How to Migrate Zimbra to Gmail Account With All Email Data?

Performing Zimbra to Gmail migration gives you better security and reduces hardware management overhead. There are multiple methods available, including the use of email clients, Gmail’s own built-in mechanism, or with the help of a dedicated Zimbra to Gmail migration utility.

The real challenge is how to move such a large amount of user email messages without losing data.

That is why in this guide, I will show you step-by-step what to do and what to avoid to safely switch your email service. Let us first see what all the advantages are that you get by choosing Gmail over Zimbra.

But, Why Do Users Prefer Gmail over Zimbra Mail?

There are plenty of email services available, but why do users want to migrate Zimbra emails to Gmail? So, let’s know the reason behind this migration quickly-

1. Gmail is fast, reliable, and easy to understand for data management as compared to Zimbra Mail. Every personal or organizational user can access their data in their Gmail account easily.
2. Security-wise, Google keeps trying its best to make user data safe and secure.
3. Most users opt for the Zimbra to Gmail migration to avoid annoying ad interruptions. Since Gmail has no ad interruptions based on their searches, users prefer to get used to the Gmail platform.
4. Moreover, it is even better to manage email data in Gmail because of its automatic sorting features. That keeps separate all the emails in promotion, spam, social, and other sections or folders.

How to Manually Transfer Zimbra Emails to Gmail?

There are three options, and you can choose either one to transfer emails.

Option 1: By Forwarding Emails

1. Open your Zimbra account >> Preferences >> Mail
2. Then, in the ‘Receiving Messages’ section, enter your Gmail account under the ‘Forward a copy to’ section.
3. Tick the ‘Don’t keep a local copy of Messages’.

Option 2: By Configuring/Adding Gmail Account on Zimbra

1. Open your Zimbra account >> Preferences >> Account.
2. Then, click on the Add External Account tab.
3. After that, provide User Name, Email Server, Gmail App Password, IMAP port number, etc.
4. Next, press Test Settings. When you see Success, click OK.
5. Now, use the drag & drop option to transfer Zimbra mails to Gmail.

Option 3: Pull Zimbra Mails into Gmail

1. Login to Zimbra webmail.
2. Go to Preferences > Accounts.
3. Scroll till you reach the Application section.
4. Tap on the Add Application Code button.
5. Type in a suitable name and hit Next.
6. Copy and save this password.
7. Go to Gmail account > Settings > See all settings
8. Accounts and Import > Import mail and contacts.
9. Fill in the details and follow the onscreen steps. Use the Zimbra application passcode instead of your regular account password.

Note: These options work well for single user accounts. For organization level transfer this can extend the duration to multiple weeks. Moreover, it’ll consume more storage space on Zimbra. That’s why experts recommend to use professional solution to save time & efforts.

Expert-Recommended Solution for Zimbra to Gmail Migration

When there is a need for a secure migration then what could be better than taking the help of a professional solution? That’s why experts suggest trusting a tried and tested solution. One such solution is SysTools IMAP Mail Migration Tool for Windows or MacOS which you can use to transfer email from Zimbra to Gmail with attachments.

Using this software is better in every aspect than other tools available in the market. Because it offers you various features to filter out the emails that you are looking for from your Zimbra account mailbox. In fact, it is compatible with all not only Windows 10/11 but also MacOS 11.0 and above.

Furthermore, this application offers a free trial version to try it out before moving to the licensed version. Before moving ahead with the software steps, let’s have a look at the tool features.

Top Features of Zimbra to Gmail Migration Tool

1. This tool has a date filter option for helping Mac users filter out the emails & attachments from the Zimbra account. In short, it allows you to transfer Zimbra emails to your Gmail accounts specifically. However, after setting the software will only migrate those emails that fall into that category.
2. Likewise, this solution comes with a simple GUI interface that helps both novice and technical users to a better understanding.
3. Furthermore, users can run this Zimbra to Gmail migration tool on the latest versions of the both Windows and Mac operating system easily.
4. Even one can migrate all emails in batch mode without dependency on any other email client. It will only require the account credentials for batch migration.
5. This is the expert-suggested solution for a direct way to migrate Zimbra to Gmail account.
6. Use the concurrent migration facility for migrating all emails from all the selected source accounts to the destination account in one go.

Guide to Transfer Zimbra Emails to Personal Gmail Account

To complete the migration safely, download, install, and run the tool. Then, follow the step-by-step instructions given below-

• On the Setup screen, go straight to the Date Filter selection as all other options are preset for you. Thereafter tap on Next.
  
• On the source screen choose Others and enter Zimbra server details, tap Validate, and hit Next.
  
• Now, select the Gmail/G Suite option in the Destination, all the details will be filled by the tool itself all you have to do is hit Validate to perform Zimbra to Gmail migration.
  
• Then, mouse-click on the CSV Template to download the mapping files edit them and upload it back into the application panel for linking specific Zimbra accounts to their Gmail counterparts.
  
• Lastly, after viewing and validating the user list all that’s left is to tap on the Start Migration tab for a bulk migration on a Mac or Windows desktop.
  

At last, it will show a completion migration message on the screen, tap OK to proceed. However, you can even have the migration report of the entire process that will contain the total success and failure numbers.

Anyway, some users also want to know whether they can carry out Zimbra to Gmail migration manually or not. Then, yes it’s possible. Let’s see how.

How to Transfer Zimbra Emails to Google Workspace Account?

If you are a Windows OS user, looking to migrate your Zimbra mailbox data to Google Workspace, technical professionals recommend the astonishing SysTools IMAP to G Suite Migrator. This Zimbra to Gmail migration utility is power-packed with the best features that make it proficient in bulk and selective Zimbra to Gmail migration. The tool allows you to migrate your data from all folders of the mailbox, i.e., inbox, drafts, sent, etc. This software also ensures preserving the original folder structure throughout the process. For selective migration, it offers a date filter, where you only have to enter preferred timestamps and the tool will figure out the data after that. Along with that, the utility is also supported by all Windows OS versions.

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Steps to Migrate Emails from Zimbra to Google Workspace Mailbox

• Download and launch the expert-recommended utility on your Windows computer.
  
• After launching, set IMAP as the Source and G Suite(for Google Workspace) as the Destination platform in the Setup panel.
  
• Next, select the checkbox for “Email” in the Workload Selection section.
  
• Moving further, if you wish to perform selective Zimbra to Gmail migration, select the checkbox for the “Date Filter” option.
  
• After you do that, choose an IMAP server in the Source panel. Select the “Other” option from the dropdown menu if operating from a server that is not available in the provided options.
  
• Afterward, enter the destination account details, i.e., Admin Email, Service Account, and Certificate File. Then, click the “Validate” button to validate all permissions.
  
• Next, in the Users panel, select either “Import Users” or the “Download Template” option to add users to the utility.
  
• Once you add the users, enter the “Source App Password” for the added user accounts.
  
• Lastly, from the top-right corner of the software interface, click the “Start Migration” button.
  

And that’s it! That’s all the steps you need to execute to successfully transfer your Zimbra emails to the G Suite mailbox.

Other Manual Methods Vs Professional Tool

Forwarding messages or calling Zimbra messages directly within Gmail platform are not the only ways with which data transfer can be done. Here are some options that also worked for other scenarios like when people migrate Fastmail to Gmail yet the professional tools are still a much better alternative..

I don’t know if you have heard about it but Google offers its own data migration solution for this exact purpose. The problem is its far too technical and confusing for regular user to operate. Instead they are better off using the professional Zimbra to Gmail migration utility described earlier in the post.

Another option that you might be considering is using an email client like a mail bridge. Thunderbird is a great example of such a client. Moreover you can use pre installed mail clients as well (Outlook for Windows and Apple Mail for Mac). When you do exercise caution, as there is no way to get a final report nor do you have any idea how many emails will be moved. So, even when drag and drop seems simple its far from it.

Conclusion

In this article, we have shared how to transfer email from Zimbra to G Suite account mailbox with attachments on a PC. For this task, we have even introduced you to an automated and professional solution. Hence, using this Zimbra to Gmail migration tool you can easily transfer bulk emails with attributes at once. For more, the tool even has a free demo version key that you can use for a limited email migration on a Mac PC.

Frequently Asked Questions by Users

Q- How much time is it going to take to transfer emails from my Zimbra account to Gmail?

The time duration to complete the email transfer depends on the number of emails you have in your Zimbra account, network availability, and internet speed. So, it would be difficult to say the exact time.

Q- Can I migrate emails from Zimbra maintaining the same folder structure to Gmail?

If you are taking the help of the above-mentioned tool then definitely it is a Yes. You don’t have to worry about the email folder structure.

Q- Will there be any downtime during the Zimbra to Gmail migration process?

Usually, the migration process doesn’t involve any downtime. However, to be on the safer side, it’s advisable to inform the users prior to the migration.

Q- Is there any dedicated Zimbra to Gmail migration utility?

No. the closest thing you will find is the solution described right here in the blog.

Read More: How to Export Emails from Roundcube to Gmail/G Suite Mailbox?