Top 3 Ways to Migrate Emails from Fastmail to Gmail
Written by Jared Young, an engineering graduate in Computer Science who specializes in data recovery and email backup at Corbett Software.
Switching from Fastmail to Gmail and want your existing mail to come with you, not just new messages going forward? It moves across cleanly once you handle one setup step that trips most people up before they even start. That step comes first, then both migration routes.
Summary: To migrate Fastmail to Gmail, first create a Fastmail app password, because Fastmail blocks your normal password in outside apps. Then either import the mail free through Gmail’s own importer, or use the Corbett IMAP Migration Tool to move every folder with its structure intact. The app password is the step that makes both methods work.
Why Move from Fastmail to Gmail?
People switch for different reasons, but the practical ones repeat. Gmail’s 15 GB of free storage and its search are hard to give up once you rely on them, the Google ecosystem ties mail to Calendar, Drive and Meet in one place, and consolidating a Fastmail account into the Gmail you already use means one inbox instead of two. Whatever the reason, the goal is the same. Get the old mail into Gmail without losing any of it on the way.
Do This First: Create a Fastmail App Password
This is the step the rushed guides skip, and skipping it is why so many Fastmail migrations fail on the first try with a password error. Fastmail does not let your normal login password be used by outside apps at all. Gmail’s importer and any migration tool count as outside apps, so each one needs a dedicated app password instead.
- Log in to the Fastmail web interface and open Settings, then Privacy & Security.
- Find the Connected apps & API tokens section and click Manage app passwords and access.
- Click New app password, give it a name you will recognise such as Gmail import, and leave the access set to Mail.
- Click Generate password and copy the password it shows. This is what you type in place of your Fastmail password everywhere below.
One thing to know before you start. Fastmail’s Basic plans do not include IMAP or POP access, which means app passwords cannot be created on them. If you are on Basic, you will need to upgrade the plan before any of these methods can read your mailbox. Fastmail’s own app passwords guide covers the exact screens.
Free Method: Import Fastmail into Gmail
Gmail has a built in importer that pulls mail from another account, and it costs nothing.
- Open Gmail, click the gear icon and choose See all settings.
- Go to the Accounts and Import tab and click Import mail and contacts.
Step 2: The Import mail and contacts option in Gmail settings.
- Enter your full Fastmail address and continue.
- When asked for the password, enter the app password you generated, not your normal Fastmail password.
- Choose what to import and start. Gmail copies your Fastmail mail into your inbox and keeps importing new messages for a short period.
For a straightforward inbox this is the simplest route, and it needs nothing installed on your computer.
The Catch with the Free Import
Worth knowing before you commit to it. Gmail’s importer pulls mail over POP3, and POP3 sees your account as one flat inbox. Your Fastmail folders and labels do not come across as a structure, everything lands together in the Gmail inbox, and mail filed away in folders can be missed entirely. For a small, mostly unsorted mailbox that is no great loss. For years of carefully foldered mail, it quietly dismantles your filing on the way through, and that is the reason the next method exists.
“Two things decide whether a Fastmail move goes smoothly. The app password, which people forget, and the protocol. POP flattens your folders, IMAP keeps them. If your filing matters to you, that single choice between POP and IMAP is the whole game.”
Jared Young · Data Recovery and Backup Specialist, Corbett Software
Expert Method: Move Every Folder with an IMAP Tool
The Corbett IMAP Migration Tool connects to Fastmail over IMAP rather than POP, so it reads every folder instead of one flat inbox and recreates the structure in Gmail as labels. You sign in with your Fastmail address and the app password, the tool loads the full mailbox, and date, sender and folder filters let you move only what you want. It copies rather than deletes, so the Fastmail account stays intact, and a free demo edition lets you evaluate the migration first. It runs on all editions of Windows.
Steps to Migrate Fastmail to Gmail
- Launch the software, then click Open, choose Email Accounts and select Add Account.
Step 1: Adding an account in the software.
- Enter your Fastmail address and the app password, then press Add.
Step 2: Fastmail credentials entered with the app password.
- Let the mailbox load, then preview your folders and emails to confirm the right account.
Step 3: The Fastmail mailbox in the preview panel.
- Click Export and select Gmail as the destination, then enter the destination details.
Step 4: The Export menu with Gmail selected.
- Apply any filters you need, then click Save to start the migration.
Step 5: Filters applied and the Save button ready to run.
Because the migration copies your mail, nothing is removed from Fastmail until you decide to close the account yourself.
Import vs IMAP Migration
| Gmail Import (Free) | Corbett IMAP Migration Tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol | POP3 | IMAP |
| Folders and labels | Flattened into the inbox | Kept as the original structure |
| Selective move | All or nothing | Filter by date, sender or folder |
| Cost | Free | Free demo, paid license for full use |
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People Also Ask
Q2: What are the Fastmail IMAP settings for migration?
A2: Fastmail uses an IMAP server on port 993 with SSL, and you sign in with your full Fastmail address and an app password. Fastmail requires SSL, so insecure connections will be refused.
Q3: Will my Fastmail folders move to Gmail?
A3: Not with Gmail’s free importer, which uses POP3 and flattens everything into the inbox. An IMAP based migration tool reads each folder and recreates it in Gmail as a label.
Q4: Can I migrate Fastmail to Gmail on a Basic plan?
A4: Not directly. Fastmail Basic plans do not include IMAP or POP access, so no app password can be created. Upgrade the plan first, then any of these methods will work.
Q5: Does migrating delete my Fastmail emails?
A5: No. Both routes copy your messages to Gmail and leave the originals in Fastmail. Nothing is removed until you close or delete the Fastmail account yourself.
Conclusion
Getting your mail from Fastmail into Gmail really comes down to two decisions. Generate the app password so the connection works at all, then pick your protocol. Gmail’s free importer is fine for a simple inbox, while the Corbett IMAP Migration Tool keeps every folder intact for a mailbox you have spent years organising. Sort out the app password first and the rest is straightforward. Which matters more for your move, a free import or keeping your folder structure?
