Windows Live Mail: Switch to Gmail

Gmail is Google’s webmail service. Safe, easy and you can do it anywhere in the world. Gmail is Dutch. If you choose Gmail, you do not need to install a program on your PC. From now on you can e-mail via your favorite browser.

To use Gmail, you need a Google account. If you don’t have one, read the article ‘Create a Google account’.

On SeniorWeb you will find an article that explains the basics of Gmail:

• Gmail: the first steps

Emails from Windows Live Mail can be easily archived and consulted using the Mailstore program. It is also possible, for those who really want to, to subsequently import these emails into Gmail.

You can read how to download and install the program in the Mailstore article. When the program is ready for use, proceed as follows:

• Launch Mail Store.
• click on Archive emails.
• Under ‘Email Clients’, click Windows Live Mail.
• In the window that appears, click To end.
• In the next window that appears, click OK.
• Under ‘Profiles’, double click Windows Live Mail to start archiving.
• At the bottom right of the screen you will see a progress window. Depending on the number of messages you have, archiving may take some time. When the process is complete, click in the progress window on Close.

You can now consult all your e-mails in the archive via the Mailstore program. But this program can also transfer the messages to Gmail:

• Click in the program on Export emails.
• Under ‘Email Servers’, click gmail.
• In the window that appears, click Next one.
• Enter your Gmail address at ‘Email address’.
• click on consent.
• In the window that appears, click Next one.
• Enter your password and click login.
• click on To allow.
• Go back to the Mailstore screen.
• click on Next one.
• click on To end.
• click on OK.
• Under ‘Profiles’, double click the given name to start transferring.
• At the bottom right of the screen you will see a progress window. Depending on the number of messages you have, the transfer may take some time. When the process is complete, click in the progress window on Close.

You will find all e-mails under the label ‘MailStore Export’, which you will find on the left side of the menu. If this label is not visible, click on More labels.

To transfer your contacts to Gmail, first create a special file that contains all your contacts. You can save such a CSV file in Windows Live Mail as follows:

• Launch Windows Live Mail.
• Click on the bottom left Contacts.
• Click at the top Export.
• Then click Comma Separated Values ​​(.CSV) File.
• click on To leaf through.
• Select a folder on the computer to save the file to.
• Think of a suitable file name, for example ‘Contacts Address Book’.
• click on Save.
• click on Next one.
• You decide which data, such as telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and nicknames, you want to transfer.
• click on Complete.

The address book csv file is now saved on the computer. Now it’s time to transfer the contacts to Gmail:

• Go to Gmail (mail.google.com) and log in with your details.
• Click on the red arrow next to Gmail in the top left.
• click on Contacts.
• When you have created a new Google account, you may see a preview. In that case, you will see a light blue bar below the Google logo. In that case click on More.
• click on Close Contact Preview.
• Click now Import contacts.
• click on To leaf through.
• Go to the csv file you saved it, click on it and then click To open.
• click on Import.

All contacts are now imported into Gmail.

If you choose an e-mail address from Gmail, you can have e-mails from his current provider address arrive at this service. The mail sent to your provider mail is then automatically sent to your Gmail address. You can read how to set up provider mail in the article:

• Import provider mail into Gmail

Once you’ve transferred everything, Windows Live Mail is no longer needed. It is recommended to remove the program from the PC. Don’t do this right away, but wait a few days. Until you are sure that all your mails and contacts have been transferred to Gmail.

• Right click on Start.
• click on Programs and Features.
• Find Windows Essentials 2012 in the list and click it.
• click on Delete Change.
• Click on All Uninstall Windows Essentials Programs.
• Check all programs and click remove.