Import a PST file into Gmail

Gmail has no PST import button. These are the three ways that do work, with and without Outlook, and what to expect from each.

Updated 28 October 20266 min read

Why there is no direct import

Gmail stores mail on Google’s servers and accepts it only through its own channels: incoming email, IMAP, and Google’s migration tools. A PST is an Outlook file, so the mail has to be copied in through a mail program that speaks IMAP, or through Google’s tool for business accounts.

Before you start, check your Google storage: free accounts have 15 GB shared between Gmail, Drive and Photos. A large PST may not fit.

Way 1: with classic Outlook (Windows)

Best when classic Outlook is installed.

  1. In Outlook, add your Gmail account: File › Add Account, then sign in with Google. Wait until its folders appear.
  2. Open the PST: File › Open & Export › Open Outlook Data File. It appears as a separate set of folders.
  3. Drag folders or messages from the PST onto the Gmail account. Each folder you drop becomes a Gmail label.
  4. Leave Outlook open until the copy finishes. Large archives take hours.

Tip: copy one folder first and check in Gmail that it arrived the way you want before moving everything.

Way 2: without Outlook, through Thunderbird

Works on Windows, Mac and Linux, and needs no Outlook.

  1. Convert the PST with PST to MBOX. You get a ZIP with one .mbox file per folder. Unzip it. (An .ost file works too.)
  2. Install Thunderbird (free) and add your Gmail account.
  3. Install the free add-on ImportExportTools NG. Right-click Local Folders › ImportExportTools NG › Import mbox file and choose the files.
  4. Select the imported folders’ messages and drag or copy them to the Gmail account in Thunderbird. Thunderbird uploads them over IMAP.

The conversion runs in your browser; your PST is not uploaded. Only the final step sends mail to Google, which is the point.

Way 3: Google Workspace accounts

If your Gmail is a Google Workspace account (work or school, not @gmail.com), Google’s free Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Outlook (GWMMO) imports PST files directly on Windows. Your administrator may need to allow it. It does not work with personal @gmail.com accounts.

What to expect

  • Speed: Gmail limits how fast mail can be uploaded over IMAP, so very large archives can take a day or more. Copy in batches if uploads stall.
  • Labels: folders become labels; a message copied into two folders gets two labels.
  • Dates: each message keeps its original date inside it, but depending on the program used, Gmail may sort copied mail by the day it was uploaded. Copy a few messages first and check.
  • Contacts and calendar do not travel this way. Export them from Outlook as .csv or .ics files and import them in Google Contacts and Google Calendar.

Frequently asked

Can I read the PST before deciding what to move? Yes: open it in the PST Viewer, with no Outlook and no upload.

My PST will not open. Run the free health check in Repair PST first; it recovers readable messages into a new PST.

Going the other way? See Gmail Takeout to Outlook.

PST to MBOXFor Thunderbird and Apple Mail. Free preview, nothing uploaded.
Open PST to MBOX
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