Export and Backup Emails from Outlook to Gmail Online
Sachin writes - “I have few thousand email messages inside Microsoft Outlook (a pst file) organized in various folders. I know it is possible to download emails from Gmail to Outlook using POP3 or IMAP but is the reverse path possible.”
Sachin is looking for a trick to archive all Outlook email messages (and folders) to his online Gmail account for two reasons - one is secure backup and two, he will be able to access his old emails from any computer.
Solution: It is quite easy to transfer Outlook emails to your Gmail mailbox. Here’s a step by step guide:
Step 1: Enable IMAP in your Gmail account and then configure Outlook (or Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail) to sync with your Gmail address via IMAP. Read this guide.
Step 2: Import your Outlook PST file into a Personal folder that is different from your default Gmail Inbox.
To import, click File -> Import And Export -> Import from another program or file. -> Next -> Personal Folder File (.pst) -> Next.
Select the PST file that contains your email, then pick the email folders that you want to import in Outlook and click Finish.
Step 3: Select the Personal folders that you want to backup online and copy them your Gmail Folder in Outlook (see screenshot).
In the Folder List, right-click the folder you want to copy and click Copy Folder name. Click the Gmail Folder in Outlook to copy that folder in that location. You can repeat the steps as needed for other folders.
That’s it. Your Outlook email will soon become available inside your online Gmail Inbox.
If your switching from Hotmail to Gmail, check this tutorial on moving emails from Hotmail to Gmail.
Caution: The migration from Outlook to Gmail can take a long time if you have very large Outlook pst file or if your internet connection speed is slow. Therefore, consider removing all large emails before moving them to your Gmail via IMAP.
Related: Is Your Outlook+Gmail Slow ?
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This only works if your corporate firewall ports are open for the IMAP ports Gmail uses. Otherwise it fails.
Ed: If you are looking to store your Office email into Gmail, just backup your Outlook PST Files on a CD or a USB Drive and import it into your Gmail account from the home computer.
This seems like a novelt idea but by exporting outlook pst to GMail you risk handing your private and potentially corporate information to Google. You should double check the GMail EULA to make sure you are protected.
Great article but do you have any specifics regarding step 2 for Outlook Express?
But IMAP at Gmail had some problems a few days back when I used it..Hope it works..
Great post. I used this tip to move messages from my never used Hotmail account to my Gmail, so at least now I can search them.
The next thing I need is the ability to forward messages from my Hotmail account to Gmail. They apparently let you forward to toher Hotmail or Live accounts (dig around in the settings), but not to other email providers.
Hi,
Nice tutorial, but i don’t understand the purpose of step 2..can you please give more explanation about all the steps involved in this step and the fina purpose of doing this, instead of just copying a folder form the “personnal folder” into the “gmail imap folder” like in step 3.
Thanks for the feedback
Regards
hi,
i like this tutorials, but i want mails to be stay in mail accounts and copy in outlook. was it there any solutions. exp: i set yahoo mails to outlook but i want the same mails to be in yahoo also. like copy of mails in outlook. plz send me the details