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Backing up emails from Apple Mail is important because email data is often tied to iCloud or third-party mail servers, and any sync error, accidental deletion, macOS crash, or account removal can permanently erase critical emails. Although Apple Mail stores messages locally on a Mac, it does not offer a reliable, automated, or user-friendly way to create structured backups that can be easily restored or accessed later on another platform.

Apple Mail’s manual export option is limited. You can export mailboxes one by one, but this process is slow and impractical if you have multiple folders or large mailboxes. The exported data is not searchable in a readable format, there is no option to back up attachments selectively, and restoring the data is not straightforward. There is also no scheduling or automation, which means backups depend entirely on manual effort.

This is where SysTools Email Backup Wizard becomes useful. The software is designed to back up emails from Apple Mail–configured accounts in a secure and structured way. Once you install the tool, you can sign in using your Apple Mail email credentials, and the software automatically fetches all mailbox data, including inbox, sent items, drafts, custom folders, and attachments. The original folder hierarchy, timestamps, sender and receiver details, and email formatting are preserved accurately.

One of the biggest advantages is flexibility. Using SysTools IMAP Backup Software, you can save Apple Mail emails into multiple formats such as PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, and PDF. This makes it easy to migrate Apple Mail data to Outlook, archive emails for legal or compliance purposes, or store readable backups for future reference. The tool also allows selective backup, so you can filter emails by date range, folders, or specific criteria instead of exporting everything.
Security is another strong point. The software performs backups in a read-only manner, meaning your original Apple Mail data remains untouched. 

It supports encrypted login and ensures that no data is altered or lost during the process. For users managing business or professional emails, this reliability is critical.
Overall, if you want a dependable way to back up Apple Mail emails without dealing with manual exports or technical complexity, SysTools Email Backup Software provides a practical and efficient solution. It saves time, reduces the risk of data loss, and ensures your Apple Mail emails are always accessible when you need them.

I get the requirement. Apple Mail does give you a couple of ways to keep a local copy of your emails, but the right method really depends on whether you are trying to back up the complete mailbox for future restoration or simply export the emails into a format that can be accessed independently of Apple Mail.
For a basic free method, Apple Mail itself can export a mailbox. You can select a mailbox from the sidebar, go to Mailbox > Export Mailbox, choose the destination folder, and save the mailbox locally. Apple Mail exports the mailbox in MBOX format, so the emails are no longer dependent on having that exact mailbox open in Apple Mail. Time Machine is also worth keeping enabled if the goal is simply to maintain a recoverable copy of the Mac and its Mail data.
The limitation starts when you have a large number of mailboxes, multiple accounts, or a particular backup requirement. Exporting mailboxes manually is still a mailbox-by-mailbox process, and after creating MBOX files you may have to deal with them separately if the eventual requirement is PST, EML, MSG, PDF, or another format. This is where I would personally look at a dedicated desktop solution.
For example, I would consider RecoveryTools MBOX Converter if the Apple Mail data has already been exported as MBOX and you need to make that backup more accessible or move it to another email platform. You can add multiple MBOX files or complete folders instead of processing them individually, which is useful when the Apple Mail archive is spread across several mailboxes. It can also retain the email structure, attachments, formatting, and other message properties during conversion.
Another thing I would not overlook is the folder hierarchy. When you have an Apple Mail archive with lots of custom folders and nested folders, the actual backup is not just the messages themselves. You also want to know where those messages belonged originally. A tool that allows folder-level processing is much more convenient than manually opening and exporting every mailbox and then rebuilding the structure later.
Filtering can also be useful. Suppose you have five years of Apple Mail data but only need the messages from a particular period for an archive or migration. Converting the entire MBOX collection is unnecessary in that case. With a dedicated converter, you can selectively process the data you actually need rather than creating another huge archive first.
I would also be careful with online MBOX or email conversion websites for this type of data. If the mailbox contains business correspondence, client information, invoices, attachments, or other private email records, uploading the source files to a third-party website just to convert them is something I would personally avoid. A desktop-based application keeps that processing on the local machine.
So, for a normal Apple Mail backup to download IMAP emails to computer, I would start with the built-in mailbox export and Time Machine because they cost nothing and cover the basic requirement. If the purpose is larger-scale archiving, migration, or converting an existing Apple Mail MBOX collection into another usable format, then I would consider a dedicated tool such as RecoveryTools MBOX Converter. In either case, I would keep the original Apple Mail data untouched and verify a few exported messages and attachments before relying on the backup as the only copyy -