Mail Attachment Downloader Release Notes

What's new in each version, newest first. The latest is version 3.4 build 1041, released October 2026: download it here. To see which build you have, hover over the title "Mail Attachment Downloader" in the program's main window.

Version 3.4 October 2026

Highlights

Setup guides for 23 mail providers that need an app password or other settings, such as Yahoo, AOL, iCloud, Zoho, Proton Mail and Fastmail.
Custom domains are recognized, including Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 domains.
Clearer help when a provider turns down the password, in any language.
PRO: open any rule from the rule window, and keep "Test this rule" open while you edit.
Security and privacy: better protection for passwords and sign-in tokens, and usage and error reports no longer include your license email, company name or your own mail server's name.

Build 1041 Latest October 2026

Outlook.com: accounts can now use Microsoft Graph instead of IMAP ("Use Microsoft Graph" in the account settings; IMAP stays the default). Addresses on Outlook.com's domains in other countries, such as hotmail.co.uk, outlook.fr or live.de, now get the Outlook.com settings by themselves.
Microsoft 365: when Microsoft 365 no longer knows where a folder's last download stopped, the folder is now searched again for the emails received since then, and its line in the status list says "Microsoft 365 no longer knew where the last download stopped, so this folder was searched again...". Before, every download of the account stopped with "Search failed: Stale search". "Add account" picks Microsoft 365 by itself again for a name@tenant.onmicrosoft.com address, and now also for a domain whose email Microsoft 365 hosts. A start date now works whatever the Windows region's time format.
Exchange (EWS): accounts that sign in with Microsoft now connect to Exchange Online directly, without Autodiscover, which took minutes when the domain's own servers didn't answer. The server Autodiscover finds is kept when you save after "Test Connection"; while it looks, the status line says which server it's trying, and Connection Diagnostics shows it as its own stage. Rules that save the whole email (.eml) get each email once instead of twice, so large emails save faster.
Accounts: a new account now starts with the program's download settings (your Documents folder, messages since the last download, Inbox only, every file type, no filters), not those of the account shown before. Typing another of your accounts' addresses in the account settings opens that account's own settings, and a new address adds a new account with the settings recommended for it. Before, the settings shown were kept for the address typed, so "Save" could replace the other account's mail server settings and password.
Account settings: the server settings you choose now stay when the email address is edited (an Outlook.com account on Microsoft Graph no longer goes back to IMAP, and a custom server keeps its host and port), and "Reset to recommended settings" on the "Mail server" tab puts back the program's own. Trying another server type and then "Cancel" no longer loses the account's ticked folders. "Other" with Google's or Microsoft's own server (imap.gmail.com, outlook.office365.com) can sign in with Google or Microsoft again ("Use OAuth2").
Folders: refreshing the folder list can now be cancelled, with "Cancel Download" or the "Cancel" at the right of the status line; it also stops an Exchange connection still looking for its server at once. After an account is switched between Exchange and Microsoft 365, the folders listed before are searched instead of failing with "Resource not found for the segment ...", and the folder pane asks you to refresh a list made with the old server type.
FREE: the "Help" tab has new buttons, "Online help", "Connection diagnostics", "Send feedback" and "What's new", beside "Go PRO", "Rate our product" and the charity link. The "Logs" tab no longer shows an empty space before "Check for updates automatically" (in PRO, "Analytics enabled" now comes after it).
Updates: "Install..." in the "Update available" banner now downloads the update. In build 1040 it stops with "403 Forbidden" right after the check finds the update: to get this build from 1040, download it from this website and install it.
PRO Server: a service with no email account to download, for example after its Log On account was changed in Windows Services, now stops and says why in Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application, and in the program when it runs as an administrator, instead of running and downloading nothing. To run it as another Windows account, reinstall it from the "Service" tab.
PRO: while the license still has to be entered, the "License" tab asks for it ("Enter your license to start") instead of the "Account" box asking for an account.

Build 1040 October 2026

Updates: the program now looks for a newer build when it starts, and once a day, and says so in the black band at the top: a banner "Update available" with "Release notes" and "Install...". Dismiss it with its cross and it stays as a small pill next to the title. "Install..." downloads the installer, checks it and opens it (the program closes). It never installs without your click, and not while a download is running. If you prefer, the update window has a link to download the installer and run it yourself. On the Logs tab, "Check for updates automatically" turns the check on or off (it is on by default), and the refresh icon next to it checks right away.
New major versions: a new major version, such as 4.0, is offered as an update to the FREE edition and to a PRO subscription that is still active. A perpetual PRO license keeps getting 3.4 updates and is shown a link to learn about and buy the new version.
Security and privacy: the update check sends only the edition, version and build number, and every update is verified (its checksum and Gearmage's digital signature) before it opens.

Build 1039 October 2026

Main window, status list: every download has its own row, also a file saved over an earlier one with the same name (its row says it overwrote a file). Right-click the list > Columns to show the file's path and size (shown by default) and the email's sender, recipients, subject and date. The rows of the Move, Delete and Mark as read actions no longer end with the email's subject: it has its own column.
Main window, Current Status: Search and "Failures only" (it says how many there are) above the list, as in Download History, plus Mailbox folder and Account columns. Drag the columns into any order (it's kept) and use Columns > Reset columns to put them back. Right-click a row for "Open folder". Double-clicking a rule action's row, a message, or a file that's no longer there says so instead of opening Explorer.
Main window, folder tree: during a download each folder shows its place in it (2/5), its files downloaded, failed downloads and failed rule actions, a small bar of its messages done, and complete or canceled. Point at a folder to read it all. A canceled download's icon is now an amber circle.
Main window: the download's progress on the black status strip is brighter, and "throttled" (the mail server slowing the download down) stands out in amber with a warning sign.
Global filters tab: while a download runs, the rule list is grayed out like the settings around it, and pointing at it says why it can't be changed until the download ends.
PRO Server: when the program isn't running as an administrator, a banner at the top says so, instead of a popup at every start. It offers "Relaunch as admin" or "Always run as admin", and its cross dismisses it for good. The Service tab keeps its own note. The service can still be installed without admin rights, but its status and progress then don't show in the window.
Fixes: emails saved as .eml files under one name by several connections at once no longer fail with "being used by another process", and a file in use by another program, or a full disk, is no longer reported as a network error. The program no longer ends with an unhandled error after a burst of actions (seen once, while many files were converted, merged and moved at once): such errors are now written to the log, and the PRO Server service keeps running after one. The status list shows the size and subject of files saved from Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts, also of one a rule converts and deletes right away.
Security and privacy: the usage statistics are now sent through Windows' own network connections, a few at a time.

Build 1038 October 2026

Logs tab: a new "Submit feedback" button for what you like, what you don't and the features you'd like. The tab also links to the release notes, to newer builds and to the program's folder, Verbose logging is easier to find, and the remote debug key, needed only when support asks for it, is behind a small key button. "Rate our product" has a lighter, more modern look.
Account box: when no account is chosen, the box is outlined in amber with a note under it ("Choose an account to start", or "Add your first account" when there are none), so it's clear why the settings below are off.
PRO: Document conversion (emails to PDF) has a new option, "Show the email's date in this computer's time zone", for the date in the PDF's header, which is otherwise the sender's.
PRO: Run webhook, Run AI prompt and Run Handlebars template: the email's fields (such as {SUBJECT}) are filled in and escaped so a URL, JSON or XML stays valid. The actions under them run, and once the email is processed they skip an email that failed. Webhooks follow the Retries setting, show a failed call as failed, send the payload with PATCH, and are tested as set on screen.
License checks: when gearmage.com can't be reached, the license and subscription checks now say why and what to do, instead of a general error. They give up after 30 seconds instead of up to 100, and PRO Server tries again up to once a minute instead of every second.
Fixes: settings, passwords and sign-ins survive a crash or power cut. Account switching and folder options save reliably, and downloads resume after folder changes. IMAP retries no longer empty saved files, interrupted emails are retried on the next run, and long or non-English attachment names are kept. Large Microsoft 365 emails use less memory, and every "Other" type counts.
PRO fixes: plain-text body rules work, \ and trailing dots in file name fields are handled, and the PRO Server shows its real name in Event Viewer.
Security and privacy: bug reports, the "Test this rule..." window and rule action usage reports (when turned on) show less about webhook calls, and keys are better protected in the logs. We recommend updating to this build.

Build 1037 October 2026

Filters tab, IMAP accounts (Gmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo and others): From, To, CC or BCC, Subject and Body filters in other languages, such as Hebrew, now work. Before, each of their letters reached the mail server as "?", so Gmail found every email and other servers none. A filter with a quote (") works too.
PRO: "Exclude inline attachments" now works for IMAP (including Gmail) and POP3 accounts, not only Exchange and Microsoft 365. Pictures shown inside an email's text, such as logos and signature images, are no longer saved, while the files attached to the email still are, even when the sender marks them inline.
PRO: the rule window lists all your rules from the arrow at the end of the rule's name (or Alt+Down, F4 or Ctrl+O). Search them by name, type or account, sort them by a column, and pick one to open it in place of the open rule. If the open rule has unsaved changes, you're asked whether to save or discard them, now also when you click Cancel or close the window.
PRO: "Test this rule..." opens beside the rule window and stays open while you edit: each "Run test" tests the rule as it is at that moment, and opening another rule tests that one. It remembers the accounts, folders, emails and choices until the program closes, so emails aren't searched again each time, and greys out results from an earlier version of the rule. It signs out of the accounts after 10 minutes without use, with a warning a minute before.
Merge PDF files: "All PDF files saved until now for this rule" now merges only the PDFs that rule saved: its attachments, the email body and the files its actions made. Before, it also took the PDFs other rules saved from the same email.
Filter filenames for sub-actions: sub-actions that run once the email is processed (for example Merge PDF files, or Send email, AI prompt, webhook and Save to database with the saved files) now get only the filtered files and the files the sub-actions made, not every file of the email. They also run when the last matching file didn't need them.
PRO Server: Send email from a Microsoft 365 account that signs in with your own app registration and a client secret (app-only, for example to a shared mailbox) now works. Before, it failed with "/me request is only valid with delegated authentication flow". The email is sent from the account's mailbox, and its copy is kept in that mailbox's Sent Items.
Security and privacy: passwords, sign-in tokens and other secrets are better protected, both where they're stored and in the logs, including the background service's (PRO Server). Bug reports and logs zips leave them out. We recommend updating to this build.

Build 1036 October 2026

Setup guides for 23 mail providers that need an app password or other settings instead of OAuth: Yahoo Mail, AOL, Apple iCloud Mail, Zoho Mail, Proton Mail (with Proton Mail Bridge), Fastmail, GMX, Mail.com, Mailbox.org, Posteo, Hushmail, Yandex Mail, Mail.ru, GoDaddy Workspace Email, IONOS, Rackspace Email, Titan, Hostinger, Namecheap Private Email, Neo Mail, Spacemail, Bluehost (and other cPanel hosting email) and IceWarp. Pick the provider under "Other", or let the app pick it from your email address, and "Set up..." walks you through the steps, with links to the right pages, a place to paste the password and a connection test. See how.
The providers under "Other" are in alphabetical order, and a provider's setup notice (for example, that Yahoo needs an app password) shows in amber with a warning icon.
Custom domains: the app looks up your domain's mail records to find its provider, fills in the server, and suggests the Gmail or Microsoft 365 settings for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 domains. "Custom host and port" still works for any other server.
When a provider turns down the password (for example, a regular Yahoo password instead of an app password), the app says what it needs and offers the setup guide. It goes by what the server did rather than its wording, so the advice also shows when the server answers in German, French or another language. The background service's error messages give the same advice. More.
AOL now connects with IMAP (imap.aol.com) instead of POP3. Accounts already set up keep their settings. More Yahoo (ymail.com, rocketmail.com) and AOL (aim.com, verizon.net) addresses are recognized.
Add account: the button on the main window is now labeled "Add account", and it opens the mail server settings for the new account right away.
The Account box in the mail server settings is now a dropdown of your saved accounts, so you can go through several accounts' settings without closing the window. Picking another account asks you to save or discard unsaved changes first.
The account name is no longer cut off in the "Authorization required" sign-in window.
Background service: installing the service and "Validate" now really check that the service can write to every save folder: each account's save folder, and the save and "Copy saved file" folders of its enabled rules and the global rules. Before, this check always passed, so a folder the service couldn't write to only showed up as failed downloads. The error names each folder and why, for example access denied, or a mapped drive the service can't reach (use a \\server\share path instead of a drive letter).
Typing a network path such as \\server\share\folder in the save folder boxes no longer freezes the window. The rule window explains when a network path is missing its share name.
Non-English Windows: expired Microsoft 365 and Exchange sign-ins are recognized and retried as on English Windows, and the service install's "this user doesn't exist on this computer" hint shows again.
Security and privacy: usage and error reports no longer include your license email, company name or your own mail server's name, and unused reporting libraries were removed.

Version 3.3 February 2025 to September 2026

Highlights

New settings system and installer.
Microsoft 365 through Microsoft Graph, including shared mailboxes and sending email.
PRO rules can run AI prompts (ChatGPT and Claude), webhooks and Handlebars templates.
Connection Diagnostics and a "Submit a bug report" window for when something doesn't work.
Download History records every run, and interrupted downloads resume where they stopped.

Build 1035 September 2026

Background service: sign-in and download errors now show in the app with what to do, and start-up messages show once rather than on every run. Each run shows its start time, frequency and account (for example, 1 of 2).
Download History: every run is recorded, including sign-in, connection and folder errors. New Account and Session filters, "Failures only" filters right away, search runs as you type, you can choose how long history is kept (30 days by default), and there is a "Clear history..." command. Reinstalling the service keeps its history.
Service install and sync: only the accounts in use are copied, and a failed install is undone. Syncing the download state works for IMAP, Exchange, Microsoft 365 and POP3, with a new "Sync status" link. Uninstalling stops the service and removes its accounts and passwords.
Downloads: interrupted runs resume where they stopped, and failed emails are retried for up to 7 days. With several accounts, one failing account no longer stops the others. Passwords saved by builds before February 2026 load again.
Settings save as soon as they change, settings that are turned off explain why, and there is a new "Clear all logs..." command.
OAuth sign-in: reliability fixes, clearer warnings when permissions weren't granted, a "Copy for IT" button, the account shown in the sign-in window, and better steps for browser problems.
New "Submit a bug report" window, from the Logs tab, Connection Diagnostics, Service Sync Status, error messages and the download list's right-click menu. Describe the problem, attach screenshots, and choose how many days of logs to send (3 by default) and whether to include your settings. Connection diagnostics for all accounts are always included. It asks you to turn on verbose logging and reproduce the problem first, then emails everything to support@gearmage.com.

Build 1034 September 2026

Background service: uninstalling the service while it was downloading could take more than a minute. It now stops right away.
Download History: the service's history can be shown while the service is stopped or uninstalled, and a folder's "last session" history shows the service's history when that session ran in the service.

Build 1033 September 2026

Download progress now shows on the black status strip: a spinner, "76 of 180", the percentage, the time left and a Cancel link, with a thin progress line along the bottom. The taskbar button shows the progress too, so it stays visible while the window is minimized.
Files in the status list get a spinner while they download, then a tick or a cross, and folders in the folder tree get the same icons. Rule actions (moving or deleting the email, marking it read, scripts, webhooks, AI prompts and so on) get a tick or a cross too, and a script that ends with an exit code other than 0 is shown as failed.
While the background service is running, the status strip shows a green dot with the time of its last run, the files it saved and its next run, and shows its progress during a run.
Rules: "Save to database" and "Lookup fields from DB" actions set up in earlier builds run again. A "Save to database" action had run only after its rule was opened and saved in the rule editor, and "Lookup fields from DB" hadn't run at all.
A "Save to database", "Lookup fields from DB" or "Extract csv and save to DB" action saved without SQL no longer stops the settings, and with them all the rules, from loading.
The extraction settings of "Extract csv and save to DB" fields no longer repeat themselves each time the rule is opened.
"Save to database" SQL that uses {EMAIL_BODY} now fetches the whole email, so the body is there to save.
Renaming a rule now also updates the "Run dependent rule" filters inside AND/OR filter groups of other rules.
Filter fields show a tip when they contain a variable such as {DATE_LOCAL[yyyyMMdd]}: filters match text as typed, and variables only work in the saved filename format. The filename format is highlighted when {FILENAMEEXT} is combined with {FILENAME} or {EXT}, and the regex test no longer reports a match for an empty expression.
Document conversion: leaving the PDF owner password empty no longer clears the password used to open protected PDFs, and pictures converted to PDF with a password are now password protected.
Merge PDF files: "body at the end" now also works when the body is saved with "Save txt/html", and files deleted after conversion no longer get a "Skipped file for merging" message.
New automated tests run the document and database actions on real files and databases, and check that rules saved by older builds keep loading unchanged.

Build 1032 September 2026

Document conversion: spreadsheet files (xlsx, csv and so on) now show their conversion options, "Excel" conversions save as .xlsx, and converting a spreadsheet to text no longer changes the rule's conversion type to CSV.
Installer: shows the version on the Welcome screen, in the setup file's properties and in Programs and Features, and each new build upgrades the installed one.
The EULA button opens the EULA on our website, or the installed copy when you're offline, and now works in the free edition.
Free edition: Connection Diagnostics no longer offers an empty background service view.

Build 1031 September 2026

Download History records the folder and download session for each email, and you can browse a folder's history from the folder tree.
Folder status shows pending and completed moves, and failed actions are highlighted in yellow. Failed moves are reported, and moves that fail on a network error or a busy server are retried automatically.
Zipping up the settings and logs folders is easier, and the service's logs and settings can be opened from the Windows account that installed it.
Reliability: downloads recover from network drops (IMAP, Exchange and Microsoft 365) instead of silently skipping emails. Also fixed: moves skipped after the 3.3 settings migration, a half-written .eml file left behind when saving fails, the move folder not clearing when you change the move's account, and a service process left running after uninstalling.

Build 1030 September 2026

New Connection Diagnostics in the mail server settings and the SharePoint upload action: a stage-by-stage view of each account's latest connection and OAuth sign-in, with timings, errors, TLS and certificate details, and error history. PRO Server can also show the background service's runs and the settings it used. "Email support" attaches a diagnostics zip, optionally with recent logs; passwords, tokens and secrets are never included. More.
Diagnostics show which app registration is used and flag misconfigurations, and SharePoint "Test connection" checks that the folder exists.
PRO: your own app registrations now work for IMAP too: Microsoft 365 work or school accounts (users sign in through your app, or app-only access) and Gmail or Google Workspace (your own Google OAuth client), including sending mail for Microsoft 365. Not available for POP3 or personal Microsoft accounts. Custom app registration.
Fixes: Microsoft 365 sign-ins lost after a token refresh, sign-in problems when several Microsoft 365 accounts connect at once, and a token refresh for app-only Microsoft apps that could wait forever.
Security and privacy: connections use current security standards, and turning off analytics also applies to the background service when it's installed.

Builds 1000 to 1029 February 2025 to September 2026

New settings system and installer (build 1000): settings moved to a new format, with a window that migrates your old settings. OAuth can be turned off per provider to use an app password instead, and .onmicrosoft.com addresses are set up automatically.
Microsoft 365 through Microsoft Graph (build 1003), for Outlook and Exchange Online, including shared mailboxes and sending email, followed by many fixes for moves, folder lists, duplicate messages and sync errors.
SharePoint upload with modern sign-in (build 1002), and your own client ID and secret for Exchange and Microsoft 365.
The mail server settings ask you to test the connection before saving, show the permissions requested and granted, and have a separate "Clear cache" button.
PRO rules (build 1010): new "Run AI prompt" (ChatGPT and Claude), "Run webhook" and "Run Handlebars template" actions, a "Run action when" option for each action, and "Save metadata to csv" became "Save fields/data to file", with more fields and an "Append if file exists" option.
Clearer messages when sign-in fails or a subscription is expiring, better handling of IMAP servers that don't follow the standard, and many smaller fixes.
Security and privacy: analytics can be turned off in the Logs tab (build 1009), and settings and Gmail sign-in are better protected.

Version 3.2 2016 to 2024

New in 3.2 (PRO): extract data from emails and attachments and transform it, load data from databases, save Excel data to a database, and download files linked from emails.
Rules: a redesigned global rule editor with drag and drop, rule groups, dependent rules that chain together, negative rules that run when no other rule matches, error actions, copy and paste of filters and actions, and rule tracing for troubleshooting.
New actions including Validate/Compare field, Split PDF, Merge PDF across emails, Delete file, Save nested attachments, Copy saved file with rename, Print and Send email.
New fields for file names and actions, such as {DATE_LOCAL}, {DATE_UTC}, {EMAIL_HEADER}, {EMAIL_BODY_TEXT}, {ACCOUNT_MAILBOX} and {ACCOUNT_FOLDER}, and regular expressions in extractions and folder selection.
Microsoft 365 and Exchange: modern sign-in with your own client and tenant IDs, shared, group and delegated mailboxes, impersonation, and many reliability fixes for connections, retries and moves. Gmail and Outlook.com sign-in kept up with Google's and Microsoft's OAuth changes.
Document conversion: Excel to PDF on one page, multi-page TIFF to PDF, PDF to text, more zip formats and newer conversion libraries.
The service can be installed and uninstalled from the command line, and many fixes for IMAP and POP3 servers that don't follow the standard.
Security: stronger encryption for mail and license connections.

Version 3.1 2016

New (PRO): document conversion, document printing, save to database and upload to SharePoint.
Rewritten IMAP and POP3 support that fixed attachments skipped without an error, folders that weren't listed, date formatting, and overwriting files that were in use. Recommended for everyone on 2.x or earlier.

Earlier versions (1.0 to 2.4) 2013 and earlier

2.1 to 2.4: inline attachments from Gmail and other IMAP servers, options to overwrite and exclude files, localized dates in filters, better file name formats, and a command line for PRO Server. Gmail searches moved to Gmail's own IMAP extensions when Gmail dropped standard IMAP search.
1.5 to 2.0: IMAP folders, moving emails to a folder after downloading, run at startup, the subject in file names, and many POP3 fixes.
1.0 to 1.4: the first releases, which added Unicode support and a command line.