Transfer Mailbird Emails to Gmail

You want to transfer Mailbird emails to Gmail, and Mailbird has no Export to Gmail button. It keeps mail in a local store on your PC, so it never leaves with a normal account switch. Below are three ways to move Mailbird to Gmail, with clear limits for every method.

Why transfer Mailbird emails to Gmail?

Gmail keeps your mail online, so every phone and browser sees one mailbox. Mailbird keeps contacts, emails and settings in a data folder on one PC. A new PC, a changed client or a shared team inbox all push users to transfer Mailbird emails to Gmail.

Moving mail also gives you a safe copy. Once Mailbird emails sit in Gmail, a broken laptop cannot take your history with it. Keep your Mailbird data until you confirm your Gmail folders and counts.

Where does Mailbird keep emails before you transfer them to Gmail?

Mailbird keeps data in C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Local\Mailbird. A Mailbird support article says that folder holds your contacts, emails and account settings. It also says to quit Mailbird fully before you copy it, or your backup breaks.

That folder only restores Mailbird on another PC. A Mailbird support post from June 2024 explains a PC move in short steps: copy that Mailbird folder, install Mailbird on your new PC without opening it and overwrite its folder. It does not put your mail into Gmail. That article also says Mailbird has no direct server to server email transfer and points users to provider tools.

How to transfer Mailbird emails to Gmail with drag and drop?

Add your Gmail account to Mailbird and drag messages from your old account into it. Mailbird covers that on its moving emails between accounts page.

1. Open Mailbird and add your Gmail account with its setup wizard.
2. Open your old account folder and select messages.
3. Drag them onto a Gmail folder. Hold Ctrl while you drag to copy instead of move.
4. Wait for Mailbird to confirm that messages arrived.
5. Open Gmail in your browser and check counts.

Catch: it moves what you select, folder by folder. That is fine for a few hundred messages and slow for years of mail across several accounts. Mailbird gives no message count limits, so test it on one folder first.

How to transfer Mailbird emails to Gmail with Mailbird Export Tool?

Mailbird Export Tool exports emails from POP3 or IMAP accounts to EML files or uploads them to an IMAP server. A Mailbird support article says EML to a folder is faster and more reliable. Gmail is an IMAP server, so its direct upload option is your closest fit for Gmail.

1. Back up your Mailbird data folder first.
2. Download Mailbird Export Tool, extract your ZIP file and start MailbirdBackupTool.exe.
3. Select your email account and an export method.
4. For IMAP upload, enter your Gmail server details: imap.gmail.com, port 993, then select Next.
5. Wait until it finishes, then check your Gmail folders.

Catch: Mailbird says it exports emails only. Contacts stay in Mailbird, and its article does not name Gmail as a tested target. Gmail also wants an app password or Google sign-in for outside apps, so prepare that first.

Steps to transfer Mailbird emails to Gmail with software

1. Install it on a Windows PC and start it.
2. Select Open, then Desktop Email Clients and MailBird Accounts.
3. Enter your Mailbird account credentials. Its page says server and port are detected after login.
4. Tick folders to transfer and preview messages.
5. Select Export, then Gmail under Email Services.
6. In Gmail Export Options, switch on Create empty folders, Include email headers or Append into default folders only if you need them.
7. Enter a Backup folder name, your Backup email address and your Gmail password. Corbett's Gmail page says Google logins use a 16 character app password, so prepare one first.
8. Select Save and watch progress.
9. Wait for a success message, then select Open Gmail.
10. Check your new label and folders in Gmail.

Same Export menu also saves PST, EML, MBOX and PDF files, so you can keep a file copy while mail moves to Gmail. Lifetime licence starts at $99 with a 30-day money-back window. Heading to Outlook instead? See how to export Mailbird emails to Outlook.

Which way to transfer Mailbird to Gmail is best?

Match your method to your volume. Use drag and drop for a few folders, Mailbird Export Tool for one IMAP mailbox and software for many accounts.

Moving a Google Workspace mailbox? Google says its IMAP data migration tools need a super admin and move email and labels only, with no contacts or calendar. See also how to clone a Gmail account.

Why does Mailbird to Gmail transfer go wrong?

Mailbird data folder copy is incomplete

Mailbird support warns that a copy taken while Mailbird is still open in background is compromised. Quit Mailbird in Task Manager before you copy its folder.

Gmail refuses your login

Google refuses typed passwords from outside apps. Switch on 2-Step Verification, create a 16 character app password and use it where your tool asks for a Gmail password.

Mailbird emails appear twice in Gmail

If your Mailbird account is already Gmail or IMAP, its mail sits on a server and a copy creates a second message. In Gmail, All Mail holds every label, so leave it unticked in your tool.

EML files do not reach Gmail

Mailbird Export Tool saves EML files to a folder, but Gmail does not import a folder. Use its IMAP upload option or software that exports to Gmail.

Contacts stay in Mailbird

Mailbird Export Tool exports emails only, and Google's data import covers email and labels only. Save contacts separately as vCard or CSV from your software.

What to do after you transfer Mailbird emails to Gmail?

Open Gmail and compare folder counts with Mailbird. Check a few messages with attachments, then keep your Mailbird data folder until you are sure. For files attached to that mail, see how to extract Mailbird attachments, and for contact lists, read how to extract Mailbird email addresses.

Questions about transferring Mailbird emails to Gmail