How to Migrate Email from Any IMAP Server to Google Workspace

What happens when you need to migrate to Google Workspace from an email provider that isn't Microsoft or another Google account? For the vast ecosystem of other providers, like GoDaddy, Zoho, Rackspace, and countless others, Google provides a universal connector: the IMAP migration tool.

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This tool allows administrators to copy email data directly from any standard IMAP-enabled server into Google Workspace. However, because it's designed to be flexible, the process has unique challenges, particularly around server settings and user credentials.

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This guide will walk you through the entire process, highlighting the key considerations to ensure a successful migration. This is the final tool covered in our main guide, Google Data Migration: How to Migrate from Your Current Provider to Google Workspace Seamlessly.

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You can also check our video tutorial:

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What's Migrated (and What's Not)?

The IMAP migration tool is designed for one specific purpose: migrating email. It is critical to understand that it does not migrate other data types.

What Is Migrated:

• Email Messages: All messages, including drafts and sent items, are copied.
• Folders & Subfolders: Your folder structure is preserved and converted into Gmail labels.
• Email Status: The read/unread status of messages is maintained.
• Attachments: Most attachments are included, as long as the total message size (including the attachment) is not larger than 25 MB and the file type is not blocked by Gmail. 

What Is NOT Migrated:

• Calendars
• Contacts
• Notes
• Rules or other account settings

These must be handled separately, often through manual export and import processes.

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Key Challenges and Considerations

Before you begin, be aware of the unique complexities of an IMAP migration:

• The Password Requirement: This process requires you to collect the source account password for every user you are migrating. Some providers may require users to generate a special "app password" instead of using their main password. This is a significant security consideration that requires careful handling of sensitive data.
• Finding Your Server Address: Unlike dedicated tools, you must manually enter the correct IMAP server address for your specific email provider.
• 100-User Limit: The IMAP migration tool currently supports a maximum of 100 source users per migration. For larger groups, you will need to run multiple migration projects.

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Prerequisites Checklist

To ensure a smooth migration, complete the following setup tasks.

For Google Workspace:

• You must be a super administrator to run the migration.
• IMAP must be turned on for all target user accounts. This setting must be enabled at the organizational level in the Admin console.

For Your Source IMAP Server:

• You must have the correct IMAP server address.
• The server must be configured to allow connections from Google's IP address ranges.
• You must have the source email address and password (or app password) for every user being migrated.

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Step-by-Step IMAP Migration Guide

The process is managed from the Google Admin console.

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Step 1: Connect to the IMAP Server

1. Navigate to Menu > Data import & export > Data Migration (New).
2. For IMAP, click Migrate.
3. Enter the IMAP server address for your email provider. Click Test connection to ensure it's correct. A "Connected" notification will appear if successful.
   
   • Common IMAP Server Addresses:

*If your provider isn't listed, check your provider's documentation for this information. Keep in mind that your server might have a local server address like “.eu” instead of “.com”, always check your provider’s documentation if the migration isn’t working.

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Step 2: Create and Upload the User Migration Map

This step uses a CSV file to link source accounts to target accounts and provide the necessary credentials.

1. Create the CSV File: In a spreadsheet program, create a file with three columns and the exact headers: Source ImapUser, Source ImapPassword, and Target GUser.
2. Populate the Data: On each row, enter the source user's email, their password (or app password), and their new Google Workspace email address. The file must contain no more than 100 users and must not exceed 128 MB in size.
3. Upload the File: In the Admin console, click Upload CSV and select your file.

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Step 3: Configure Migration Settings

1. Choose a Start date to migrate messages from that point forward.
2. Optionally, select whether to Migrate deleted emails or Migrate spam emails.
3. Optionally, you can Exclude specific folders from the migration by entering their names, separated by commas. To exclude a subfolder, you must use the full path, separating the parent and child with a forward slash (e.g., Travel/Asia) .

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Step 4: Start and Finalize the Migration

1. Click Start migration.
2. You can monitor the progress in real-time from the dashboard, which shows :
   
   • Discovered tasks: Total items to be processed.
   • Successful: Items migrated successfully.
   • Failed: Items that failed to migrate.
   • Skipped: Items that were skipped.
   • Warning: Items migrated but with an issue.
   • Users processed: Number of users whose migration is complete.
   • Emails discovered, migrated, and skipped. 
3. After the initial run, you can perform a delta migration to copy any new emails that have arrived in the source accounts.
4. Once fully complete, click Exit migration to finalize the process.
5. This action is permanent and deletes all configuration data, reports, and the client ID for the migration.

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Expert Help for Complex IMAP Migrations

The IMAP migration tool is a powerful connector, but its complexities, especially the need to securely handle user passwords and the lack of support for contacts and calendars, can make it a daunting task for many organizations.

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Cloudasta offers expert-led migration services that remove these challenges. We can manage the entire process for you, using advanced tools that provide a more comprehensive migration of not just email, but calendars and contacts as well, without requiring you to handle sensitive user passwords directly.

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Contact Cloudasta today for a secure, complete, and hassle-free migration from any IMAP provider to Google Workspace.

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