How to Migrate Office 365 to ProtonMail? Easy Steps

“Privacy isn’t just a feature; it is actually a right,” says many privacy experts globally.

Have you somehow felt this ever that your emails are being viewed or scanned? Or do you ever feel that your business-critical emails deserve much more privacy & control than you have now? This is exactly when this whole idea to migrate Office 365 to ProtonMail crosses your mind.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Migrate Office 365 to ProtonMail for improving email privacy & data safety.
• Manual migration can be done but it is risky & lengthy, and ideal for small mailboxes only.
• Big business mailboxes need a professional solution to avoid data loss & avert migration stress.
• Good planning & prompt verification are highly crucial for a smooth migration process.

Also Read: Migrate Office 365 to Exchange

You Can’t Afford to Lose Any Crucial Emails!

Just imagine that you have lost access to some of your crucial Office 365 emails due to compliance rules or because of some privacy issues. This is really frightening, isn’t it? Such fright drives many people towards searching for a safer email storage option than this, and thus many of them pick Proton Mail. Check some common user queries below:

Q 1: Is there a safe method to move O365 emails to ProtonMail with no loss?
Ans: Yes! A trusted pro migrator is the safest, better than manual workarounds. Largely, the choice depends on your data size & skillset. For smaller mailboxes and good technical know-how, even a manual way can work, but a professional tool is something that works best always and under all situations.

Q 2: Is it possible to move business emails from O365 to ProtonMail quickly?
Ans: Manual techniques tend to be lengthy, so a professional tool is usually preferred for its speed.

Why Migrate Office 365 to ProtonMail?

The main reason why people wish to transfer Office 365 emails to ProtonMail is email data privacy.

Office 365 is definitely powerful, but it is actually cloud-based, and thus, prone to data scanning, defined policies, & regional data laws.

Proton Mail was actually founded by scientists from CERN and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Protected by strict Swiss privacy laws, this secure & encrypted email service offers topnotch safety. Proton uses end-to-end encryption & zero-access architecture, which precisely means that neither Proton nor any 3rd-party can decrypt or even read any of the user data.

Many working professionals, freelancer workers, journalists, and even small businessmen now wish to have complete control of their email data.

What Do the Global Numbers Speak?

• As per ProtonMail’s official website blog, it has been serving more than a hundred million users globally. They value email privacy & encryption.
• Microsoft Investor Reports indicate that O365 has more than 345 million paid users worldwide.

This clearly highlights the need for users towards actively comparing different email platforms and selecting privacy-focused email service.

A Real-World Case Being Discussed

A freelance consultant had been using O365 for client communication purposes. After handling sensitive docs, he became anxious about his email data exposure. He then planned to transfer Office 365 emails to ProtonMail to protect client privacy as well as meet confidentiality requirements.

Situations to Transfer Office 365 Emails to ProtonMail

Users mostly decide to move from Office 365 to ProtonMail in the following cases:

• When email data privacy becomes your top concern.
• While handling sensitive information.
• While dealing with legal docs in emails.
• While leaving your corporate O365 account due to job change.
• To lower dependence on a big-tech email platform.
• For the purpose of shifting to an encrypted email service.

Manual Way to Move from Office 365 to ProtonMail

The manual method is possible but it requires patience and technical understanding.

Stepwise Manual Migration Procedure

The steps are given below for this process:

1. Firstly, Set Up the Proton Account: You need to create a Proton Account at account.proton.me.
2. Then, Import Using Easy Switch:
   • Firstly, you need to sign in to Proton Mail, then go to Settings >> All settings >> Import via Easy Switch.
   • Now, you have to select Outlook (Office 365).
   • Then, you must authenticate your old account.
   • Proton will securely import emails, contacts, & calendars.
3. Now, Set Up Automatic Forwarding (This Is a Crucial Step):
   • Now, in Outlook on the web, you have to go to Settings (gear icon) >> Mail >> Forwarding.
   • Here, you need to enable forwarding & enter your new Proton Mail address.
4. After That, Export Local Data (This Step Is Optional for Older PST/Offline Data):
   • Now, you need to use the classic Outlook desktop app for exporting existing folders to a .pst file, and after that, import them through a desktop email client (such as Mozilla Thunderbird) connected to Proton Mail through Bridge.
5. Lastly, Verify and Finalize: You must now ensure all data has been transferred and incoming emails are forwarding properly, and then inform contacts of your new address.

Merits of Doing Manual Workaround

The manual way has some benefits for sure, that a technical person can avail:

• No need to pay any extra software cost.
• There is full user control in such ways.
• These processes are good in case of small mailboxes.

Demerits of Doing Manual Workaround

Manual exercise is somewhat risky, it has the following demerits known:

• This is going to eat up a lot of time of yours and test your patience too.
• You are on the higher side of committing errors.
• Such ways are not meant to be used in case of big mailboxes.
• Needless to mention that technical skill is a must to perform such steps.
• There isn’t any bulk migration support here.
• Folder structure might as well break.
• Email attachments might go missing.
• There is no automation here.
• No such error handling capability is there.

What Does the Tool Actually Do?

The tool safely connects an O365 account, extracts its mailbox data, and then converts into a format that is compatible with ProtonMail by making use of a safe workflow to lower any chances of email data loss.

Useful Features of Office 365 to ProtonMail Migration Tool

The software has an extensive range of useful features, as follows:

• Do not worry at all as you enjoy a secure O365 login here.
• Smooth bulk mailbox migration is possible.
• Folder hierarchy would be definitely maintained.
• Email attachments as well as metadata will all be preserved fully.
• The software has a simple UI, great for non-technical, beginner-level users.

How to Migrate Office 365 to ProtonMail with Tool?

The process is easy, quick, and simple to follow:

1. Install and Launch: Run the software on your system.
2. Office 365 Source: Select Office 365 as the email source and then enter Office 365 credentials, and then, login.
   
3. Analysis of Folders: The software is going to analyse your email folders.
4. View: On the left-hand side, you can view the folder list.
   
5. Select Saving Option: You have to select IMAP as the saving option. Then, enter your “Proton Mail” details along with IMAP Host & Port No. respectively.
6. The Process of Migration: Hit the Backup button to start the process.
7. Monitor the Progress: Watch the progress till the process gets finished.

Professional Tool Overshadows Manual Workaround

With numerous advantages, the automated solution beats the not-so-good manual way:

Asking Questions is a Part of Understanding 

It is understandable that people will come up with many questions, so we feel happy to answer them all:

Question: How to migrate O365 emails to ProtonMail in a safe manner?

Answer: You must make use of a trusted pro tool to ensure safety or if you choose to do the manual workaround, then perform it very carefully to ensure safety. The possibility of errors is more manual, and very less likelihood of errors while using the professional tool, so it is always a thumbs up!

Question: Is moving emails from Office 365 to ProtonMail a safe thing?

Answer: Yes, it is specifically safe if you use a trusted solution with secure authentication guarantee, which a pro tool ensures.

Ending Clarity 

Planning to migrate Office 365 to ProtonMail comes into picture for those who value email privacy & control. Manually, not everyone is able to achieve much, and fear is always there of data loss. This fear is ended if you pick the professional counterpart to do this migration so as to future-proof your communication.