HostMonster Webmail to Gmail Migration (Free and Expert)
Written by Shaks George, Senior Analyst at Corbett Software. Shaks works on email client migration and mailbox data recovery cases.
Still reading your business mail through HostMonster webmail while everything else has moved to Google? The mail can move too, folders and all, and you have two routes for it. One is free if you run Google Workspace, the other works for any Gmail or Workspace account. Both are below.
Summary
To transfer HostMonster webmail to Gmail or Google Workspace, use Google’s built in data import tool if you administer a Workspace domain, or use the Corbett IMAP Migration Tool to move any HostMonster mailbox to any Gmail or Workspace account in one run. Both routes read your HostMonster email over IMAP, so keep the server settings handy.
Why Move HostMonster Webmail to Gmail or Google Workspace?
The common trigger is a hosting change. HostMonster mailboxes live on your hosting account, so a move to another host, a lapsed renewal or a plan change puts years of mail at risk. Beyond that, hosting mailboxes share disk space with your website files and webmail interfaces feel dated next to Gmail, whose search, spam filtering and mobile apps are simply better tools for daily mail. Moving the mailbox separates your email from your hosting decisions, which is where most businesses eventually want to be.
What HostMonster Email Actually Is
HostMonster webmail is the browser interface to standard cPanel hosting email, where your mailboxes live on the same server as your website. This is worth understanding before you migrate, because it tells you two useful things.
First, your mail is reachable over IMAP from outside the webmail interface. The HostMonster IMAP settings for your account are listed in cPanel under Email Accounts, in the connect devices section for each mailbox, with the incoming server typically in the mail.yourdomain.com pattern. Every migration method below uses these settings.
Second, the mailbox is tied to the hosting account, not to you. As long as the hosting plan exists the mail exists, and not a day longer. That is the real argument for doing this migration before a hosting change rather than after.
Free Method: Import HostMonster Email with Google’s Data Import Tool
If you administer a Google Workspace domain, Google includes a free migration path. Google retired its older Data Migration Service and replaced it with the data import tool, so ignore guides showing the old Migrations icon. The current flow, documented in Google’s guide to importing email from an IMAP account, works like this.
- Sign in to the Google Admin console as a super administrator.
- Go to Data, then Data import & export and open Data import.
- Choose the IMAP import option and enter your HostMonster IMAP server address and port.
- Upload the CSV mapping file that lists each source HostMonster mailbox, its password and the destination Workspace user.
- Pick your import settings, such as a start date or excluded folders, then start the import and monitor it from the console.
For a Workspace organization moving its own users, this is a solid free route straight from Google.
Where the Free Method Stops Working
One trade off, stated plainly. The data import tool exists only inside the Workspace Admin console and requires super administrator access, so it cannot move mail into a free @gmail.com account at all. If your destination is a personal Gmail address, or you simply do not run the Workspace domain, the free route is closed regardless of how small the mailbox is. There is also the CSV mapping overhead, which is sensible for fifty users and tedious for one.
“Hosting email has a quiet expiry date. The mailbox lives on the same server as the website, so when the hosting plan changes hands or lapses, years of mail can go with it. Moving that mail to Gmail or Workspace before a hosting change is far easier than trying to recover it after.”
Shaks George · Senior Analyst, Corbett Software
Expert Way to Transfer HostMonster Webmail to Gmail
The Corbett IMAP Migration Tool covers everything the free route leaves out. It connects to your HostMonster email over IMAP, loads the complete mailbox with its folder structure and moves it to any destination, a free Gmail account or a Google Workspace user alike, with no admin console or CSV mapping involved. Date, sender and folder filters allow a selective transfer and the auto detect option finds the IMAP server for you. A free demo edition lets you evaluate the migration first, and it runs on all editions of Windows.
Steps to Migrate HostMonster Webmail to Google Workspace
- Download and launch the software on your system.
Step 1: The software open on its start screen.
- Click the Open button in the top left corner.
Step 2: The Open menu in the top left corner.
- Choose Email Accounts and then Add Account.
Step 3: Email Accounts with the Add Account option.
- Enter your HostMonster email address and password.
Step 4: HostMonster credentials entered in the account form.
- Open Advanced Settings to enter the HostMonster IMAP server, or click Find to auto detect it, then press Add.
Step 5: The IMAP server field with the Find option.
- Let the mailbox load and review your emails, switching on Compact View if you prefer it.
Step 6: The loaded mailbox in the preview panel.
- Click Export, select Gmail as the destination and enter the destination account details to start the transfer.
Step 7: The Export screen with Gmail selected as the destination.
The migration copies your mail rather than moving it, so the HostMonster mailbox stays untouched until you choose to close it.
Data Import Tool vs the IMAP Migration Tool
| Google Data Import Tool (Free) | Corbett IMAP Migration Tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Destination | Google Workspace users only | Free Gmail and Workspace accounts |
| Access needed | Workspace super administrator | Just the mailbox login details |
| Setup | CSV mapping file per migration | Add account, pick destination, run |
| Cost | Included with Workspace | Free demo, paid license for full use |
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People Also Ask
Q2: What are the HostMonster IMAP settings?
A2: HostMonster email is cPanel based, so the incoming server typically follows the mail.yourdomain.com pattern. The exact server names and ports for your mailbox are listed in cPanel under Email Accounts in the connect devices section.
Q3: Can I use Google’s data import tool with HostMonster?
A3: Yes, if you are a super administrator on a Google Workspace domain. Choose the IMAP import option, enter the HostMonster server details and upload a CSV mapping the source mailboxes to your Workspace users.
Q4: Will my HostMonster email folders transfer to Gmail?
A4: Yes. Both routes read the mailbox over IMAP, which sees the full folder structure. In Gmail the folders arrive as labels with the same names and organization.
Q5: Do my HostMonster emails get deleted after the migration?
A5: No. The migration copies messages to the destination and leaves the originals on the HostMonster server. Your old mailbox stays intact until you close the hosting account yourself.
Conclusion
So the route depends on your destination. To transfer HostMonster webmail to Gmail on a Workspace domain you administer, Google’s data import tool does it free with some CSV setup. For a personal Gmail account, or for a one mailbox move without admin console work, the Corbett IMAP Migration Tool takes the login details and does the rest with folders intact. Either way, do it while the hosting account is still alive. Is your destination a Workspace domain or a free Gmail account?
