Transfer EarthLink Email to Gmail: Secure Enterprise Migration Guide

Why Move Email from EarthLink to Gmail?

• EarthLink enforces a limit on its storage; when it’s full, new messages will not be received.
• Moreover, an inactive EarthLink email account receives no messages after 90 days of inactivity.
• Also, the POP3 server address varies by EarthLink domain, so setting up an email client for multiple legacy addresses requires finding different settings for each one.
• In addition, running POP and IMAP against the same EarthLink address is risky, because messages may not be saved correctly.
• Gmail offers 15 GB of free storage for emails, documents, and other items. However, users may expand their storage up to 5 TB with their Business plans.
• Before messages hit your inbox, Gmail uses AI filters to block spam, phishing, and malware.
• Gmail advanced search helps retrieve specific messages, while the mobile application has push notifications and built-in voice dictation.
• In addition, email addresses may be configured with a custom domain using Google Workspace, allowing the replacement of the default “@earthlink.net” with “@example.com” or any other desired address.
• Gmail administrators also manage user permissions, passwords, and security protocols within the same console, which enables the implementation of security measures such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
• Finally, the application offers collaboration tools, including Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Meet, and others, with an uptime guarantee of 99.9% for Business edition users.

Prepare Before You Migrate EarthLink Emails to Gmail

1. Check storage capacity and mailbox size before migration. More than 15GB requires an additional plan.
2. Verify the EarthLink connection by confirming your access through email and password. 
3. Use only 1 protocol; IMAP is recommended.
4. You must know that the IMAP scope that it doesn’t carry contacts, calendars, tasks, or notes, so export those separately.
5. Finally, retain an active EarthLink account until the migration is verified and complete. 

EarthLink Server Settings:

Manual Method to Transfer EarthLink Email to Gmail

In this section of our blog, we will cover the manual methods for the migration with different methods. Each method follows different steps and comes with its own limitations. 

Method 1: Copy Folders Through an IMAP Email Client (Recommended Manual Option)

This is the only manual method that transfers an existing archive at no cost. An IMAP-based client can hold mailboxes at once. Consequently, you can drag and drop messages between the two accounts folder by folder.

Steps:

1. Add your EarthLink account to the client using imap.earthlink.net on port 993 (SSL/TLS), as listed in EarthLink’s server settings.
2. Then add your Gmail account.
3. Next, create matching folders under the Gmail account.
4. Subsequently, select the messages in each EarthLink folder and copy them to the corresponding Gmail folder.
5. Finally, keep the client running until the copy completes, then compare folder and message counts in both accounts.

Limitations:

These are some limitations you may face when you try to to transfer EarthLink Email to Gmail:

• Large mailboxes transfer slowly, requiring constant supervision.
• All folders have to be recreated manually in Gmail.
• No batch processing.
• Manual copying offers no date, sender, or duplicate filters, and it generates no migration report. 
• IMAP transfers emails and attachments but not contacts, calendars, tasks, or notes.
• The POP protocol is not appropriate in this case since, according to EarthLink’s help desk, POP does not sync subfolders. 

Method 2: Automatic Forwarding (New Emails Only)

Automatic forwarding takes incoming EarthLink messages and redirects them to Gmail as they come in. It differs from a mailbox migration in that it does not transfer the messages that have already been stored. However, Google recommends it as a POP fetching alternative. Thus, it is a provisional measure that allows new letters to flow to one’s Gmail account while the old one is being emptied.

Steps to Transfer EarthLink Email to Gmail:

1. Sign in to EarthLink Webmail.
2. Open Preferences and look for a mail forwarding option.
3. Enter your Gmail address and save.
4. Finally, just test it and confirm in Gmail.

Limitations:

• Forwarding is applied to new messages that arrive after the rule is created. Consequently, it cannot move an existing archive or its subfolders.
• Moreover, forwarding will work. If its included in your EarthLink plan.
• Lastly, EarthLink halts delivery of new messages once an account goes 90 days without a sign-in. Therefore, keep the account active for as long as forwarding is needed.

Professional Method to Transfer EarthLink Email to Gmail

The manual methods are not efficient enough when dealing with large amounts of messages contained in dozens of folders. That is why the IMAP Backup tool was created. Its Batch CSV mode handles multiple EarthLink accounts in one run, while folder mapping, advanced filters, and deduplication keep every transfer precise. Delta runs also capture new mail during cutover, and detailed reports aid verification. Additionally, it comes with several advanced features and filters to provide modification control over the migration process.

Steps to Move Email from EarthLink to Gmail:

1. Download and launch the Tool, then select IMAP as the source platform.
2. Choose Single Account mode, or Batch/CSV for multiple accounts. Then enter your EarthLink credentials

• Email address 
• Password
• IMAP host (imap.earthlink.net)
• Port (993).
• Click Test Connection, then Continue. 

3. Select the folders and click Continue to Filter.
4. Select Gmail as the Email Client, then authenticate.
5. Apply the filters, then start the migration.

Available filters and options:

These are some filters that are provided in the tool to Convert Email from EarthLink to Gmail:

• Date Filter: Allows you to set a specific start and finish date for migrating items.
• Advanced Mail Filter: Filter by subject, to, from, cc, bcc, body of the message.
• Remove Duplicate Emails: Compares subject, to, from, and body of the emails.
• Skip Previously Migrated: This advanced filter helps in migrating only new emails. It will be helpful if you are doing multiple delta runs.
• Custom Folder Name: Enter a name for the destination folders. Here you can assign any custom name to your destination folders.
• Miscellaneous Options: There are certain options that let you skip deleted emails, skip empty folders, and even migrate emails without attachments.
• Save Attachments in Separate Folder: Choose a folder where you want to save the attachments.
• Free Up Server Space: In this option, you can delete the migrated items from the server once they are moved to their destination. It is recommended to uncheck this option before verifying the results.

Why Choose SysInfoTools?

Enterprise mailbox migration demands scale, precision, and traceability from the first account to the last. The IMAP Backup Tool addresses these requirements within a single utility.

In addition, these capabilities explain why enterprises choose this tool to Transfer EarthLink Email to Gmail migrations. Additionally, SysInfoTools also develops advanced software solutions for email migration, data backup, data recovery, file conversion, etc. This tool provides the necessary features for IT teams working across Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Outlook, and Exchange Server in a single solution. 

Conclusion

The best solution to transfer EarthLink Email to Gmail depends on specific circumstances. IMAP client copy option is enough for small amounts of data and the easiest of all available methods. However, this manual approach may bring up several issues as the data volume grows beyond what it can handle. In such cases, the best choice is to rely on a professional tool, such as IMAP Backup Tool. It is engineered to deal with all sorts of sophisticated tasks, such as batch importing, folder mapping, filtering out emails by date, removing duplicates, etc. Additionally, contacting our support team for a custom migration tool is another viable option. 

Frequently Asked Questions

About The Author:

Suman Rawat

Suman Rawat is a technical content writer and expert in the fields of email migration, data recovery, and email backup. Her passion for helping people has led her to resolve many user queries related to data conversion and cloud backup.