How to Migrate Office 365 to Gmail without Losing Data?

Email experts say: “Email data is definitely critical business memory, and losing any of this would really mean losing trust.”

Lately, O365 has decided to increase the subscription fee, hitting users straight in their wallets. Resultantly, people are searching for a safer spot for their 365 mailboxes. You see, for most people, it is Google, if not Microsoft! So, the most probable place-taker of Office 365 email is Gmail. Thus, the need to migrate Office 365 email to Gmail emerges. There are plenty of other reasons too to make such a move! This blog sheds light on this migration in detail.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Understand why people decide to migrate Office 365 email to Gmail.
• Explore manual workarounds with stepwise guidance.
• Know the limitations of undertaking the slow manual migration.
• Discover how an automated solution quickens the task considerably.

Many people these days wish to import Office 365 email to Gmail as Gmail is easy, fast, & simple to manage. Here, in this blog, we will be explaining why such a need emerges, the issues users face often, the manual workarounds for this migration, and introduce a professional tool that turns the slow manual task into a fast ride.

Why Do People Think to Migrate Office 365 email to Gmail?

With Gmail, everything works so smoothly, there is never any confusion, and no delays at all. Office 365, on the other hand, feels complex and it is a costly affair too! So, many users are making the move these days. Know what your fellow users are asking about this migration:

Ques: How to move Office 365 emails to Gmail in a safe manner?
Ans: You can make use of a professional migrator that guarantees a safe outcome.

Ques: Will emails & folders stay the same even after migration?
Ans: Yes! If the migration is done properly using the right tool, these are going to remain intact even after the process.

Time When Gmail Starts Appealing to O365 Users

Before talking about the ways to do this migration, let us enlist some reasons to be encouraged for this change:

• You need a simpler email experience, which you get with Gmail. Navigating a cleaner & more intuitive interface of Gmail is easier than Office 365.
• Gmail gives anywhere access. A Gmail account can be accessed in any web browser, smartphone device or other machines as well.
• Gmail also provides better spam filtering & advanced search capabilities.
• Sometimes, your company’s rebranding calls for this change.
• The cost benefit can’t be ruled out! Gmail cuts your business costs.
• Sometimes, such a need arises while leaving a company.
• Some people want to shift from paid O365 plans to the free one, i.e. Gmail.
• Often, long-term email access is sought, which is best given by Gmail.
• You need to have collaboration with Google tools.

Email Migration Stress is the Major Issue! When people decide to migrate Microsoft 365 email to Gmail, they usually worry about losing their emails, folders, attachments, or timestamps. Many people also face login errors, syncing problems, and partial email transfer issues during the migration process. A small mistake could lead to permanent email data loss, which is why performing the process with full accuracy is highly crucial.

Manual Exercises to Import Office 365 email to Gmail

There do exist some manual workarounds to get this done for free.

Steps of the First Manual Way: Configure Office 365 Account in Gmail

With this manual method, you can migrate your Office 365 emails to a selected Gmail account by following the below mentioned steps:

1. First of all, you need to log in to your Gmail account.
2. Then, you should click the Gear icon.
3. Then, you have to choose the “See All Settings” option.
4. Under this, go to “Accounts and Import.”
5. Here, you must choose “Check mail from other accounts”.
6. Now, you should enter your Office 365 credentials.
7. Next, you now have to select POP settings and then enter POP details
8. Now, you can manage other import options.
9. Lastly, you must press the “Start Import” button.

If you find this above way very technical and need an easy alternative solution, then check the next workaround given below.

Steps of the Second Manual Way: Migrate O365 to Gmail via Outlook

In this process, Outlook is needed as an intermediary app. Also, before you implement this technique, make sure that Gmail & O365 accounts of yours are configured in Outlook. After that, you can follow the below given steps.

1. Firstly, you must open Outlook and then navigate to the File tab.
2. Here, you have to create a new folder in Outlook. You can do this by right-clicking the account. Alternatively, you can even do this by clicking the Folder menu and then selecting the New Folder option.
3. Then, from the list of preferences, you need to select the New Folder option.
4. Now, you should assign the name and also decide the folder, under which you wish to show up your newly created folder.
5. Once done with the folder creation, you now need to drag and drop those emails from Office 365 into this newly formed folder in Gmail.

Pluses of Manual Methods

It is not like the manual ways are totally worthless. Technically sound people can get some benefits out of these, as follows:

• You do not have to pay any extra cost here.
• Such ways are helpful enough for small mailboxes.
• Basic migration is surely possible with these methods.

Manual Ways Won’t Eliminate Your Stress Fully

In the absence of sound technical knowhow, you may find such methods to be complex, and if the steps are not done right, you may face adverse results too:

• There is a risk of missing emails.
• Folder structure preservation isn’t guaranteed.
• These processes are pretty slow for big-sized mailboxes.
• Technical understanding is somewhat mandatory to carry out these steps.
• You won’t be sure about attachments.
• You can’t migrate large data with these methods.
• There is no such selective email export option.
• Complete metadata retention isn’t possible at all.
• There is a pretty high likelihood of making human errors.

Manual workarounds are pretty tiresome, and if you have plenty of emails with you, then around 2-3 days would be gone into this process. Still, you won’t be sure about full transfer. To eliminate such problems, you can pick an automated tool to migrate Office 365 email to Gmail in a few minutes only.

How to Migrate Office 365 emails to Gmail in Best Way?

The process to export Outlook 365 emails to Gmail using this tool is simple, and steps are easy to follow:

1. First of all, download the tool, install it, and run it on your machine.
2. Then, from the left panel, select Office 365 as the email source. After that, enter login credentials. Now, login.
   
   
3. Next, the software will analyse your email folders. Here, on the left side, see the folder list.
   
4. Next, select Gmail as the saving option and login to your account.
   
5. And then, press the Backup button to initiate the migration process.

The Professional Tool Outsmarts Manual Ways

The automated solution takes the leap and manual ways lag behind:

Must-Check These DOs & DON’Ts

There are some things you can do and some prohibitions to avoid for best results:

• DO make use of a dedicated tool for big-sized mailboxes.
• DO check the credentials properly before initiating the migration.
• DO NOT use any manual way if you are dealing with business-critical data.
• DO NOT ignore taking email backups first of all.

Helpful FAQ Section

This question-answer section is for better & deeper understanding:

Q 1: Is it possible for me to keep folders intact while migrating my emails?
Yes! A professional tool will help you in this regard to preserve folder structure fully during migration.

Q 2: How do I transfer emails from Outlook 365 to Gmail?
You can make use of a decent migration solution, preferably the professional one, for getting the best outcome.

Final Understanding 

If you are planning to migrate Office 365 email to Gmail, then understanding the best approach is highly crucial. By now, you are well aware that manual ways work for smaller tasks, and the professional tool guarantees a stress-free process, irrespective of the size & scale of your migration.