Not many people are aware that ProtonMail is a Switzerland based email client designed with the aim of providing top-tier security and end-to-end encryption for users who are privacy-conscious. While ProtonMail may not be as popular as Gmail or Outlook, it has built a strong user base over the years by creating a niche as a privacy-oriented email client. Considering these factors many individuals, businesses and organizations are switching from Gmail to ProtonMail in order to protect their data from being exposed to the outside world. The following article will guide our readers on how to transfer emails from Gmail to ProtonMail using free and paid methods. Let’s begin with exploring the factors that differentiate ProtonMail from Gmail.
Why Choose ProtonMail?
- ProtonMail provides end-to-end encryption meaning only sender and the recipient can read the email information and not even ProtonMail can read the email data.
- ProtonMail is strictly prohibited from storing any personal data or tracking any activities unlike other email services.
- ProtonMail email service is highly beneficial for users who need to keep their identity anonymous like activists, journalists, whistleblowers, CBI agents, etc. ProtonMail doesn’t require any personal information to sign up for an account.
- ProtonMail’s code is open-source which means anyone with the knowledge of programming can view, inspect and analyze the software. This helps users to ensure there is no malware or harmful code used that can compromise their privacy.
- Unlike Gmail, ProtonMail doesn’t display ads. It doesn’t use user’s data to run personalized ads and regulate user’s activity for marketing purposes.
- For users who are highly privacy conscious, ProtonMail is an ideal email service for them as it doesn’t even log your IP address or track your login credentials in order to keep it completely confidential.
Note: Please be aware that users with ProtonMail Plus or ProtonMail Unlimited subscriptions are only able to access their accounts via IMAP. Hence, both manual and professional methods will only be feasible if you have a ProtonMail Plus or ProtonMail Unlimited subscription.
Manual Method to Migrate from Gmail to ProtonMail
- Firstly, log in you Gmail account.
- Then, go to the Settings and then click See all Settings.
- Next, select Forwarding and POP/IMAP option.
- Then go to Add a forwarding address and enter ProtonMail account details and click Next.
- Now, a verification link will be sent to your ProtonMail account.
- Click the link to verify and confirm forwarding.
- Open your Gmail account again and go to Forwarding and POP/IMAP option.
- Select Forward a copy of incoming mail and choose your ProtonMail address.
- Finally, hit the Save button and your emails will be moved from Gmail to ProtonMail.
Professional Tool to Switch from Gmail to ProtonMail
The 4n6 Email Backup App comes with exclusive features which helps in streamlining the process to transfer emails from Gmail to ProtonMail. The professional tool is capable to migrate from Gmail to ProtonMail efficiently and smoothly. The software offers to export all email data consisting of attachments, contacts, calendars, email addresses and metadata from Gmail to ProtonMail in one procedure without losing any data.
The automated application provides a dual option to move emails from Gmail to Proton. Users can either select complete email folders to transfer or select specific data as per their requirement to migrate from Gmail to ProtonMail. It also offers advanced search and filtering options for users to select only specific emails based on a certain criteria like date range, subject, sender and receiver details etc. If needed, users can also extract particular email content such as attachments, email addresses, phone numbers separately without having to move complete email data. This feature prevents the unnecessary transfer of data saving time and efforts.
The 100% safe and secured tool prioritizes protecting user’s data privacy by not uploading data on the server and instead process it locally. It also preserves email formatting and folder structure as original.
Quick Guide to Migrate from Gmail to ProtonMail:
- Firstly, Download and Run the software on your P.C
- Next, click the Open button and choose Add Account.
- Then, enter Gmail account email address and password.
- Now, hit on the Export button, select the IMAP option and choose the desired email folders to move.
- Finally, enter the ProtonMail account credentials and hit the Save button to migrate from Gmail to ProtonMail.
Comparison Between Manual and Professional Method
| Points | Manual Method | Professional Tool |
| Time-Factor | The method can take extra time in case a large number of files to be transferred from Gmail to ProtonMail. | The professional tool quickly and easily migrates numerous email files in bulk in a short period span. |
| Risk of Data Loss | Manual process doesn’t always guarantee to transfer attachments or metadata along with emails leading to incomplete transfer process. | The reliable tool ensures the complete transfer of email data including attachments and metadata during the moving process. |
| Email Formatting | Users may lose the original email attributes and folder hierarchy while migrating from Gmail to ProtonMail. | The software guarantees to preserve the email formatting and folder structure as original. |
| Security Risk | Since many users move to ProtonMail for security reasons, manual method to move emails from Gmail to Proton might expose sensitive data. | The software uses premium security to facilitate the migration process from one email client to another. It doesn’t upload data on the server and process it locally. |
| Technicality Issues | Users need to be technical enough to configure IMAP settings and manually drag and drop mails from Gmail to Proton. In case of any errors it can lead to data loss or corruption. | The software has a simple interface and it can be efficiently used both by beginners and professionals. Users need to run quick and simple steps to switch from Gmail to ProtonMail. |
Conclusion
We hope we’ve been successful in delivering our readers the best suitable solution to transfer emails from Gmail to ProtonMail. We highlighted a few challenges that a user experiences while migrating from Gmail to ProtonMail. Therefore, we guided our users to try the advanced software in order to experience the seamless transfer process.
