How to Transfer Emails from iiNet to Gmail Explained

If you are among the 300,000 iiNet email service users in Australia you might have asked how to transfer emails from iiNet to Gmail. This is because the free email account that you got with your ISP is no longer a good option for modern email communication.

Not to mention, iiNet has also stopped giving out new email addresses since 2023. By switching over to Gmail, you get more storage, better spam filtering, and a modern interface that makes managing large inboxes easier.

The problem is that users don’t know exactly how to transfer thousands of messages. Don’t worry, you can put your queries to rest as I will explain different ways you can transfer emails from iiNet to Gmail. First, let’s see what makes Gmail a better service than iiNet.

Why People Want to Quit iiNet Mail and Adopt Gmail Instead

Here is a direct side-by-side comparison of what iiNet webmail provides and how Gmail is simply better.

Feature	iiNet Mail	Gmail
Provider	Email service by iiNet (Australian ISP)	Email service by Google
Email Domain	Uses domains like @iinet.net.au	Uses @gmail.com
Storage	Limited mailbox storage depending on plan	15 GB free shared storage
Interface	Basic webmail interface	Modern, feature-rich interface
Spam Protection	Standard spam filtering	Advanced AI spam filtering
Integration	Mostly a standalone email service	Integrates with Drive, Docs, Meet, Calendar
Accessibility	Mainly webmail and IMAP clients	Web, mobile apps, and third-party clients
Security	Basic security features	2FA, encryption, phishing protection
Search	Basic email search	Powerful Google-style email search
Popularity	Mostly used by iiNet ISP customers	One of the most widely used email services globally
Availability	No new accounts can be made	Anyone can make a new account in a few minutes.

Unlike many regional email services like TCC.ON.CA shutdown, or the EONI mail ending announcement, there is no news that iiNet email services are being closed. Still, you should try to relocate your mail for safety and longevity.

If you had any hesitations in changing email services before, I am sure they are gone now, so now let’s jump directly into the DIY options.

How Do I Transfer my iiNet Email to Gmail on My Own?

Method 1: Forwarding + Auto Forward Combo

• Step 1. Log in to your iiNet webmail portal
• Step 2. Select an email and open its contents.
• Step 3. On the menu ribbon, you should see a small arrow icon; press it.
• Step 4. A new email draft gets created in the “To” field. Type your Gmail address and hit send.
• Step 5. Repeat it for all the messages you want to see in your Gmail account.

For all incoming messages, you can set up an auto-forwarding rule that redirects incoming messages directly to your Gmail account.

To make sure all messages arrive without issues, I suggest you add your iiNet account as a trusted address in the Google contacts so it can bypass the strict Gmail spam filters.

Forwarding is quite a manual-intensive process, and nobody has time to shift thousands of messages one at a time. Instead I propose a different solution if you want to go DIY only.

Method 2: Email Client Drag and Drop

• Step 1. Install a suitable email client (or use a built-in one like Outlook for Windows, Apple Mail for Mac)
• Step 2. Set up both your iiNet and Gmail accounts on the same client.
• Step 3. Open two instances of the same client and arrange them in a split-screen setup side by side.
• Step 4. Then grab a bunch of emails from the iiNet side and drop them into the Gmail inbox.
• Step 5. Repeat till you move all of your emails.

This method is entirely dependent on the user and is thus error-prone. If you miss any emails it’s very difficult to track and you may end up with duplicates.

Gmail has an excellent built-in option that can speed up your transition time. So let me help you to set it up.

How to Transfer Emails from iiNet to Gmail via the Internal Settings

If you are a new Gmail user, perhaps you are unaware of all the various options you have for pulling your older email data from elsewhere. This is different from the method used to check email from other accounts in Gmail, so see the steps carefully. Here is how it’s done.

• Step 1. Log in to Gmail, look for a small gear icon (settings) at the top right, and a drop-down appears from where you need to click See all settings.
• Step 2. When the Settings page loads, switch to the Accounts and Import tab.
• Step 3. Click on the “Import mail and contacts” option and continue to fill in the details as they appear.
• Step 4. Soon, the transfer starts, and your iiNet emails will be visible in your Gmail account.

One major drawback that prevents me from recommending this is the time it takes for all messages to arrive. You have to wait for 48 hours or more for the transfer to complete, and even then, you have to manually review each and every message to see if it arrived or not. Lack of filtering options makes this an all-or-none type of operation, which may be unsuitable for some users.

Another issue is that you have to set up each account individually. As iiNet offered up to 10 email addresses (mailboxes) bundled with a single home internet subscription, you might want to move all of them to their new Gmail address at once, which is not possible with this method.

Get the All-in-One Automated Solution for Changing Email Service

The SysTools IMAP Transfer tool can transfer all of the emails in your iiNet account to Gmail swiftly without losing a single message. With the GUI dashboard and no-script features of the software, anyone, regardless of technical expertise, can learn to use the tool.

 

You have full freedom to choose how many of your historical emails move and from which time period, thanks to the built-in date filtering system. Both Windows and Mac users can easily install the free trial of the tool on their machines and move up to 100 emails from the first 5 folders at no cost. To use this tool, all you have to do is follow the simple guide. Let me explain.

Steps to Transfer iiNet Emails to Gmail Professionally

• Step 1. Install the tool on your Windows or Mac. Launch it, ignore the setup page options as the endpoints + the email workload are pre-selected. You just have to apply the date filter, which is also optional. So press Next.
• Step 2. On the source screen, toggle the drop-down menu and select Others. In the Server URL field, fill in: mail.iinet.net.au, and in the port number type 993. Then hit the Validate button, and when you see the green signal, press Next.
• Step 3. Likewise, on the Destination tab, open the dropdown menu and select Gmail. This time, you won’t have to enter any other details; the tool fetches them for you. Just validate and proceed.
• Step 4. Next up is the user mapping screen, where you get a built-in CSV template to add all the users in one go.
• Step 5. Finally, on the migration dashboard, select the users, validate them, and begin the transfer process.

Conclusion

Now you have a pretty solid idea of how to transfer emails from iiNet to Gmail. You have multiple options, like forwarding emails, using email clients, and Gmail’s internal settings. However, all of these manual methods are slow and may lead to data loss, which you won’t be able to find easily, as there is no post-migration reporting. I recommend using the professional tool for all email movements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I retain my iiNet email account after the transfer to Gmail?

It depends. If you keep iiNet as your ISP, then yes, your email ID also remains active. However, should you quit the service and move to another service, all of your email data would be deleted. To safeguard your data, you must move it to Gmail or any other email service.

Q: How much time does it take to shift all of my emails from iiNet to Gmail?

The full transfer can range anywhere from a few hours to an entire week, depending on the number of messages in your account and the method you choose to move the mail.

Q: Does the iiNet email address still work?

Yes, you can receive and send emails from your iiNet account. However, iiNet no longer provides new subscribers with an email account, so it may soon close the service for existing users too.

Q: Who manages my iiNet email account?

All iiNet emails are now managed by the Messaging Company. So all your troubleshooting and other queries will be handled by them.