You can migrate Outlook emails to Gmail in a few ways.
De Visu/Shutterstock
To migrate all your emails from Outlook to Gmail, you’ll need to link your Gmail and Outlook accounts.
Once you link your accounts, all your email will migrate and you can manage your Outlook account through Gmail.
If you aren’t going to use Outlook anymore, you can perform a one-time migration instead.
Gmail is the most popular email service in the world, but Microsoft Outlook has its fair share of dedicated users too. And if you use both apps, you don’t have to live two separate lives — you can connect your accounts and migrate all your Outlook emails to Gmail.
Here’s how to migrate all your emails from Outlook to Gmail, whether you’re still using that Outlook account or want to abandon it.
Note: This guide assumes that you’re the sole owner of both your Outlook and Gmail accounts. If either account is managed by a third-party administrator — like your work or school — you should contact your IT department for help, since the steps might differ.
How to migrate emails from an active Outlook account to Gmail
This is for anyone who wants to keep using their Outlook account alongside the Gmail account. To do it, you’ll need to link your Gmail and Outlook accounts.
Linking the accounts lets you see your Outlook emails in the same inbox as your Gmail account, and they’ll be available on every device. When you delete an Outlook email in Gmail, it’ll delete from your Outlook account too. The accounts will sync every 10 to 20 minutes to fetch new emails.
You’ll also be able to send emails from Gmail using the Outlook account. When you’re composing an email, just click your name in the From field to pick the sending account.
You can link your accounts using the Gmail website or mobile apps.
Using the Gmail website
1. Open the Gmail website and click the gear icon in the top-right, and then click See all settings.
2. Open the Accounts and Import tab. Next to Check mail from other accounts, click Add a mail account.
Add your Outlook account to Gmail.
Google; William Antonelli/Insider
3. Enter in the Outlook address you want to link and click Next.
4. When you’re asked if you want to link accounts using Gmailify or import mail using POP3, select the Gmailify option.
5. A pop-up will appear asking if you want to give Gmail permission to access your Outlook account. If your browser’s pop-up blocker stops it, disable the blocker and try again.
Once you give permission, Gmailify will link the accounts, and you’ll have access to all your Outlook email in Gmail.
Using the Gmail app
1. Download the Gmail app onto your Android, iPhone, or iPad if you don’t already have it.
2. Open the app and set up your Gmail account.
3. Once you’ve got a Gmail account set up, tap your user icon in the top-right corner and select Add another account from the menu that appears.
Make sure you’re logged into the Gmail account you want to link with Outlook.
Google; William Antonelli/Insider
4. Select the Outlook, Hotmail, and Live option.
5. You can choose whether you want to link the accounts using Gmailify or not. Using Gmailify will configure your Outlook account’s folders and spam filters to act like Gmail’s.
6. Type in your Outlook address and log into it using the Microsoft page that opens.
Let the accounts link. Once they’re done, you’ll be able to check your Outlook emails in the same inbox as your Gmail messages.
How to migrate emails from an old Outlook account to Gmail
If you want to stop using Outlook and start using Gmail exclusively, you can perform a one-time import of all your Outlook emails. This will migrate over all your existing Outlook contacts and messages, and will also keep an eye on your Outlook account for the next 30 days in case any late messages come in.
1. First, head to the Microsoft website and log into the Outlook account that you want to migrate emails from.
2. Open the Gmail website and click the gear icon in the top-right corner, then select See all settings.
3. In the menu that appears, click the Accounts and Import tab near the top.
4. Next to Import mail and contacts, click Import from another address.
Instead of adding an account, we’ll import it.
Google; William Antonelli/Insider
5. Type in the Outlook address that you want to migrate your mail from, then click Continue.
6. On the next page, click Continue again and give Gmail permission to access your Outlook account. If you have a pop-up blocker enabled, you might need to disable it and then start the process over.
7. Once they’re linked, select what you want to migrate over from Outlook: Contacts, mail, and/or new mail for the next 30 days. We recommend selecting all three.
You should select all three options.
Google; William Antonelli/Insider
Depending on how much mail you had in the Outlook account, this could take a while. Once it’s done, a message will appear at the top of Gmail telling you that the import is complete.
All your Outlook mail will be kept in a separate folder, but you can freely move those messages however you want.
This is a one-time migration, so once it’s complete — or if you picked the new mail option, once the 30 days have passed — Gmail disconnects from Outlook. If you missed anything, you’ll need to run the import again.