How to leave GMail and move the emails to IMAP provider

Revision as of 13:36, 3 May 2019 by WikiFreak (talk | contribs)


This page explains how to leave GMAIL and move all emails to IMAP provider.

Description of the process to move from @gmail to somewhere else:

  1. Create a redirection from GMAIL to the new email
  2. Download all the GMAIL data from your Google account
  3. Import the GMAIL data into a messaging software that supports the MBOX format (= Mozilla Thunderbird. This cannot be done correctly with Outlook)
  4. Configure the messaging software to access your new email with IMAP protocol
  5. Move the emails you want to keep from the "local imports" to IMAP server



Requirements

  • email address: you must have an email that is NOT @gmail
  • The new email provider must offer IMAP access
  • You must send the new address to all your contacts


🛈 Hint: at the end of this process, while you will wait for your contacts to move to your new email address, you can setup a GMAIL redirection from @gmail to the new provider


Warning: the process describe in this article cannot be done with a mobile device. You must use a computer or a laptop (no matter the operating system)


Create a redirection in GMAIL

  • Go to GMAIL > Settings
  • Go to Transfer and POP/IMAP section
  • Click on add a new transfer email
  • Enable transfer to that email
  • Save changes

From now on, you do not need to use GMAIL for your new emails. :-)


Export Google GMAIL data

  • Go to GMAIL
  • Click on your account picture on the top left corner > Google account
  • On the left click on Data and personnalisation
  • Scroll down the page to Download your data
  • Click unselect all, then just select GMAIL only
  • Click on include all GMAIL data and really include them all!
  • Click next step and choose ZIP max 1 Go
  • Trigger the archive creation

.. Wait a little while .. You will receive an email with a link to download the archives.

  • Download all the archives
  • Unzip all archives and regroup the files into 1 folder

Congratulations! You have successfully backup your GMAIL account and your are ready to import emails to the new account.


Email client setup (Thunderbird)

As mentioned earlier on, you must use a client that supports MBOX. Mozilla Thunderbird is the best option.

  • Download and install Thunderbird
  • Open Thunderbird


Add new email

  • On first opening, please configure new email inside Thunderbird, as IMAP client
  • Make sure the configuration is working:
    • Send an email FROM Thunderbird to another account
    • Send an email to that account and check that you receive it in Thunderbird


Add-ons

To import the Google data you need some add-ons.

  • Click on the menu icon (☰) > Add-ons > Add-ons
  • Click on "see All" (top right) of the first banner
Thunderbird see all add-ons


Other add-ons (optional)

These are other interesting add-ons:




  • Cliquer sur l'icone du menu (☰) > Add-ons > ImportExportTools
  • TODO réglages à décrire
  • click-droit sur "local" > Import > ImportExportTools > Import mbox
  • choisir le dossier contenant les MBOX à importer
  • Lancer importation