Configure your Gmail settings to allow IMAP access and third-party client connections before migrating to Alibaba Mail.
The following screenshots from another email provider are for reference only. The actual interface may differ due to updates. Refer to the current interface of the email provider.
1. Enable the IMAP/POP service.
2. Disable secondary authentication.
3. Enable Less secure app access.
For users:
For administrators: Enable this setting for users who cannot do so themselves.
4. If migration cannot be enabled and you need to perform a test, authenticate through a third-party email client.
A. Check which clients are allowed by default. Avoid clients already authorized for the account.
B. Test the third-party client on a network outside China.
C. If migration still does not start after all restrictions are removed, retry several times. Gmail may delay granting access.
Start the migration in Alibaba Mail
Complete the preparations above, then follow these steps to start the migration.
Create migration task
Create employee accounts in Alibaba Cloud Mail before you start the migration. For more information, see How do I create employee accounts?.
If you are migrating from one Alibaba Cloud Mail instance to another, log in to the destination Alibaba Cloud Mail instance to start the migration. Do not start the migration from the source Alibaba Cloud Mail instance.
Log in to the postmaster portal. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Email Tools > Mailbox Migration, and then click Create Migration Task.
1. Preparation
On the "Contacts - Member Management" page, confirm that you have assigned Alibaba Cloud Mail accounts to all users you intend to migrate.
Confirm that your source system is running normally and its IMAP service is enabled.
Ensure all users in the source system have removed restrictions on the email synchronization scope in their clients (for example, by changing "Sync last 30 days" to "Sync all"). Additionally, disable IP login restrictions, two-factor authentication (such as SMS, WeChat, or authenticator apps), and client-specific passwords.
Complete data deletion or moving operations in the source system before the migration. Do not modify data during the migration.
We recommend that folder names in the source system do not contain special characters such as "+", "*", "\", or "/".
Depending on your source system's capabilities, the administrator can either disable these settings in bulk or use the source system's API to disable them.
2. Configure source system parameters
Enter the Task Name, select the Source System, and provide the Source Email Account, Source Email Password, and Source Server Address. We recommend using the default settings for other options. Click Next.
3. Configure migration settings
Select Folders to be migrated:
All folders: You can exclude specific folders from the migration.
Specified folders: You can select the specific folders to migrate.
Select Emails to be migrated:
All emails
Emails within a specified date range
Select Folder Location:
Store Separately (unified storage mode, named by email address)
Creates a folder in the destination mailbox named after the source email address.
Merge into system folders (folder mapping mode)
Automatically matches system folders (for example, Sent -> Sent).
Preserves the custom folder structure.
Migration Time Settings:
Start Now: Starts the data transfer within 2 hours.
Start email migration at the following time: Allows you to set a custom start time.
Click Next.
4. Add migration accounts
Choose one of the following three methods to add migration accounts:
Method 1: Administrator uploads account credentials and starts the migration directly.
This method is suitable when you know the source system usernames and passwords for all accounts to be migrated and want the process to be transparent to your organization's members.
Method 2: Administrator uploads account information and notifies members to start the migration by logging in with their source account credentials.
This method is suitable when you have a list of all employee accounts in the source system. After you configure the migration parameters, employees can trigger the migration by logging in to Alibaba Cloud Mail with their source email credentials.
Method 3: Administrator selects a scope of members for migration and notifies them to enter their own credentials.
This method is suitable when you have not collected the source system credentials. After configuring the migration parameters, you can notify employees to start their own migration by entering and verifying their credentials.
Click Add Migration Account.
If you need to modify the migration parameters later, go to Migration Settings > Edit > Edit Migration Configuration. After making changes, click OK.
Migration solutions
Click Add Migration Account.
Choose one of the three solutions based on your requirements.
Key points
Solution type | Use case | Key points |
Batch migration (password known) | Administrator has employee account passwords. |
|
Batch migration (password unknown) | Administrator has only a list of accounts. |
|
Self-service migration | For decentralized scenarios where employees manage their own migration. |
|
First migration method
Create a CSV file in Excel with the following format. All three columns are required.
Alibaba Cloud Mail account | Source email account | Source email password |
1234@example00.com | 1234@example01.com | Halo1234 |
Carefully verify the account mappings to prevent migrating to the wrong account. If the source system uses a client-specific password, enter that password in the "Source system email password" column. You can import a maximum of 10,000 records at a time.
For Exchange mailbox migration using a delegate account (Set up a delegate account for an Exchange mailbox), use the following format for the migration file:
user2@example.com,superman@example.com/user1,password
Field descriptions:
user2@example.com: The Alibaba Cloud Mail account.superman@example.com/user1: The source mailbox in delegate account format, whereuser1is the source mailbox prefix and access is delegated tosuperman@example.com.password: The password forsuperman@example.com.
Second migration method
The administrator starts the migration without knowing employee passwords. The migration begins after an employee logs in with their source email password. You can batch import migration accounts using a CSV file.
1. Create a CSV file in Excel with the following format:
Migration account |
1234@example00.com |
2. Import content:
Migration Account (Required): The account must already exist in Alibaba Cloud Mail and have the exact same email address as the source account.
3. Process:
When an employee logs in with their source password (only the source password is valid for the initial login), that password becomes the login password for their Alibaba Cloud Mail account. The employee can change this password in Webmail after logging in. Changing the password does not affect the migration.
4. Employee account passwords:
After an employee logs in, their source password becomes the password for their Alibaba Cloud Mail account. They can change this password in Webmail, which will not affect the ongoing migration.
If an employee changes their source system password during the migration, the migration will fail. The employee must then manually update the source password in the migration menu. We recommend that employees do not change their source system passwords during the migration period. You can import a maximum of 1,000 records at a time.
Before using this mode, confirm the following:
1. The source and destination email addresses must be identical.
2. After setup, these accounts can only be accessed with the source system password, not their current Alibaba Cloud Mail password. Notify employees of this change in advance.
Third migration method
Notify members to start the migration themselves. This requires them to enter their source email account and password.
Employees will see a prompt after logging in to Webmail.
Employee steps:
The employee logs in to Alibaba Cloud Mail Webmail using the initial credentials set by the administrator. A system prompt will indicate that domain migration is enabled. Click OK to go to the migration settings. If the user clicks Cancel, they can also access the settings under Settings > View More Settings > Mail Settings > Mailbox Migration and enter their source email credentials.
