Gmail + cPanel Email: Move from Old Host to New Host
- Old host has email and website (in cPanel)
- New host has domain name that points to old host
- Customer sends & receives emails via Gmail
- Goal: do NOT lose 10 years-worth of emails that are on old host when moving to new host
1. Make a backup of Gmail: Export backup of Gmail using Google Takeout
- How to back up your Gmail and download your data – The Verge
- Exporting MBOX from Gmail – Spinback.com
2. Set up exact same email address on new host, then re-point domain name away from old host and point domain name to new host
3. Gmail Account must be in IMAP mode to restore Gmail backup
- Log into Gmail
- Settings (gear icon)
- See All Settings
- Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab
- Enable IMAP
- Click Save Changes
4. Import/restore backup of Gmail back into Gmail account using Thunderbird
There’s no easy way to import/restore the exported Gmail backup. The process requires Thunderbird email application and ImportExportTools Add-on for Thunderbird in order to import the archived MBOX file back into Gmail.
- How to Import MBOX to Gmail – Spinback.com. The article covers:
- Exporting MBOX from Gmail (also listed in section #1, above)
- Install Mozilla Thunderbird and the ImportExportTools Add-On
- Importing MBOX to Gmail
Since what to do about the original email address on the old host (in cPanel) –and re-pointing the domain name away from the old host and pointing it to the new host – is not covered in the above article, see section #2, above, for dealing with the original email address.
Extras
How to Import MBOX into Gmail – outlooktransfer.com
Helpful sections:
- Turning on IMAP for the Gmail Account
- Adding Gmail in Thunderbird
- Upload and Open an MBOX File via Thunderbird
Gmail Backup and Recovery by Spin: Makes a backup of your Gmail account, with download and restore capabilities.
