We release new builds often, with fixes and improvements. The release notes list what changed in each one. Updating keeps your settings.

Release notes →

PRO Server in short: uninstall the service, install the new build, then install the service again.

Which build do I have?

Hold the mouse over the program's title, "Mail Attachment Downloader", on the black bar at the top. A popup shows the version and build:

Newer builds also show the full version at the top of the Logs tab.

How do I update to the latest build?

PRO Server: uninstall the service first, from the program's Service tab. Stopping it in Windows Services (services.msc) isn't enough: updating while the service is still installed can stop it from working properly. The PRO Server service guide has more about installing and uninstalling the service:
PRO Server service guide →

1. PRO Server only: uninstall the service. On the Service tab, click Uninstall service and wait until it says "Uninstalled service." This also hands the service's progress back to the program, so the emails it already downloaded aren't downloaded again. If it won't uninstall, see "The service won't stop or uninstall" at the end of this article.
2. Quit the program, including any other windows of it that are open.
3. Download the installer.
   • Free: from the download page:
     Download page →
   • PRO Client and PRO Server: use the links in your license email from Gearmage, usually titled "Your Mail Attachment Downloader PRO license from GearMage!" and sent from sales-license@gearmage.com. Pick the link for the edition you have. Can't find the email? Contact support.
   If the installer turns out to be the build you already have, your browser used an old copy: clear its cache for gearmage.com, or open the link in a private (Incognito) window, and download it again.
4. Optional: uninstall the old build in Windows Settings › Apps (or Control Panel). Your settings stay.
5. Install: open the downloaded zip file and run the installer inside it.
6. Check the build on the Logs tab.
7. PRO Server only: install the service again from the Service tab. The service works from a copy of your settings made when it's installed, so this also gives it any settings you've changed since.

How do I back up my settings?

Updating doesn't change your settings, but a backup only takes a minute:

• PRO: export them. On the Export/Import tab, click Export settings. To restore them, click Import settings there. Passwords aren't exported, so enter them again after an import.
• Any edition: copy the settings folder. On the Logs tab, under Client, click Settings Folder, and copy the folder that opens to somewhere safe.
• PRO: automatic backups. The program also saves backups by itself, in a folder next to the settings folder whose name ends in _BACKUP (usually %AppData%\MAD_BACKUP). Restore one with Import settings. Or by hand: quit the program, rename the backup from .mdz to .zip, unzip it, and replace the contents of the settings folder with what's inside.

Moving from PRO to the Free edition? Installing the Free edition over PRO clears the global filters and some other PRO settings. Export your settings first.

Connection or sign-in problems with Outlook, Microsoft 365 or Gmail?

Email providers change how they connect and sign in, and new builds keep up with them, so update to the latest build first (PRO Server: uninstall the service first, as above). If it still fails:

1. Open the account's settings, check the IMAP and SMTP server names and ports, and test the connection before saving. For Outlook.com, see Microsoft's POP, IMAP and SMTP settings.
2. Enter the password again, or try another one: some providers need an app password.
3. As a last resort, delete the account in the program and add it again.

For more help, see the How-To guide:

How-To guide: connection or sign-in problems →

The service won't stop or uninstall

The normal way: on the Service tab, click Uninstall service, then quit the program. If it doesn't finish, start the program with right-click › Run as administrator and try again. If Sysinternals Process Explorer is running, close it first: it can stop the service from being fully uninstalled.

The PRO Server service guide covers the service in more detail:

PRO Server service guide →

If that doesn't work, from a command prompt:

1. Quit the program (every window of it).
2. Find the program's folder: right-click its shortcut and choose Open file location.
3. Open a Command Prompt as administrator and run these two commands, with that folder in the first one:

   cd /d "the program's folder"
   MailAttachmentDownloaderService.exe -uninstall

   This stops the service, removes it, and ends any of its processes that are still running.

Last resort, by hand:

1. Quit the program.
2. In Windows Services (services.msc), stop MailAttachmentDownloaderService if it's running.
3. In a Command Prompt run as administrator, run sc delete MailAttachmentDownloaderService. If Windows says the service is marked for deletion, restart Windows.

The command prompt ways don't hand the service's progress back to the program, so the program's next run may download some emails again.

Your settings stay, even if you also uninstall the program in Windows Settings › Apps. You can then update as described above.