How to Migrate Gmail to Zoho Mail the Right Way

Transferring between two email service providers sounds easy, but when you get into the actual process, many questions start to emerge. Should I push out Gmail data or use Zoho’s pull feature? Which protocol, IMAO or POP, is better? What happens to the attachments & labels, etc?

My curiosity to find the best method led me to test all of them, from forwarding emails to setting up email clients and everything in between. So, in this guide, I’ll share everything I found along the way: what works, what doesn’t. Before starting the Gmail to Zoho transfer, let’s take a sneak peek at the reasons people give for making the switch.

Why Move from Gmail to Zoho Mail?

Zoho Mail is becoming a popular alternative to Gmail because it offers:

• An ad-free email experience, even on the free plan.
• Better privacy controls (Zoho doesn’t scan your mail for advertising).
• Integrated productivity tools (Calendar, Cliq, WorkDrive, and CRM).
• Custom domain support for business users.

However, shifting your entire email history manually can be tricky, especially if you have thousands of messages spread across multiple folders. So let’s start small with the simplest method first and work our way up. At the end, I will reveal a tool that outperforms all manual methods.

How to Migrate Gmail to Zoho Mail Flawlessly? Complete Prerequisites

• Create a new Zoho account if you haven’t already
• Enable 2FA on both Gmail and Zoho,
• Make one new app password for Gmail and a new app password for Zoho as well. Moreover, you only get to see the app password once, so copy and save it at an appropriate spot for later use.)
• Enable IMAP access in Zoho (Gmail is IMAP by default). You can do this via Zoho Settings > Mail Accounts > IMAP > IMAP Access > Save.
• Backup Gmail to create a safety net.
• Check the total volume of Gmail emails, and if there is enough space in Zoho to accommodate all emails and still function.

Once all of this is done, you are ready to transfer the mails.

Set up Auto Forwarding and Transfer New Gmail Emails to Zoho

Step 1. Open Gmail ID
Step 2. Click on the Gear Icon “⚙” (Look at the top right)
Step 3. Select See all settings.

Step 4. Switch to Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
Step 5. Press the “Add a forwarding address” button.

Step 6. Inside the “Add a forwarding address” box, enter the Zoho email address.
Step 7. Then, click Next.

Step 8. A window opens up to verify your request. Click on the Proceed button(a 2FA authentication mechanism may also appear; if it does, repeat the last two steps)

Step 9. Log in to your Zoho account, open the Gmail Forwarding Confirmation Mail.
Step 10. In the mail, click on the link to confirm the request.

Step 11. A new tab opens in your browser. Tap the Confirm button.

Check for the Confirmation success notification.

Step 12. Go back to Gmail settings, toggle the “Forward a copy of incoming mail to” paste your Zoho email, and decide whether you want to keep a copy of the mail in your Gmail account or directly forward it to Zoho.

Step 13. Scroll down in the Gmail settings menu and click Save changes.

These settings only apply to emails that arrive after you set the forwarding rule; all of the original emails remain intact and dont move over to Zoho. To move them, you must manually forward each message as multi-message forwarding is forbidden.

• Step 1. Open any email.
• Step 2. Click on the 3 vertical dots at the top right side.
• Step 3. Choose Forward.
• Step 4. A new draft opens in the field. Add your Zoho ID, then hit send.
• Step 5. Repeat for all the messages you want to see in your Zoho email ID.

There is a way to move Gmail emails en masse, let’ see how it’s done.

Forward as Attachments, then Import EML Files

Step 1. Log in to your Gmail account.

Step 2. While on the main screen, use the master checkbox to select every email. Or make a more refined selection by picking individual emails one by one.

Step 3. Once done, click on the 3 dots icon in the top ribbon and select Forward as attachment option.

Step 4. A new email draft gets created in the To field. Add your Zoho email address, wait for all the EML files to upload, and Press Send.

Step 5. Sign in to your Zoho mail account.

Step 6. Open the email you sent from the Gmail account that contains all the EML attachments

Step 7. Click on the Download as Zip button to save all emails on your device.

Step 8. Press the settings cog on the right side tool ribbon of the Zoho Mail UI.

Step 9. In the Settings menu, search or scroll for the Import/Export Emails option.

Step 10. Remain on the Import from EML tab

Step 11. Drag and drop the EML zip you just made or browse for it on your device.

Step 12. Once the file is ready, choose the Import options, either a specific folder or directly into your Zoho account.

Step 13. Click Import. Wait for the Import to finish. You can check the status in the Import History section of the Import from EML tab.

Soon, all your Gmail emails will arrive inside your Zoho Account. Forwarding and importing aren’t the only ways; I have discovered a few more methods.

How to Migrate Gmail to Zoho Mail Using Desktop Email Clients

Step 1. Set up both your Zoho (Via App Password) and Gmail (Via OAuth2) inside your Email client (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.)

Step 2. Then open two instances of the client side by side in a split-screen setup

Step 3. Select a batch of emails from your source Gmail inbox, then drag and drop them into your Zoho account. Note that you can only drag and drop emails inside custom folders, so make one for your Zoho account before you begin.

Step 4. Repeat the drag and drop operation as many times as you require. Be careful about adding the same email twice.

Add Gmail Account to Zoho via POP or IMAP

Here I am going to showcase to you the POP3 method; the steps are almost identical for an IMAP type account as well

Step 1. Log in to Gmail, click on the settings gear icon > See all settings.

Step 2. Go to Forwarding and IMAP/POP tab.

Step 3. Enable POP and Save Changes.

Step 4. Wait for a while to let Gmail update your account settings.

Step 5. Then, open your Zoho mail account, click on the settings cog, and look for the Mail accounts section in the settings window

Step 6. Click on the + icon, keep the account type as POP or IMAP, then under the “Choose your external mail account option”, select Google.

Step 8. Once you do that, new options appear. Scroll down and add your Gmail address in the respective field.

Step 9. Keep the Delete emails from server option unchecked

Step 10. Press Authenticate

Step 11. Gmail will use the OAuth2 protocol to verify your account. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Step 12. Mark the Read, compose, send, and permanently delete all your emails from Gmail, and hit continue.

Step 13. Your Gmail account will now be set up as a POP email inside Zoho.

Step 14. To view Gmail emails, click on the switch button (two opposite-pointing arrows)

Note that in this method, no mail merger takes place; both email IDs remain separate. Essentially, what happens is that now you can switch directly between Zoho and Gmail from the Zoho Mail interface.

How to Migrate Gmail to Zoho Mail Professionally?

Install the SysTools IMAP to IMAP Migration tool on your machine, launch it, and activate it.

 
Step 1. On the setup screen majority of the settings are preset to minimize your effort. If you wish, add the optional date filter to only migrate emails from a specific time period. Press Next.

Step 2. On the Source screen, use the dropdown and select Gmail (it should be the first option). The tool will fill in the IMAP details on its own; just validate and press Next.

Step 3. For the destination account, you need to be careful. Zoho provides diffrent types of accounts depending on what you have the You need to select from the drop-down choices. If you have a premium (business type Zoho account then choose the Zoho Mail Option from the list, its IMAP server address will fill up automatically “imappro.zoho.com”.
However, if you have just made your Zoho account and still use the free tier, then scroll till the last and choose Others. Now type in imap.zoho.in as the IMAP Server URL. The port number will be 993. Validate these details and Press Next.

Step 4. Now, to add your Gmail and Zoho account, you need to download the CSV template, edit it, and import the csv list. (You can add multiple accounts)

Step 5. Check mark the accounts you wish to move, prioritize the most critical ones, validate, and start migration. Soon, you will see that all of your Gmail emails arrive in the Zoho account.

Compare and Contrast All Methods

This table will help you decide how to migrate Gmail to Zoho Mail in the best way.

Method	Moves Old Emails	Keeps Folder Structure	Bulk Migration	Ease of Use
Forward Rule	❌	❌	❌	Easy
Manual Forward	✅	❌	❌	Moderate
EML Import	✅	❌	⚠️ Partial	Moderate
Desktop Client	✅	✅	⚠️ Partial	Difficult
POP/IMAP	✅	❌	✅	Moderate
Professional Tool	✅	✅	✅	Very Easy

Summary: Only professional software ensures a complete Gmail-to-Zoho transfer with minimal effort and no data loss.

Author’s Verdict

Gmail to Zoho Mail migration can be done in several ways. From quick forwarding to professional tools.

I made you understand that there is no doubt that manual methods work for basic needs, but they’re time-consuming, error-prone, and incomplete.

So if you want to migrate emails from Gmail to Zoho Mail securely, maintain folder structure, and save time, the professional tool is your best choice.

FAQs

Q1. Gmail forwarding not working?
Make sure you verified the forwarding address in Zoho Mail and saved the settings. Moreover, you can also add your Gmail address as a trusted sender in Zoho.

Q2. Import from EML stuck?
Reduce file size (Zoho limits import per ZIP). Split into smaller batches.

Q3. Can a POP account import create a 2-way sync?
No, the POP3 protocol only downloads the Inbox emails. Use IMAP or the professional tool for full sync.

Q4. Can I migrate contacts and calendars, too?
This tool only supports email transfer; contacts and calendars can be exported separately via CSV and ICS formats.