Backup Outlook Emails to Gmail – Methods for Efficient Migration

We will take you through the entire process and tell you the most commonly used processes to help you easily backup Outlook emails to Gmail. Before we begin, we will first discuss why a user might want to perform this migration. 

Why Backup Emails to Gmail?

Gmail has become one of the most secure platforms with advanced security features. This allows you to save your important files and data in Drive or other inbox easily. Moreover, the storage capacity you get free of charge is 15GBs. The reason why a user may want to backup Outlook emails to Gmail is the following: 

1. Outlook email data is saved on computers. 
2. Data loss or a completely corrupted drive of the computer can lead to all your emails getting lost too. 
3. Backing up these emails to an online platform such as Gmail will help save your data even in the event of data loss.
4. This will also ensure that in the future, according to your needs, you can use these emails in Outlook again. 
5. It may also be a personal preference. Gmail is the most popular email service because people love the user experience. This alone is a good reason to backup Outlook emails to Gmail. 
6. Gmail is an important application in Google’s ever-growing ecosystem. It is very well integrated with several services such as Docs, Google Drive, and YouTube. 
7. Outlook has several issues. One of them is the anti-spam filter that diverts emails sent by legitimate users to the spam folder. Gmail does not have this issue which is why it is the best alternative out there. 

Before You Backup Outlook Emails to Gmail

There are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you start the process: 

1. If your inbox is quite large, it can take some time to completely export all you emails. 
2. Using the account during the process of taking a backup should be avoided so as to prevent loss of data. 
3. You should get rid of your spam folder and other emails that you don’t need before starting the process. 

Methods to Backup Outlook Emails to Gmail

This section is going to help you transfer Outlook emails to Gmail by using four different methods. It is advisable that you try each method to see which one suits you as all the different methods depend on your preferences and how much time you have. 

Method 1. Manually Backup Outlook Emails to Gmail by Saving the PST File

• Step 1. Click on your Gmail account in the Outlook app. 
• Step 2. Click on File > Open&Export > Import/Export > Import from another file. 
• Step 3. Select the backup file and wait until the import process is complete. 

Note: Depending on the version of Outlook, the menu options may be different. 

After the process is complete, you can save the PST file to your desktop. You will have to open these emails in the Gmail app. You need to first sign-in to your Gmail account and then follow the steps given below: 

1. Open settings in the top-right corner 
2. Click on all settings. 
3. Go to the accounts and import tab.
4. Click on the Import mails and contacts option. 
5. Browse your local files and find the saved PST file. 

This will take some time, depending on the size of the PST file. Once completed, You can see all the emails in your Gmail account. 

Method 2. Backup Emails to Gmail Using the Gmail Website

You will have to go to Gmail’s settings to integrate the emails from the Outlook application. This time, instead of taking a backup of the PST file, we can directly import them through the Gmail app. Here are the steps to follow: 

1. Click on Settings. 
2. Choose See all settings. 
3. Go to the Account and Import tab. 
4. Click on Import and Mail contacts. 
5. Enter the Outlook email that you want to backup. 
6. Follow the instructions. 
7. Give access to your live account details. 

Now, the process is completed. Following these steps will ensure that Gmail imports all the data from Outlook to Gmail. You can follow these detailed steps to ensure all your files are backed up. 

Method 3. Backup Emails to Gmail Using IMAP

This method will make use of the IMAP feature in the Gmail settings that allows it to import emails from the Outlook email. We advice that you make sure to follow each step carefully to backup Outlook emails to Gmail. Here are the steps to do so: 

1. Open Outlook and login to your account. 
2. Go to Open&Export option > Import/Export.
3. In the menu, choose Export to a file option. 
4. Select the items that you wish to export. 
5. Save the file on your desktop. 

After you have successfully exported your email files, you need to take some additional steps. To do this, log into your Gmail account and then follow the steps given below: 

1. Go to the settings option. 
2. Click See all settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP. 
3. Click on the enable IMAP option
4. Save the changes and let the process complete.

Once you have followed these steps, go to Outlook and login using your gmail account. This will push Gmail into importing all of your emails into the inbox of Gmail. After this, you can see your Outlook emails in your Gmail inbox. 

Using an Automated Tool

You can also use an automated tool that is built for this specific purpose. Using the SysTools Outlook to G Suite Migration Tool is the easiest way you can backup Outlook emails to Gmail. This tool is one of the best in the industry and it has a variety of features.

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Here the features of this tool: 

1. You can move emails, contacts, calendars and much more from Outlook to Gsuite.
2. It is capable of migrating Outlook .pst to Gsuite account in bulk at once. 
3. You can import CSV files that have all the source and destination mailboxes already mapped in it. 
4. It also allows for selective data migration by using a data filter. 
5. It is capable of maintaining the folder structure after the PST to Gmail migration. 
6. You get a dashboard interface where you can track the migration process in detail. 

Conclusion

There are various methods that you can use to backup Outlook emails to Gmail. It is very important to ensure that you follow all the steps to avoid data loss during the backup. You can alternatively, choose an automated tool that can perform the migration process completely by itself in some simple steps. This will help you improve you productivity as well as save a lot of time.