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Use Proton Mail’s built-in Easy Switch to copy Gmail messages (including attachments), contacts and calendars, then keep a Gmail connection active while you update your accounts. The safest migration is staged: import your history, forward new Gmail mail, test sending and important logins, and only then disconnect or delete Gmail.
This guide covers personal Gmail accounts. Google Workspace and custom-domain addresses require Proton’s business migration route rather than the personal connection flow.
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What moves from Gmail to Proton Mail?
Easy Switch is built into Proton Mail and is designed to migrate three data types:
- Email: Historical messages and attachments can be copied into Proton Mail.
- Contacts: Gmail contacts are imported as-is, with a limit of up to 10,000 contacts per import.
- Calendars: Proton creates a new Proton Calendar by default, or you can merge imported events into an existing calendar.
The migration is a copy, not an instant replacement. Your Gmail mailbox remains available while Proton transfers data in the background, so you can continue using your computer during the process.
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Labels and folders need special attention. Proton supports up to three folder-hierarchy levels. Deeper Gmail structures are reorganized, and some labels need renaming or manual customization. A Gmail label is not guaranteed to behave exactly like a Proton folder after import.
A connected Gmail account also has limits that matter during a staged switch: read/unread and starred states do not synchronize, moving a message between folders does not mirror the move in the other service, and calendar events do not continuously sync. Invitations sent to your Gmail address can still be added to Proton Calendar.
Choose a migration approach
Decide whether you want a one-time copy, a gradual transition, or both. Easy Switch supports either approach, and you can repeat an import later without duplicating messages that have already been transferred.
| Approach | Historical Gmail mail | Future Gmail mail | Send from Gmail address | Contacts and calendars | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-time import | Copies the selected history and attachments | Not forwarded after the import ends | Not retained unless you separately connect Gmail | Choose Contacts and/or Calendars during import | Readers ready to change addresses immediately |
| Staged transition with a Gmail connection | Copies the selected history | Gmail can forward new messages to Proton Mail | You can send from the Gmail address inside Proton Mail | Contacts and calendars are imported, but ongoing synchronization is limited | Readers who need time to update banks, subscriptions and sign-ins |
| Follow-up import | Copies newly selected or previously missed data | Depends on whether a Gmail connection is active | Depends on the connection | Run selected data types again | Readers who discover missing folders or contacts |
Free Proton Mail users can connect one Gmail account. Paid Proton plans can connect up to three Gmail accounts. An individual Gmail address can be connected to only one Proton Mail account at a time.
Before you start
Create and verify Proton Mail
Sign in to Proton Mail and finish account verification before importing. Confirm that you can access the Proton mailbox, recovery method and any two-factor-authentication device you plan to use.
Prepare Gmail
- Make sure you can sign in to the Gmail account and approve Google OAuth permissions.
- Review Gmail labels, nested labels and filters that automatically skip the inbox.
- Identify critical senders, recovery addresses and services that still use your Gmail address.
- Decide whether you need all mail or only the last 1, 3, 6 or 12 months.
- Download an independent backup with Google Takeout before deleting or abandoning Gmail.
Filters that skip the Gmail inbox can prevent those messages from being forwarded through a Gmail connection. If those messages matter, record the filter rules and plan to recreate the behavior in Proton Mail.
Check structural limits
Rename any folder whose name exceeds 100 characters. More than 2,000 folders can trigger customization, and a Gmail label that conflicts with an existing Proton folder may also require a manual choice. Keep in mind that Proton can represent only three levels of folder hierarchy; deeper Gmail nesting will be reorganized.
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Recommended method: connect Gmail with Easy Switch
This is the simplest setup when you want both a historical import and a transition period. Proton uses Google OAuth, so you grant access in Google’s authorization screen rather than entering your Gmail password into Proton.
- Sign in to Proton Mail.
- Open Settings → All settings → Import via Easy Switch.
- Select Google.
- Choose Connect to Gmail.
- Choose the Gmail account you want to migrate in Google’s sign-in window.
- Review the requested permissions and grant all permissions required by Easy Switch. Without the requested access, Proton cannot import the selected Gmail data or maintain the connection.
- Confirm the data types and import options shown by Proton.
- Start the transfer and leave Easy Switch running in the background.
With the connection configured, Proton says Easy Switch can import Gmail data, forward future Gmail messages to Proton Mail and let you send from the Gmail address in Proton Mail. This does not create full two-way synchronization: read status, stars, folder moves and calendar events remain independent.
Select what to import
For a more controlled setup, choose More import options, select Google, then select one or more of Emails, Contacts, and Calendars. Review the summary before starting.
- Emails: Select all mail or a range covering the last 1, 3, 6 or 12 months. You can change the import label and deselect folders.
- Contacts: Proton imports up to 10,000 contacts as-is.
- Calendars: Proton creates a new Proton Calendar by default, or you can choose to merge the events into an existing calendar.
Use the customization screen to exclude obsolete labels, resolve folder-name conflicts and correct any hierarchy that Proton cannot represent directly.
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How the import runs
After you start, Easy Switch works in the background. You can close the browser and continue using your computer; the transfer continues on Proton’s side. Up to two different source email accounts can transfer at the same time, but only one transfer from the same account is allowed at once.
Do not repeatedly start identical jobs just because the mailbox count has not changed yet. If you run an import again, Easy Switch detects messages that were already imported and skips them rather than creating another copy. A follow-up import is useful for newly arrived mail, a missed date range or a data type you did not select the first time.
How to monitor a sensible migration
- Wait for the import status to report completion or an error before judging the result.
- Open several old messages with attachments in Proton Mail and verify that the attachments are present.
- Check representative labels and nested folders, not just the total message count.
- Open Proton Contacts and verify names, addresses and groups you use frequently.
- Open Proton Calendar and check recurring events, time zones and shared invitations.
The Gmail and Proton mailbox totals may differ. Messages in Gmail’s spam or trash, duplicate messages and failed transfers can account for a lower Proton count. A different total does not by itself prove that the migration failed.
Keep receiving Gmail while you switch
A staged transition prevents missed invoices, account alerts and personal messages while you replace your address everywhere. Keep the Gmail connection active while you update important services.
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Easy Switch can forward future Gmail messages to Proton Mail. However, Gmail filters that skip the inbox can stop those messages from being forwarded through the connection. Review those filters and modify them if you need every new message to arrive in Proton.
Sending from the old address
The connection lets you send from your Gmail address inside Proton Mail, which is useful while contacts learn your Proton address. Tell recipients which address they should use going forward, and test both the From address and replies before relying on the setup for important communication.
What the connection does not synchronize
- Read and unread state is not mirrored.
- Starred status is not mirrored.
- Moving a message between folders is not mirrored.
- Calendar events do not continuously synchronize.
- Calendar invitations sent to the Gmail address can still be added to Proton Calendar.
Think of the connection as forwarding and sending assistance during a handover, not as a live clone of two mailboxes.
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Update accounts in a safe order
Once your history is available and forwarding works, change your address methodically. Keep Gmail active until this list is complete.
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- Update banks, payment services, healthcare portals, government accounts and other services where a missed message could have serious consequences.
- Change shopping, travel, utilities, schools, employers and subscription accounts.
- Update newsletters, mailing lists and contacts who regularly write to you.
- Send test messages from an outside account to both addresses and reply to verify delivery.
- Check that automated alerts arrive in Proton and that your recovery addresses work.
Keep a short list of services still using Gmail. Check it after several weeks; infrequently used accounts often reveal themselves only when a password reset or annual notice arrives.
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Gmail labels versus Proton folders
Gmail labels can apply to one message in several places, while a Proton folder structure is organized differently. During import, Proton may convert labels into folders, combine or reorganize deep nesting, or ask you to resolve a name conflict. A folder name longer than 100 characters cannot be imported as a folder without renaming. More than 2,000 folders can also require customization.
Before importing, simplify rarely used labels and shorten names that encode long paths. After importing, inspect high-value categories such as receipts, travel, work and family rather than trying to reproduce every historical label perfectly.
Calendars
Choose whether imported events should go into a new Proton Calendar or merge into an existing one. Proton supports up to 20 calendars per account. Because a Gmail connection does not continuously synchronize calendar events, treat the imported calendar as a snapshot and verify future invitations in Proton after the switch.
Contacts
Contacts are imported as-is, up to 10,000. Check duplicate entries, obsolete addresses and contact groups after the import. If you use contacts for autocomplete, send a test message to several common recipients so you know Proton is selecting the intended address.
Troubleshooting common migration problems
Some messages are missing
Confirm the selected date range and folders first. An import limited to the last 3, 6 or 12 months will not contain older mail. Spam, trash, duplicates and failed transfers can also explain a smaller Proton mailbox. Run a follow-up import for the missing range; Easy Switch skips messages already copied.
New Gmail messages are not arriving
Check that the Gmail connection is still active and that the message was not caught by a Gmail filter that skips the inbox. Send a fresh test message from an unrelated account, then inspect Gmail filters and Proton’s connection status.
Folders are missing or rearranged
Look for names longer than 100 characters, more than 2,000 folders, conflicting Proton folder names or nesting deeper than three levels. Rename or simplify the Gmail structure, customize the import and run it again.
The same Gmail account cannot be connected
An individual Gmail address can be connected to only one Proton Mail account at a time. Disconnect it from the other Proton account before attempting a new connection, and confirm that you are signed in to the intended Proton account.
Google Workspace or a custom-domain address is rejected
The personal Gmail connection flow does not support Google Workspace or custom-domain addresses. Use Proton’s business migration path for those accounts rather than trying to force the personal setup.
The transfer appears stuck
Easy Switch runs in the background, so do not assume that a quiet browser window means the job stopped. Wait for the status to change, verify that only one transfer from that Gmail account is running, and avoid launching duplicate jobs. If the status reports failed items, use a targeted follow-up import and inspect the affected folders or date range.
Do not delete Gmail immediately after the first successful import. Keep the account and connection active while you confirm that: After those checks, disconnect the Gmail connection if you no longer need forwarding or sending from the old address. If you plan to delete Gmail, download your personal data first and verify the backup. Proton’s migration guidance recommends disconnecting Gmail before account deletion. The Tool Desk For a personal Gmail account, Easy Switch is the appropriate path: it copies the history you select, brings over contacts and calendars, and can keep new Gmail mail flowing while you change addresses. Plan for label and folder cleanup, remember that the connection is not full synchronization, and delay Gmail deletion until every important account and recovery path has been tested. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Final migration checklist
The practical verdict
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