How to migrate from Gmail to a custom domain email without losing messages
Moving from Gmail to a professional email address feels daunting, but the process is straightforward — and you won't lose a single message.
Using Gmail works fine for personal use, but once your business grows, sending from your own domain makes a real difference: clients recognize the brand, deliverability improves, and you control the mailboxes.
1. Export your messages first
Go to Google Takeout (takeout.google.com) and export Gmail only, in .mbox format. For large mailboxes (over 15 GB), the process takes a few hours.
2. Set up your new domain email
With H2E Mail, the flow is: create mailboxes in the panel, copy the MX records provided, and update your domain's DNS. Propagation takes 30 minutes to 48 hours. Your old mailbox keeps receiving email normally during this period.
3. Migrate via IMAP with your email client
With Thunderbird (free), set up both accounts — Gmail and H2E Mail — and drag folders from one to the other. Thunderbird copies messages in the background, preserving original dates and senders.
4. Update MX and watch the next 48 hours
Once DNS propagates and the new MX takes effect, new emails arrive at H2E Mail. Keep Gmail open for 48 hours to catch any message still in transit.
Need help with the migration? H2E Mail's support team walks you through the full process. Reach us via WhatsApp: +55 12 99188-7205.