How to Migrate Windstream.net Email​ to Gmail Explained

Are you still using your @windstream.net account as the primary means to exchange email online? You dont have to. I will teach you exactly how to migrate Windstream.net email​ to Gmail so that you can leave the ISP-tied email service for once and for all. Let us see what you gain from transitioning away from a Windstream account and adopting Gmail.

Why You Should Migrate Windstream.net Email​ to Gmail ASAP

The longer you keep using Windstream.net, the more difficult it becomes to leave. So don’t delay any longer. Don’t worry, I will provide you with a variety of methods to make the switch, starting from the options available right inside your Windstream account.

Forward All Windstream Mail to a @Gmail ID

We can utilize the native email delivery mechanism to our advantage and transport a copy of all newly arriving messages from the Windstream account to Gmail. Here are the steps for it.

• Step 1. In your account, you should see a Preferences section (usually at the top), and click it.
• Step 2. Click the Mail option (on your left-hand side)
• Step 3. Look for the Receiving Messages tab, there add your new Gmail account as the recipient to which all upcoming messages will transfer.
• Step 4. (Optional but recommended) You also have the option to delete the message from your mailbox after it is sent to Gmail, just check the Remove a local copy box.

However, this feature only works on all upcoming messages; you can’t force it to move your existing messages.

• Log in to the Windstream Webmail portal (managed by Kinetic).
• Sort your emails so the oldest messages are at the top. This is optional, but it helps you track your progress and ensures they arrive in Gmail in the correct order.

• Open the first email in the list and hit the forward icon (don’t hit reply all)
• A new email draft should appear. In the To field, put the new Gmail account address (make sure you have already made a Windstream account as a safesender/not spam)
• Verify the message details, omit anything you dont want, and hit Send.
• Repeat for all remaining messages.

However, despite all this, I still won’t use it for my Windstream account. Let me tell you why.

Forwarding Emails Causes Problems

Here is a list of issues you encounter when you try to migrate Windstream.net email​ to Gmail via mail forwarding:

• Original sender information gets overwritten: This is the biggest issue when you manually. Forward an email – the From field changes from the original sender to your Windstream account.
• Later, when you search for a particular message or want to see who wants the original sender, you will have to go through the body of emails.
• Daily send limits bottleneck the forwarding. To prevent email spam, many email providers keep a hard limit on how many emails you can send in a day. For Windstream, this limit is 500 per day and 100 per hour.
• When you reach the limit, you will have to wait for the reset. Forwarding emails involves a lot of effort; even with the autoforwarding facility, you still have to shift your existing messages. This has to be done manually.

There is a better way that Gmail provides for free, so let’s see what it is and how to use it.

Native Way to Add Windstream.net Email​ in Gmail

• Log in to Gmail. You should see a small gear icon at the top right; this is the Settings option. Click it.
• A drop-down menu appears. Select See all settings and wait for the Settings page to load.
• Inside the Settings page, switch over to the Accounts and Import section.
• The Accounts and Import section contains many options. Don’t get confused; ignore everything else and select the Import mail and contacts link.
• A new window appears. Follow whatever instructions appear there. Make sure you have your Windstream account details ready on a notepad to paste.

Migration Status and Limitations

Once all the steps are complete, Gmail will start bringing in your Windstream data. You are free to leave the Settings page and continue your other work. When compared to forwarding, this method is a massive improvement. However, it still isn’t perfect. Let me explain why: Lack of Pre-Migration Filters: First and foremost is the lack of pre-migration filters. You can’t put any date filter, which means you have to either bring in all of your data or drop the plan entirely. Time Commitment: The second limitation is the amount of time it takes. I am not talking about just the setup part; the migration itself takes anywhere from a couple of days to an entire week. During this period, you are in limbo, not knowing whether the migration passed or failed.

Also See:  Methods to Transfer Optus email to Gmail

All of this calls for a better method, and thankfully, there exists one.

Professional Method to Transfer Windstream.net Email​ to Gmail

The SysTools IMAP Migration Software is the top-rated solution for all inter-account email transfers, including the transfer of Windstream.net email​ to Gmail you are looking forward to.

 

So don’t waste any more time, download a free copy today and enjoy the fastest and most secure way of email migration today.

Conclusion

I hope now all the confusion regarding how to migrate Windstream.net Email​ to Gmail is clear. The key takeaways for you are that you should forward emails (although auto-forwarding might be useful in niche situations). Google’s inbuilt mechanism, although available, lacks a few key features that can be easily met with the automated solution.”

Frequently Asked Questions