How to Migrate from Gmail to Google Workspace (Without Losing Emails)

Moving from a personal Gmail to Google Workspace is one of the most common upgrades a growing business makes. You get a professional email address on your own domain, better admin controls, and a separation between work and personal life that's long overdue.

The catch: Google doesn't make it easy to bring your email history with you. Here's how to do it properly.

What Google's own tools offer (and where they fall short)

Google Workspace admins have access to the Data Migration Service — but it's designed for migrating from other email providers (Outlook, Exchange) into Workspace, not from one Google account to another. For Gmail-to-Workspace, it's unreliable and poorly documented.

Google Takeout lets you export your Gmail as an MBOX file, but there's no supported way to import that MBOX into a Workspace account. You'd need third-party tools and significant technical effort.

The straightforward method: GTransfer

GTransfer handles Gmail-to-Workspace migration directly, account to account, using the Gmail API. No exports, no MBOX files, no technical setup. Here's the process:

Step 1 — Connect your personal Gmail. Sign in at gtransfer.app and connect your personal Gmail account via Google OAuth. This is the account you're moving from.

Step 2 — Connect your Workspace account. Add your new Google Workspace account as the destination. GTransfer treats both as standard Google accounts — the migration process is the same whether the destination is a free Gmail or a paid Workspace.

Step 3 — Select what to migrate. Choose all labels, or select specific ones. If you only want to bring across client emails and not personal ones, you can filter by label. GTransfer shows the email count and size for each selection.

Step 4 — Run the migration. GTransfer transfers emails server-side. For a typical personal Gmail (5–10 GB of email), this takes a few hours. You don't need to keep the browser open.

Step 5 — Bring Drive files too. If you store work-related files in Google Drive on your personal account, transfer those at the same time. The Essential plan (£9 one-time) covers unlimited Gmail and Drive transfer.

After the migration: what to do next

• Set up forwarding on the personal Gmail to the new Workspace address, so emails sent to the old address still reach you
• Export contacts from contacts.google.com and import them into the new Workspace account
• Update your email address on any platforms, subscriptions, or client-facing profiles that have the old Gmail
• Set an auto-responder on the old account letting contacts know about the new address

How long should you keep the old Gmail active?

Keep forwarding from the old Gmail for at least three to six months after the switch. Some contacts will keep emailing the old address for a while, and you don't want to miss anything important. Personal Gmail accounts are free, so there's no cost to keeping it active.

Read our related guide: How to separate your personal and business Google accounts.