The fastest way to transfer emails is to use Gmail's built-in forwarding and import tools

You can move emails from one Gmail account to another in two main ways: forward new messages automatically going forward, or download and import your existing emails all at once. The method you choose depends on whether you want to keep both accounts active, move everything at once, or set up a gradual transition.

Gmail does not have a single "transfer all emails" button that moves everything in one step. Instead, you use a combination of the Import Mail tool (which pulls in old messages) and mail forwarding (which sends new messages to your new account). Both are free and built into Gmail itself — you do not need third-party software or pay anything.

Key Takeaways

  • Use Gmail's Import Mail tool to download all existing emails from your old account and move them into your new one.
  • Set up automatic forwarding in your old account so new messages arrive in your new account without you checking the old one.
  • The import process can take hours or days depending on how many emails you have, so start it when you do not need immediate access.
  • After forwarding is active, log into your old account occasionally to make sure nothing is getting stuck or bouncing back.
  • You will need to update your email address in other accounts and services once the transfer is complete.

Import your existing emails using Gmail's built-in tool

The Import Mail feature pulls all your old emails, contacts, and calendar events from your old Gmail account into your new one. To start, log into your new Gmail account and go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right), then select "See all settings." Click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab.

Scroll down to "Import mail and contacts" and click "Import mail and contacts." Gmail will ask for your old email address and password. Enter them, then choose what you want to import: mail, contacts, or both. You can also select a date range if you only want emails from a certain period. Click "Start import" and Gmail will begin pulling everything over.

The import runs in the background, so you can close the browser and come back later. Depending on how many emails you have, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to several days. Gmail will send you an email to your new account when the import is finished. Your old emails will appear in your new account's inbox or in a folder labeled with your old email address, depending on your settings.

Set up automatic forwarding for new messages

Once your old emails are imported, set up forwarding so any new messages that arrive at your old account automatically go to your new one. Log into your old Gmail account, go to Settings, and click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab again.

Under "Forwarding," click "Add a forwarding address." Enter your new Gmail address and click "Next." Gmail will send a confirmation email to your new account — open it and click the confirmation link. Once confirmed, go back to your old account's Settings, select your new email address from the forwarding dropdown, and choose whether to keep a copy of forwarded messages in your old account or delete them after forwarding.

If you select "Delete Gmail's copy after forwarding," new messages will move to your new account and disappear from the old one. If you select "Keep Gmail's copy in the Inbox," messages will appear in both places. Most people choose to keep a copy for a few weeks as a safety net, then delete it later once they are confident everything is working.

Check that forwarding is actually working

After you turn on forwarding, send yourself a test email from another account to your old Gmail address. Wait a few minutes, then check your new account to see if it arrived. If it did not, log back into your old account and check the Forwarding settings — sometimes the forwarding address needs to be re-confirmed or the setting gets turned off accidentally.

Also check your old account's Spam folder occasionally during the first week. If forwarded emails are landing there instead of your new inbox, click "Not spam" on one of them and Gmail will learn to stop filtering them. If forwarding stops working after a few days, it usually means Gmail detected unusual activity and temporarily disabled it as a security measure — log into your old account, confirm you are the owner, and re-enable forwarding.

Update your email address everywhere else

Once forwarding is working and you have confirmed your old emails imported successfully, update your email address in any other accounts or services that use your old Gmail. This includes your bank, insurance, work email, social media, shopping sites, and any subscriptions. You do not have to do this all at once, but the sooner you do, the sooner you can stop monitoring your old account.

Some services let you change your email directly in account settings. Others require you to verify the change by clicking a link sent to your new address. A few older services may not let you change your email at all — in those cases, keep your old account active or set up a mail rule to flag messages from that service so you do not miss them.

Decide when to close or keep your old account

You do not have to close your old Gmail account right away. Many people keep it active for a few months with forwarding turned on, just in case something important arrives there. After a few months, when you are confident everything has moved over and no important messages are still coming in, you can delete the account.

To close a Gmail account, go to your Google Account settings (myaccount.google.com), click "Delete your account or services" on the left, then "Delete a Google service." Select Gmail and follow the prompts. Google will give you a warning that this is permanent and will delete all emails in that account. If you want to keep the emails but just stop using the account, you can leave it open and simply stop checking it — forwarding will continue to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will forwarding work if I change my password on the old account?

Yes. Forwarding continues to work even after you change your password. However, if you have other devices or apps (like your phone) still logged into the old account, they may stop working after a password change. You will need to update them with the new password or remove the account from those devices.

What happens to emails I receive after I start the import but before it finishes?

The import tool only pulls emails that were in your old account when you started the import. Any new emails that arrive during the import process will not be included in that batch. That is why setting up forwarding after the import is important — it catches everything that arrives after the import is done.

Can I import emails from a Gmail account that is not mine?

No. Gmail's import tool requires you to enter the password for the account you are importing from. You cannot import from someone else's account without their password, and you should never ask for or use someone else's password to access their email.

Will my old emails appear with the same labels and folders in my new account?

Gmail does not have traditional folders, but it does have labels. When you import emails, the labels from your old account will come over to your new account with the same names. If you created custom labels in your old account, those will transfer too.

What if I only want to transfer some emails, not all of them?

The import tool does not let you pick individual emails — it imports everything from a date range you choose. If you only want certain emails, you can manually download them from your old account using Gmail's download feature, then upload them to your new account. This is slower but gives you more control over what moves.