Where Does Mailcow Store Mail and Config?
Mailcow config file and mail data volume paths on Linux for self-hosted mail server stacks. Plus migration notes.
Last updated
Mailcow splits config and mail across files and volumes. Settings live in mailcow.conf with hostname, passwords, and data paths. Messages live in Docker volumes with vmail, crypt, and database subfolders.
Helper scripts like backup_and_restore.sh wrap the whole set. The conf file decides hostnames that must match on restore. Back up mailcow.conf with all data volumes. Messages without the conf lose domain context. Rspamd filters spam aggressively. Webmail runs SOGo by default. DKIM signing needs DNS records.
Where Mailcow stores this, by platform
/opt/mailcow-dockerized/mailcow.conf
Hostname, passwords, and data path settings for the stack. Generated by the installer with random secrets. Keep a copy off the server.
mailcow_vmail-vol-1 (mail volume)
Mailbox contents with crypt and sogo subfolders. Inspect for the host mountpoint since compose prefixes vary. Copy with Mailcow stopped.
Frequently asked questions
what do i back up for a Mailcow move
Copy mailcow.conf with the data volumes for mail, rspamd, and databases. The conf holds hostname and passwords. Volumes hold messages. Both restore mail. Test restores first.
where are Mailcow email files stored
Run docker volume ls to list mailcow volumes, then inspect for mountpoints. Messages live in the vmail volume. The conf file names the host and data paths.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.