Import archive email from Gmail

Import archive email from Gmail

Overview

This guides you through the process of importing your old email archive from your Gmail account, over to your new Parish Online gov.uk mailbox.

Things to note

This is a one-off migration, so once you've done it we recommend you set a forwarding address from your Gmail so any emails you get are forwarded to your new gov.uk address. Then over time you can decommission your Gmail.

To do this you'll have to be an Admin for your Parish Online gov.uk email account. Chances are you will be because clerks are admins.

Check your Gmail storage. If your Gmail is using more than 5GB then check with the Parish Online team to see what your mailbox storage limit is.


Step A: Configure your Gmail address

To perform this migration there are a few things you need to do first.
  1. Log into your Gmail and go to Settings
  2. Click on the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab
  3. Scroll down to IMAP access and click "Enable IMAP"
  4. Click "Save Changes"
Now you need to set a unique app password for the import.
  1. Go to https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
  2. Type "GOV.UK Import" as the "App Name"
  3. Click Create
  4. Note down and copy the password to clipboard
If this does not work, you will need to go into your Google Account and change the security settings on how you sign in to Google.  You need to have 2-step verification set up for this to work.

Step B: Perform the Migration

Now we're going to import your Gmail into your new Parish Online gov.uk mailbox.
  1. Go to https://mailadmin.zoho.eu/
  2. Click on Data Migration
  3. Click "Create Data Migration"
  4. Give your import a name, e.g. "Gmail to Parish Online"
  5. In the Select Server Details drop-down, choose "Add new server details"  and under "Select Protocol/Application" select "IMAP"
  6. By default it'll show the Gmail settings, so click ADD
  7. Leave all the settings as-is and click ADD
    1. If you have Starred or Important emails in Gmail, you can carry those over by ticking the "Mark Important/Starred as Tag".
  8. Leave the connection limit settings as-is and click CREATE
  9. Click the "Users" tab
  10. Click "Add"
  11. Under source, enter your Gmail address
  12. Enter your Gmail app password (the one we generated earlier)
  13. Under destination, enter your new Parish Online gov.uk email address
  14. Click ADD
  15. Repeat step 10 to 14 if you're also importing Gmail accounts for your colleagues. They'll need to do Step A above.
  16. Click "Start Migration"
And that's it! Let it do it's thing. Depending on how big your Gmail is, this may take some time. You can safely close your browser tab, browser and even turn off your computer.

Decommissioning your Gmail address

Things to help you and residents know you've got a new email address:
  1. Set an out-of-office saying that the mailbox is no longer monitored and to email your new Parish Online gov.uk email address instead.
  2. Make sure your email address is updated in any online content, website, contact forms and stationary.
  3. Don't leave a digital legacy. If you're happy that your mail has migrated, shut down your Google Account for the Gmail address you've been using for council work.

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