How to Export AOL Email Folders to Gmail Easily?

If you’re using an AOL email account but are thinking of switching to Gmail for its enhanced features and ease of use, the shift is simple and offers many advantages. Gmail provides a more modern user experience, advanced tools, and seamless integration with Google’s other services.

Before you begin the migration, it’s helpful to understand the differences between AOL and Gmail. AOL has been a reliable email provider since the early Internet era, offering basic functionality. However, Gmail, backed by Google, has become a leading email platform, known for its powerful features, intuitive design, and integration with other Google products. 

For these reasons, many AOL users want to migrate their AOL data into Gmail. Therefore, in this write-up, we are going to discuss how to export AOL email folders to Gmail with complete data. But before beginning with the write-up, let’s understand this case with the help of a real-time user query. 

User Query 

Hi, I’m Charles. I’ve been using AOL for my emails for a long time, but now I want to switch everything over to Gmail. I have a lot of important emails and contacts in my AOL account, and I don’t want to lose anything. The problem is, that I have no idea how to transfer my emails from AOL to Gmail. I’ve tried looking online, but the step guides I found were confusing. So, can anyone an easy way to move my emails and make sure everything is saved in my Gmail account? Any help would be really appreciated!

Why Do Users Want to Export AOL Email Folders to Gmail?

There are various causes available that motivate users to transfer emails from AOL to Gmail. However, below we have listed some of the main and common reasons that define why users want to complete this switching process. 

• Exporting AOL emails to Gmail allows you to consolidate your email accounts under one roof, making it easier to manage your communications and reduce email clutter.
• By importing AOL emails to Gmail, you can ensure that any future messages sent to your AOL address will continue to appear in your Gmail inbox, eliminating the need to check multiple accounts.
• Exporting AOL contacts to Gmail enables you to merge your contact lists, reducing duplicates and making it simpler to stay in touch with friends, family, and colleagues.
• Gmail’s labeling and filtering system can help you categorize and prioritize your emails more effectively, making it easier to find specific messages and manage your inbox.
• Exporting AOL emails to Gmail provides an additional layer of security and backup for your email data, as Gmail’s servers are more robust and better equipped to handle email storage and retrieval.
• As AOL’s services continue to decline, exporting your emails to Gmail ensures that you won’t lose access to your valuable email history and contacts if AOL’s servers become unavailable or are shut down.

How to Transfer AOL Email Folders to Gmail Manually?

In the below section, we have explained the manual approach to export AOL email folders to Gmail with a complete step-by-step. However, to make the steps guide easy for you, we have divided the complete procedure into 04 parts. So, follow the steps to accomplish the migration process successfully manually. 

Step 1: Enable IMAP in AOL

1. Firstly, log in to your AOL Mail account.
2. Then, press on Options, which is located in the top-right corner, and choose Mail Settings.
3. After that, go to the IMAP or POP/IMAP tab and make sure IMAP is enabled. IMAP allows Gmail to access your AOL emails.

Step 2: Add Your AOL Account to Gmail

1. Thereafter, open Gmail and sign in.
2. Then, press the Gear icon in the upper-right corner and select See all settings.
3. Now, go to the Accounts and Import tab.
4. Here, under Check mail from other accounts, click Add a mail account.

Step 3: Enter Your AOL Information

1. Now, a new window will pop up. Enter your AOL email address and hit Next.
2. Next, choose the option to Import emails from my other account (POP3) and click Next.
3. Enter the following settings for your AOL account:
   • Username: Your full AOL email ID (e.g., yourname@aol.com).
   • Password: Your AOL account password.
   • POP Server: pop.aol.com.
   • Port: 995.
4. Check the box that says Always use a secure connection (SSL).
5. Click Add Account.

Step 4: Wait for Emails to Transfer

Your AOL emails will now start transferring to your Gmail inbox. The process might take some time depending on how many emails you have.

Drawbacks of the Manual Method 

Now if you are thinking of going with the manual solution to export AOL email folders to Gmail, then allow us to tell you that this approach has multiple drawbacks, which is not good for you. Below we have listed some of the main drawbacks: 

• Manually exporting AOL emails to Gmail can be slow, especially if you have a large number of emails, as it only transfers the inbox and may miss other folders like Sent or Drafts. 
• Attachments might not always transfer correctly, and the process doesn’t move over contacts or calendar events. 
• As we have seen the manual solution has multiple steps and it is cumbersome to follow the steps. To follow these manual steps you must have technical expertise, if you mistakenly miss a step then you might face data loss and corruption. 

How to Export AOL Email Folders to Gmail Quickly?

1. Download, install, and start the professional solution on your local computer.
2. Now, select the email source as “AOL” from the list and log in via your email address and password.
3. After logging in, choose the required folders that you want to migrate.
4. Next, select the saving option as “Gmail” from the drop-down list.
5. After that, enter your Gmail email address, where you to transfer your AOL data.
6. Then, apply the filters as per your requirement to export data selectively.
7. After applying all the settings, press the “Backup” button to start the exporting process. 

FAQs

Q1: Can I keep my AOL email address after switching to Gmail? 

Answer: Yes, you can continue to use your AOL email address even after switching to Gmail. By setting up email forwarding or POP3/IMAP access, you can receive all future AOL emails in your Gmail inbox while maintaining your AOL address.

Q2: Will I lose any emails during the transfer from AOL to Gmail? 

Answer: Using the manual method, there’s a risk of incomplete transfer or data loss, especially with attachments and folders other than the inbox. However, using the above-mentioned professional email migration tool ensures all emails, attachments, and folders are transferred completely without loss.

Q3: How long does it take to export AOL email folders to Gmail? 

Answer: The transfer time depends on the size of your email account and the method used. Manual transfer can take several hours or days for large mailboxes. However, the above-mentioned Professional tool typically completes the transfer more quickly and efficiently.

Q4: Do attachments transfer when moving emails from AOL to Gmail? 

Answer: With the manual method, attachments might not always transfer correctly. Professional email migration tools guarantee the complete transfer of attachments along with emails.

Q5: Is it necessary to enable IMAP in AOL before transferring emails? 

Answer: Yes, for the manual method, IMAP must be enabled in your AOL account settings to allow Gmail to access and import your AOL emails.

Q6: What should I do if emails are missing after the transfer? 

Answer: If using the manual method and emails are missing, check your transfer settings and try again. With the professional tool we have mentioned, this is less likely to happen, but if it does, then contact our customer support via live chat and email to resolve the issue.

Conclusion 

In this technical write-up, we have discussed how to export AOL email folders to Gmail with complete data easily and securely. Here, we have described both manual and professional solutions with a complete step-by-step guide to achieve this migration process. However, as we have seen the manual approach comes with numerous drawbacks, which is not good for the users. Therefore, it’s a wise option to go with the professional solution that we have provided. Additionally, the automated solution provides a trial version of the utility to users to test the features of the software.