Many people who desire to change email providers move to Gmail from AOL. The decision to move AOL emails can also result from the desire to merge AOL mail with Gmail. So, you must know precisely how you can transfer contacts from AOL to Gmail. In the absence of the proper knowledge, it can become quite challenging for you to switch to another email provider like Gmail. So, in this article, you’ll find how you can migrate your AOL emails to Gmail. The stepwise instructions will help you understand the correct process and take the necessary steps to complete the process without any risks.
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How to Transfer Contacts from AOL to Gmail Manually?
If you wish to forward AOL mail to Gmail manually, you’ll have to copy all your AOL contacts and emails individually. To manually copy the AOL emails into Gmail, you should install a desktop email app, like Outlook and Thunderbird. After the installation of the app, follow the steps below.
- Link your AOL account to the application via the IMAP settings that are mentioned below.
POP3
- pop.aol.com is the incoming mail server (POP3).
- smtp.aol.com is your outgoing mail server (SMTP).
- 995 is the incoming port number.
- 465 is the outgoing port number.
- SSL is needed.
IMAP
- imap.aol.com will be the incoming mail server (IMAP).
- smtp.aol.com will be the outgoing mail server (SMTP).
- 993 is the incoming port number.
- 465 is the outgoing port number.
- SSL is needed.
- In case you have installed Thunderbird, you should use the instructions provided by Mozilla for manual configuration.
- Link your Gmail account to the application. For it, you’ll require to enable IMAP in Gmail.
- Now, drag and drop all your emails from the AOL account to the Gmail account.
Points to note before transferring AOL mail to Gmail manually
You must take into consideration certain points before you start to transfer contacts from AOL to Gmail manually. These include the following:
- The email application will utilize your hard drive storage for a temporary AOL email account copy. So, to enable the successful completion of migration, it’s essential to have sufficient free storage space. It’ll allow for the complete archive of the AOL mail on the hard drive.
- Do you have excessive messages and folders in the AOL account? The copying process may consume more than a few days in such a case. It can even take weeks. So, if you need to copy accounts with more than 10,000 items and 10GB used storage, manual copying is not recommended.
- During the copying process, ensure that your system stays powered on.
- Some emails and folders may refuse to copy. This situation will arise if your power supply gets interrupted.
- Note that the moving of AOL emails to Gmail manually influences the work of the system. It can slow down your computer.
The process to transfer AOL mail to Gmail manually.
For this process, you will require to export your AOL contacts from AOL. Only after that, can you import them to Gmail. For exporting and then importing contacts, follow the stepwise process below.
- Login to your AOL account in the web browser.
- Now head over to the ‘Contacts’ tab. After that, tap ‘More.’ It is in the top menu.
- Next, choose ‘Export.’
- Now you must download your AOL address book. Download it in a .csv file.
- After you download the contacts in a .csv file, you’ll require to import them to Gmail.
- To import the contacts to Gmail, sign into the Gmail account in your web browser.
- After signing in, navigate to ‘Contact.’
- Click ‘Import.’ It is present in the left side menu.
- Now choose your downloaded .csv file. After that, click ‘Import.’
- That’s it, you now know how to import contacts from AOL to Gmail.
Another way to transfer contacts from AOL to Gmail
There’s another way by which you can accomplish the transfer process. For forwarding AOL to Gmail, follow the steps below.
- Copy every message you wish to import from your AOL mail ‘Spam’ and ‘Sent Mail’ folders in a custom folder. Messages that are kept in ‘Spam’ and ‘Drafts’ folders aren’t imported.
- Sign in to your Gmail account. Now, choose the ‘Settings’ gear in your mail account.
- Choose the option of ‘See all Settings.’
- Now choose the ‘Accounts and Import’ tab.
- Choose ‘Import mail and contacts.’ You will see an ‘Import’ dialog box opening.
- Type in your full AOL email address. After that, choose ‘Continue.’
- Type in your AOL mail password correctly. Then, choose ‘Continue.’
- Ensure that you have selected ‘Import Mail’ and ‘Import Contacts.’
- Choose the option of ‘Import New Mail for Next 30 Days.’ It will allow automatic copying of the messages you get in your AOL account to your Gmail inbox for 30 days.
- Lastly, select the option of ‘Start Import.’
- Then, choose ‘OK’ when the import process completes.
- Note that every contact and message is still there in the AOL mail even after it’s imported into Gmail.
The Process to Stop Importing Contacts from AOL to Gmail
Do you wish to no longer import new messages on your AOL mail to Gmail? If so, you can stop this process by following these steps.
- Sign in to your Gmail account, and choose the ‘Settings’ gear.
- Choose ‘See All Settings.’
- Select the tab of ‘Accounts and Import.’
- In the section of ‘Import Mail and Contacts,’ choose ‘Delete’ or ‘Stop’ beside the account you wish to stop getting emails.
- To confirm your choice, choose ‘OK.’
Read Also- How To Fix AOL Password Reset Not Working?
Final Words
After reading the stepwise instructions, you can transfer contacts from AOL to Gmail efficiently. Although the copying process may take some time, the job will be done perfectly. If you face any trouble in implementing the steps, contact professional Outlook technical support services. The experts will guide you in this entire process and fix any problems you may encounter.