Are mail attachments stored in the imap file

In an IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) email client, attachments are not typically stored in the IMAP file itself. Instead, the attachments are usually stored on the mail server or on the client's local file system.

Here's what happens:

  1. When you send or receive an email with attachments, the attachments are typically stored on the mail server, along with the email message.
  2. The IMAP client (e.g., Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Apple Mail) connects to the mail server using the IMAP protocol.
  3. The IMAP client retrieves the email message and its attachments from the mail server, but it does not store the attachments in the IMAP file.
  4. The IMAP client stores the email message and its attachments in a local cache or on the client's file system, usually in a directory specific to the email client (e.g., AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook on Windows or ~/Library/Mail on macOS).
  5. The IMAP client can also store a copy of the attachments in a separate location, such as a "Downloads" folder or a custom location specified by the user.

The IMAP file, also known as the "IMAP cache" or "IMAP store," typically contains only the email message headers, flags, and other metadata, but not the attachments themselves. This is because the IMAP protocol is designed to allow clients to access and manage email messages on a remote server, without storing the entire email message locally.

So, to summarize: attachments are not stored in the IMAP file, but rather on the mail server or on the client's local file system.