Google Workspace Can Now Import Old Email During Setup

Moving business email is one of the jobs owners dread most. Google made one version of it easier on September 23. New Google Workspace customers can now bring in old email from another provider while they set up their account.

How It Works

Google says admins can import past emails "from any IMAP-based email provider while setting up Google Workspace." IMAP is the standard way most mail apps read email from a server. Google named Hostinger, Zoho, Yahoo and iCloud as examples.

There are two steps:

1. Connect to the old provider's IMAP server.
2. Enter the old email address and its password.

The import runs in the background while you finish the rest of setup.

The Limits

• It works only after you verify your domain and turn on email.
• Only an admin can use it.
• It moves past email for one user. For more than one person, Google points to the other methods in its Help Center.

Google says the feature is available now to all Google Workspace customers.

Why It Matters

Many small businesses have one main inbox, often an address set up years ago through a web host. Losing years of customer emails is a real reason owners put off a switch. For a one person office, this removes much of that worry.

If you have several staff mailboxes, you will still need a planned move. The order matters. Set up the new mailboxes first, copy old mail, then change your domain's MX records so new mail flows to the new place.

Before you switch, check your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. They tell inboxes your mail is real. A move is the most common time for them to break.