs to; essential for audits.
`size`	Mailbox size — the number that decides a migration approach.
`messages`	Message count; keep it next to the row count as a completeness check.
`last_login`	Last activity date — the offboarding signal.
`forwarding`	Forwarding status; server rules are not visible over IMAP, so record what you verified.

Example row

One real-shaped row from this role’s export:

mailbox	size	messages	last_login	forwarding
sales@company.com	12.4 GB	48,210	2026-10-18	external

Export it in one command

python mail_to_excel.py \
  --host imap.example.com --user you@example.com \
  --days 31 --fields mailbox,size,messages,last_login,forwarding \
  --out it-admin.xlsx

The --fields option is what turns a raw dump into a report your role can use.

Provider notes

Microsoft 365 tenants usually disable basic auth; plan OAuth (or an export from the admin center) before the run.

Two pitfalls that ruin the file

The script is throttled after a few thousand messages — Add a small delay between fetches and use a date filter; providers throttle aggressive clients.
Forwarding rules are invisible over IMAP — IMAP does not expose server rules — check them in the admin console.

Next step

Step-by-step: export it admin email to Excel · all roles · ready script ($3)

FAQ

Can I audit 200 mailboxes?

Yes, loop the script over a list and keep one row per mailbox; expect hours, not minutes.

Does this change mailbox state?

No — read-only mode is enforced by the script and should never be turned off for audits.

Is there a ready script for this?

Yes — the Python script exports any IMAP mailbox with the fields listed above; it costs $3 and runs locally.

Related guides

Export it admin email to ExcelStep-by-step with the same columns and command.
All roles20 professions, one export method.