Transfer Yahoo Emails to Another Account

You want to transfer emails from Yahoo to another account, either a second Yahoo address or a new service. Yahoo Mail has no move all button and forwarding sends only new mail. Below are three ways to do it, plus the Yahoo settings you need and fixes for failed moves.

Can Yahoo forward emails to another account?

Yes but Yahoo forwarding does not move old mail. Yahoo's help says forwarding sends a copy of incoming messages and needs Yahoo Mail Plus. It names no step for your Inbox history so old mail remains where it is.

1. Open your settings gear in Yahoo Mail, then select More Settings.
2. Select Mailboxes, then select your primary mailbox.
3. Under Forwarding, enter your new address in Forwarding Address and select Verify.
4. Sign in to your new address and follow Yahoo's verification message.

Yahoo says these steps include its older desktop layout and some locales do not offer that option. Check Yahoo's automatic forwarding page for your layout. Yahoo forwarding is useful after the move since new mail still reaches you.

How to move your Yahoo mail across with a mail application?

Add both accounts to one mail application over IMAP, then copy folders across. This method costs nothing when a mailbox is small. Thunderbird does it.

1. Create an app password for every Yahoo account in Yahoo Account Security. Copy every code.
2. Add your old Yahoo account to Thunderbird over IMAP.
3. Add your new account in that way. It can be Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook or any IMAP mailbox.
4. Let your old account finish syncing. Open large folders once so full messages download.
5. In your new account create a folder to store your old mail.
6. Select messages in your old folder, then drag them onto your new folder. Use copy, not move, to retain originals.
7. Open your new account in a browser and check counts before you copy more folders.

A Mozilla Support top contributor advised copying instead of moving, after you confirm full messages downloaded. An eM Client forum helper said folder names do not need to match and uploads take time so watch Show Operations in eM Client. Menu names differ by version so test one small folder first. IMAP mirrors deletions so a message deleted in your mail application is deleted on Yahoo too. Ask Leo makes that point about Yahoo sync.

Steps to move your Yahoo mail across with software

1. Install Corbett Yahoo Mail Migration Tool on your Windows PC and start it as administrator to move your Yahoo mail across. Select Open.
2. Select Email Accounts, then Add Account.
3. Enter your Yahoo address and password. Use an app password if Yahoo asks. It finds server and port itself.
4. Tick Yahoo folders you want and preview a few messages.
5. Use quick or advanced search to filter by date, sender, subject or address if you need less mail.
6. Select Export, then choose IMAP or your target service.
7. Enter your destination account details, then select Save to move your Yahoo mail across.
8. Open your new account and compare folders and counts. Now you can copy more folders.

Licence is $99 one time, with a 30-day refund window. Its page lists contacts among items it moves so test contacts on your demo first. To save a file copy before you move, see how to Save Yahoo emails to computer or use Corbett Yahoo Backup Tool. For many mail hosts at once, see Corbett IMAP Migration Tool.

What Yahoo IMAP settings do you need?

Use your full Yahoo address as username. Yahoo's help says to create an app password if Account Key or two step verification is on. Yahoo also says firewalls and antivirus tools must not block ports 995, 465 and 587.

• Incoming IMAP uses imap.mail.yahoo.com on port 993 with SSL/TLS.
• Outgoing SMTP uses smtp.mail.yahoo.com on port 465 or 587 with sign in required.
• Password is an app password when Yahoo rejects your normal one.

Avoid POP for this move. Yahoo says POP downloads Inbox mail only and syncs one way.

How to send Yahoo mail to a new account like Gmail, Outlook or iCloud?

Use IMAP or software for a Gmail target since Gmail ended its mail fetching from other accounts. Thurrott reported in January 2026 that Gmail stops checking other accounts through POP and drops Gmailify for services like Yahoo. Google points users to automatic forwarding, which Yahoo ties to Mail Plus. A one time import remains on Gmail's web page, according to that report.

For step by step moves, see how to Transfer Yahoo Mail to Gmail, Export Yahoo Mail to Outlook or Migrate Yahoo Mail to iCloud.

Which way to move your Yahoo mail across is best?

For new mail, use Yahoo forwarding. For old mail, use a mail client for a small mailbox and software for a large one. Both ways retain your folders.

Want to protect a mailbox before you move it? See how to Password protect Yahoo emails. Need only senders? See how to Extract email addresses from Yahoo.

Why does Yahoo mail transfer fail?

Yahoo rejects your password

Create an app password if Account Key or two step verification is on. Yahoo says to delete your Yahoo account from your app and add it again if sign in still fails. For other IMAP errors, see how to Download IMAP emails from server.

Cannot copy mail between two Yahoo mailboxes

An eM Client forum user in August 2025 wanted to move folders with about 10,000 emails between two Yahoo accounts and got error messages when moving a folder from one account to another. A helper replied that you can drag a folder straight onto your second account and that uploads take time. That thread shows no confirmed fix. Move one small folder first and watch Show Operations.

Yahoo forwarding is missing

Yahoo says forwarding needs Yahoo Mail Plus and is not available in every locale. If you do not see it, Yahoo says it is not offered for your account.

Mail is missing after the move

Wait for uploads to finish, then check your new account in a browser. A copy can lag behind folder names. A mail application may show folders before messages arrive. Compare counts folder by folder.

What to do after the move?

Maintain your old Yahoo mailbox until counts match. Tell contacts your new address and continue Yahoo forwarding if your plan has it. Move contacts on their own, since mail moves do not always carry them. Once counts match, you can copy folders you missed.

Questions about moving Yahoo mail