How to Transfer Mail.ru Emails to Gmail for Free?

People who use Mail.ru daily might sometimes wish they could transfer to a different platform. If you are someone in a similar position, then check out my guide on how to migrate Mail.ru to Gmail fast and free.

Here, I will explore multiple means by which you can transfer emails from a @mail.ru address to a @gmail.com domain. Let us start by looking at the different reasons users report for finally switching platforms for good.

Why Do People Choose Gmail over Mail.ru?

One of the major reasons is the sheer amount of ads that are there in the Mail.ru UI. Gmail may also show you ads, but they are more subtle, barely noticeable.

Storage is another parameter where Gmail beats Mail.ru. With Gmail, you get a 15 GB mailbox for free, which almost doubles that of a typical Mail.ru account, whose free tier can only hold up to 8 GB of mail.

Gmail has a way more open and easier-to-use interface, with countless different apps and features that make the entire experience way better than a Mail.ru account.

Gmail has Gemini built in, which is far superior to any AI feature that Mail.ru offers. Other than that, the business suite, security, and privacy all point to Gmail, so switching to it seems like a no-brainer.

Now that we have seen all the reasons to transfer the data, let’s start dissecting the methods one by one. First up, we have the plain old email forwarding.

Forward Existing & Set Up Auto Forwarding for Upcoming Mails

One free way you migrate Mail.ru to Gmail is by forwarding messages. All you need to do is the following:

• Step 1. Log in to your Mail.ru account.
• Step 2. Open one of your emails.
• Step 3. Click on the forward arrow.
• Step 4. Type in your Gmail address.
• Step 5. Hit Send.

Repeat for every other email in the same manner. Remember, you can only forward one email at a time. Also, you will always have to forward again if a new email arrives. However, there is a way to bypass this. I will help you accomplish this by explaining the process of auto-forwarding.

Step 1. Use the same browser where you have logged in to your Mail.ru account and open this URL: https://e.mail.ru/settings/filters

Step 2. Click on Add forwarding.

Step 3. A dialog box appears; put your Gmail address. And press Save.

Step 4. (Optional) Make your Mail.ru account a safe sender in Gmail. To do that, navigate to Settings > See all settings > Filters and blocked addresses, then click Create a new filter, enter the sender’s address in the From field, and check the box next to “Never send it to spam” before clicking Create filter.

You may also add your Mail.ru address to Google Contacts to further signal Google that this account is safe and messages coming from it are not spam.

Check Out: My Guide on Mediacom Email to Gmail Migration

Please note that your emails are still subject to the Mail.ru filter, and only when a message is deemed safe will the forwarding rule apply to it.

Use Email Clients to Drag and Drop Emails

To migrate Mail.ru to Gmail, another option is to set up both accounts inside the same desktop-based email client.

Step 1. Install an email client (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.).

Step 2. Set up both Mail.ru and Gmail accounts one by one (You will need a Gmail app password for this)

Step 3. Open two instances of the same email client side by side. On one side keep Mail.ru and on the other side keep Gmail.

Step 4. Choose a few emails from Mail.ru and drag and drop them into a Gmail account folder. Repeat till you move all of the emails.

If you don’t like email clients, then there is a way to use Gmail itself; let me show you how.

Migrate Mail.ru to Gmail through Gmail Settings

Before you begin, make sure you have made a new app password for your Mail.ru account.

Also Read: Zoho Mail storage limit

Step 1. Log in to your Gmail account.

Step 2. Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner and select “See all settings.”

Step 3. Navigate to the “Accounts and Import” tab.

Step 4. In the “Check mail from other accounts” section, click on “Add a mail account.”

Step 5. A pop-up window will appear. Enter your full Mail.ru email address and click “Next.”

Step 6. Select “Import emails from my other account (POP3)” and click “Next.”

Step 7. Enter your Mail.ru username (your full email address) and your app-specific password (or your regular password if you don’t have two-factor authentication).

Step 8. For the POP Server, enter pop.mail.ru.

Step 9. The port should be 995.

Step 10. Crucially, check the box for “Leave a copy of retrieved message on the server.” This ensures your emails are not deleted from your Mail.ru account.

Step 11. It’s also recommended to check the box for “Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail.”

Step 12. You can also choose to “Label incoming messages” with your Mail.ru address to keep your imported emails organized.

Step 13. Click “Add Account.”

Step 14. Gmail will then ask if you want to be able to send mail as your Mail.ru address. You can choose “Yes” and follow the prompts, or “No.”

Step 15. The import process will begin. Depending on the number of emails, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. You can close the window, and the import will continue in the background.

Professional Means of Error-Free Mail.ru to Gmail Migration

As both Gmail and Mail.ru support IMAP, get a copy of SysTools IMAP migrator and use it to move the data between the two.

This tool is superior to all of the manual methods we have discussed thus far, as it allows you to define the particular time interval from which the migration should take place.
Not to mention its CSV mapping facility and concurrent migration features, with which anyone can move multiple Mail.ru accounts to @gmail.com IDs simultaneously.

How to Use the Tool for Transferring Mail.ru Emails to Gmail

Make sure you have the app passwords for both Gmail and Mail.ru.

Step 1. Launch the tool on your system. When you do, you will see that the IMAP endpoints and the email workload are preset. All you need to do is apply the date filter. Press Next

Step 2. On the Source Screen, toggle the IMAP Server dropdown and select Mail.ru from the list. The tool will fill in the IMAP server URL and port number automatically. Press Validate and hit Next.

Step 3. Likewise, on the Destination Screen, you need to select Gmail from the dropdown list. Here, too, the tool fills the IMAP Server URL and port number on its own. So just validate and hit Next.

Step 4. On the User Mapping page, you can see two buttons. First, press the Download Template to get the CSV, edit it, and fill in your Mail.ru email, app password, Gmail ID, and app password. Then upload it back into the tool.

Step 5. Witness the full user list, and mark the checkboxes for those users for whom you want to conduct a Mail.ru to Gmail migration. Among those selected, prioritize the accounts whose data you wish to transfer ASAP. Validate and start.

Conclusion

So now you know exactly what to do if you want to migrate Mail.ru to Gmail. There are multiple options available. There is email forwarding, using desktop-based email clients, and taking advantage of Gmail’s import mechanism. However, none of these methods compares to the speed and safety you get by using the professional tool.

So I recommend that you also choose the tool that is trusted by users worldwide and simplify your email account transfer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I am unable to set up a forwarding rule in my Mail.ru account. Why is that?
You need to have 2FA on your Mail.Ru account to set up forwarding. Without it, the setting would be hidden. Moreover, if you add a mobile number, there is a cool-down period of 14 days, only after which you can set up auto-forwarding.