---
title: Message history
description: "Pull email older than the initial import into Mailhopper, one account at a time, as far back as you want."
---

> **For AI agents:** the complete documentation index is at [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Append `.md` to any page URL for its markdown version.

When you connect an account, Mailhopper imports the **200 most recent messages in each
folder** to get you reading right away. Everything older stays safe in your mailbox on the
server. When you want more of it in Mailhopper, pull it in on demand.

<Info>
Fetching older history is **read-only**. Mailhopper copies older messages in; it never moves,
deletes, or reorders anything in your mailbox, and it doesn't affect how new mail syncs.
</Info>

## Pull older mail

Open **Settings → Connected accounts → Message history** (or run **Sync more history** from the
<kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>K</kbd> palette) and pick an account.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose how far back">
    Pick a horizon: the last **3 months**, **6 months**, **1 year**, **2 years**, **3 years**,
    or **all** of it.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Check the estimate">
    Before it runs, Mailhopper shows about how many messages that reaches, roughly how much
    space they'll take, and the date it goes back to, so there are no surprises.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Run it">
    Start the fetch and watch the progress as older messages fill in. They join the same
    unified stream, sorted into place by date, and become searchable like the rest of your
    mail.
  </Step>
</Steps>

You can **cancel** a run at any time; whatever was fetched before you stopped is kept.

<Note>
Each account has one history depth at a time. Reaching further back later just extends the
same job. Deeper fetches over large mailboxes take a while and run on Mailhopper's servers, so
you can close the drawer or the tab and come back to check on it.
</Note>

## What gets fetched

Older mail is pulled across your folders, not just the inbox, so a deeper history fills in
Sent, Archive, and the rest to match. Messages older than the reach date you chose stay on the
server until you extend the horizon.

<Tip>
Storage for cached message bodies and attachments has a per-account limit. If a deep fetch
would exceed it, Mailhopper keeps the message details (sender, subject, date, and search) and
skips caching the largest bodies, so history stays complete and searchable either way.
</Tip>