How to leave GMail and move the emails to IMAP provider
This page explains how to leave GMAIL and move all emails to IMAP provider.
Contents
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)
Process description
To move from @gmail to somewhere else you will need to:
- Download all the GMAIL data from your Google account
- Import the GMAIL data into a messaging software that supports the MBOX format (= Mozilla Thunderbird. This cannot be done correctly with Outlook)
- Configure the messaging software to access your new email with IMAP protocol
- Move the emails you want to keep from the "local imports" to IMAP server
Email client
As mentioned earlier on, you must use a client that supports MBOX. Mozilla Thunderbird is the best option.
- Download and install Thunderbird
- Open Thunderbird
New email configuration
- 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
Configure Thunderbird
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
- Install extensions:
- MBOX format importer: "ImportExportTools" - more info at 'Import Export Tools'
- Message threads: "Thunderbird Conversations" more info at 'Thunderbird conversations'
- Restart Thunderbird
Other add-ons
These are other interesting add-ons
- Calendar and events: "Lightning" - more info at 'Lightning'
- Colored folders 'Colored folders'
- Message threads: "Thunderbird Conversations" more info on ['Thunderbird conversations' official website
Afficher les messages par "fils de discussion" (threads)
Pour afficher les emails facon 'Gmail':
- Cliquer sur l'icone du menu (☰) > Add-ons > Add-ons
- Cliquer sur "see All" en haut à droite de la 1ère bannière
- Chercher "Conversation"
- Installer l'extension "Thunderbird Conversations" (plus d'infos sur le site officiel 'Thunderbird conversations'
- Appliquer les changements
- 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