Clone a Gmail Account

You want to copy Gmail to another account so your mail lives in a second address. You may be retiring an old account, want a safety copy or want two accounts in one inbox. Gmail has no button to merge two Gmail accounts so there is no single click to copy Gmail to another account. Below are three ways to copy Gmail to another account, what every method retains and fixes for errors that stop an import.

What does it mean to clone a Gmail account?

Clones are copies. When you copy Gmail to another account, mail moves from account A to account B and account A remains as it was. Google has no button that fuses two accounts. What people mean by merge is reading and sending from one inbox and Gmail's free settings do that.

Mail is only part of a Google account. Contacts export from Google Contacts as a CSV or vCard file. Drive files, Calendar events and Photos move on their own. If you also need a file copy of mail, see how to Import MBOX to Gmail and how to Extract email addresses from Gmail.

How to copy Gmail to another account with Gmail's free import?

Gmail's importer is a plain free way to copy Gmail to another account. It copies old mail and contacts from another account into your signed in account. Use a computer, because it lives in Gmail on web.

1. Sign in to your new account, because you copy Gmail to another account from destination side.
2. Select your gear icon, then See all settings.
3. Open your Accounts and import tab.
4. Select Import mail and contacts.
5. Enter your old Gmail address and follow on-screen sign in prompts.
6. Choose contacts, old mail and new mail, then select Start import.

Google's help page says Gmail forwards new mail from your old address for 30 days after import. A large mailbox arrives slowly so start early and let it finish. Menu names come from Google's own help page so confirm them in your account.

Google also says you can import messages but not folders or labels. That is a big gap if you must copy Gmail to another account with filing intact. Gmail cannot import a message of 150 MB or more and your source account needs POP enabled when it is a Gmail address.

One update to know: Google's page says "Check mail from other accounts" stops taking new users after Q1 2026 and works for existing users until January 2027. Guides built on that feature are out of date. Import mail and contacts is a one-time import and Google says it remains in Gmail on web.

How to copy Gmail to another account into one inbox?

If your goal is to merge, two more free settings finish that task. Forwarding brings future mail in. Send mail as adds your old address as an alias so you reply from either address.

1. Sign in to your old account, open See all settings and go to Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
2. Select Add a forwarding address, enter your main Gmail address and confirm Gmail's message.
3. Choose to forward a copy of incoming mail to your main address and save.
4. In your main account open Accounts and import, find Send mail as and select Add another email address.
5. Verify your old address, then choose to reply from whichever address got that message.

With import plus those settings, two accounts act as one. History is copied, new mail arrives in one place and replies go out from your right address. Want only to see both inboxes? Google's account switcher does that without moving data. Moving mail between more accounts? See how to Migrate Gmail emails to another Gmail account.

Steps to copy Gmail to another account with software

1. Enable 2-Step Verification in your old Google account, open App passwords and create a 16 character code.
2. Install Corbett Gmail Migration Tool on your Windows PC and open it with Run as administrator.
3. Add your old Gmail address and app password as source, then add your new address as destination.
4. Tick Gmail labels you want to copy Gmail to another account with. Untick Spam, Trash and All Mail so nothing arrives twice.
5. Preview a few messages, then add date, sender, subject, attachment or size filters if you want less mail.
6. Start the copy. An interrupted transfer carries on where it stopped.

Many accounts? Corbett's page says a batch file handles many Gmail to Workspace moves. Duplicates remain out of your target. Filters, forwarding, signature settings and calendar events remain behind so set those up again by hand. Licence is lifetime from $99 with a 30-day money-back window. To store a file copy first, use Corbett Gmail Backup Tool. Moving a work account? See how to Convert Google Workspace to a personal account.

What do you need before you copy Gmail to another account?

Check these items first, because most stalled imports trace back to one of them.

• Enough free space before you copy Gmail to another account. A copy doubles your data and free Gmail space is shared across Mail, Drive and Photos.
• POP enabled in your old Gmail account when you use Google's importer.
• A 16 character app password for your old account when you use software.
• IMAP is always on for personal Gmail. Corbett's page says Google removed that switch in January 2025 so there is nothing to enable. See Enable IMAP in Gmail not showing.

A work or school address works on Google Workspace, where admins move mail with Google's data migration tool and may block app passwords. That case needs an admin. Using an IMAP host in place of Gmail? See how to Migrate IMAP to Gmail.

Which way to copy Gmail to another account is best?

To copy Gmail to another account and retain labels, use software. For a flat copy or one combined inbox, Gmail's free settings are enough.

Why does a Gmail copy fail?

Import is stuck when you copy Gmail to another account

Google says to confirm your password and that your old account still works. Then delete and re-add that source address under Settings, Accounts and import. Retry later if you see timeouts.

Mail is missing after you copy Gmail to another account

Search with in:anywhere plus your terms and expand threads, as Google advises. Messages of 150 MB or more never import when you copy Gmail to another account. Search larger:10M to find big ones.

Labels are gone after you copy Gmail to another account

That is how Gmail's importer works. Folders and labels are not imported so use software if you must retain them.

Server denied access

Google says to allow access to your source account. For a Gmail source, enable POP and check that sign in is allowed.

Software rejects your password

Google blocks normal passwords in outside apps when 2-Step Verification is on. Create an app password and sign in with that. No usable Google Help Community thread exists on that error so fixes above come from Google's own import help page.

What to do after you copy Gmail to another account?

After you copy Gmail to another account, compare label and message counts on a few folders. Set a vacation responder on your old address that names your new one. Retain your old account for a few months, because bank logins and password resets may still point there. Delete a Google account only when nothing important routes through it, since deletion also removes Drive files and Photos. Our guide to Protect Gmail account from hackers adds safety to your new one.

Questions About Copying Gmail