One of the major reasons people are moving from CenturyLink to Gmail is to gain independence from ISP lock-in. If you want to migrate your emails but don’t know how to do it. I have the best method that you can use. Unfortunately, there is no manual one-button or native tool to transfer CenturyLink email to Gmail. If you are using IMAP, then using an email client as a bridge will help you migrate your emails. But to make the process easier, you can use SysTools IMAP to IMAP Migration Tool or any related tool to directly migrate your emails with precise accuracy. To know more, read the blog to the end.
See Why CenturyLink Mail is Inferior to Gmail
| Parameter | CenturyLink | Gmail |
| Storage | Restricted to just 700 MB of space. Although you can expand the storage, you must pay for it. | 15 GB capacity, even in its free tier. |
| Spam Filters | Lackluster filtering system, allowing many spammy emails to enter and pollute your inbox. | State-of-the-art spam filters so your inbox remains pristine. |
| Secondary Features | CenturyLink calendar and management options, like payment, etc. | 60-plus Google apps and features. |
Also Read: Gmail vs Zoho Comparison Chart
With these reasons, you can understand why users transfer CenturyLink email to Gmail. Now, due to the lack of a manual direct way and the disabling of the auto-forward option in CenturyLink, you can only use an email client to move your mailbox. But before going through the process, you must enable Two-Factor authentication and generate an app password. Below are the steps to create it.
How to Create CenturyLink App Password?
Whenever you are configuring your CenturyLink email account to any other server or account. It is important to create an app password if you use Two-Factor Authentication. You use this password instead of a regular password when you are connecting to another account. The reason is to keep your account safe and prevent you from breaking security rules. So, when you are performing the migration, create the app password using the following steps.
- Log in to your CenturyLink account. Go to Settings, then Security.
- There you should see an App Passwords option. Click it.
- Then, press the Generate Password button. Complete the rest of the on-screen instructions, and soon you will receive a unique app password that you can use to transfer CenturyLink email data to Gmail.
After this, you must also note down the IMAP settings for your convenience. Here are the settings.
- Incoming Mail Server: mail.centurylink.net
- Port: 993
- Security: SSL/TLS
Check Out: How to Transfer Mail.ru Emails to Gmail for Free?
Manually Transfer CenturyLink Email to Gmail
You can choose your favorite email client, Outlook, Thunderbird, or any other that you use. The steps are as follows:
- First, set up both your CenturyLink and Gmail accounts on the same email client. You will need to use an app password for CenturyLink, so make sure you have one.
- Then open another instance of the same client and arrange both of them in such a manner that they appear side by side on your screen.
- Now select all of the emails from your CenturyLink email, hold your cursor, move them across to the second instance where the Gmail account is located, and release the emails.
- Do this as many times as required to complete the transfer of CenturyLink email to Gmail.
While this is free for users, it causes you several issues, like.
Problems With Manual Migration Method
- You only get to transfer data between two accounts at a time. Users with multiple accounts (which CenturyLink allows for its subscribers) have to repeat the entire process for each account individually.
- Moreover, if you decide to forward emails, the metadata present in the emails is altered permanently. If that’s something important for you, don’t use forwarding as your email transfer route.
- Not to mention the one account at a time limitation still applies, so the method is also not ideal for the vast majority.
- In case you think the email client method is easy, think again. It has a major issue: you can’t track what data has been moved and what remains. So you may end up missing important emails or bringing in unwanted data.
Don’t worry, we have a foolproof method that not only addresses these issues but also provides a boatload of features. So let’s see what it is.
How to Transfer CenturyLink Email to Gmail Professionally?
Use SysTools Software and push all CenturyLink mail to Gmail. This tool is incredibly user-friendly and does not require any special training whatsoever. Moreover, with the demo, you can migrate up to 100 emails for free. You get lots of useful features like the ability to set the exact time span from where to move the emails and multi-account migration. Not only that, but this tool has a special Delta Migration feature, which can detect all the newly arrived data and just move those emails after you complete an initial migration run.
It supports all 16 variations of a CenturyLink email address domain. Next up, I will tell you how to use the tool.
Steps to Use The Tool to Migrate CenturyLink to Gmail
- Load the tool on your PC. The IMAP endpoints are preset, and so is the email workload; there’s no need to change anything. Just apply the date filter if you feel the need for it and press Next.
- On the Source Screen, toggle the dropdown and select Others. Then, in the IMAP server URL field, put mail.centurylink.net, and next to it, add 993 as the port number. Validate and hit Next.
- Likewise, on the destination screen, you also need to select IMAP. Here, pick Gmail (it should be the first option in the list). The tool will fill in the IMAP Server URL and port number on its own. Validate and hit Next.
- Then, on the User Mapping Screen, you need to download the CSV template, add the user account credentials to it, and re-upload it back on the tool.
- View the user list in the tool’s UI, mark the checkbox, and prioritize. Then, validate and Start Migration.
Conclusion
Here I told you how to transfer CenturyLink email to Gmail in two ways. As CenturyLink email disable autoforwarding. Then, you need the help of email clients for IMAP protocol). However, this method brings some drawbacks that I have already told you in this text. To avoid all those problems, I suggest you use the automated utility I have provided. It will help you transition with the least amount of effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do I get to keep my CenturyLink email when I ditch the ISP?
No, CenturyLink revokes account access as soon as you end the service. Moreover, after a set amount of time (depending on the local compliance laws), all of your emails will be purged. That is why it is critical to transfer emails from CenturyLink to Gmail before you cancel your subscription.
Q. Why can’t I see the emails I forward from my CenturyLink account to Gmail?
It happens when Gmail treats your CenturyLink account as possible spam and puts its data in the spam folder. To make sure it doesn’t happen again, add the CenturyLink address to your Google contacts, and also add it to the trusted sender list.
Q. Can I move multiple CenturyLink accounts to a single Gmail ID?
Yes, you can, considering that the total storage capacity of a free Gmail account is 20 times the storage that you get with a CenturyLink account. If you use the tool, you can do so pretty easily by running it multiple times.
Q. Is it possible to move CenturyLink email folders to Gmail without losing hierarchy?
If you forward messages, then folder details disappear. Instead, do what I tell everyone who is in need of transfer solutions. Use the professional utility.