How to Transfer Folders from One Gmail Account to Another?

  

Rollins Duke   
Published: November 15th, 2025 • 9 Min Read

Overview: Learn “How to Transfer Folders from One Gmail Account to Another?” To move folders from one Gmail account to another, there are multiple routes, like Google Takeout, using a desktop client like Outlook/ Thunderbird, or you can also use Gmail’s built-in Import tool to move Gmail folder to another account. The best possible way to move Gmail Folders to another Gmail Account is using a professional tool that guarantees security and ensures complete & selective folder migration in Gmail to another account.

Gmail folders are also called Gmail labels. By default, Gmail gives you basic labels to categorise, like Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums, but most users prefer to create their own new labels to sort and access emails easily. Gmail allows you to create 10000 labels/ folders per user mailbox to help organize, manage, and filter Gmail emails easily. But often users need to move folders from one Gmail account to another. In this guide, we will walk you through the exact steps you need to import labels from one Gmail account to another.

Why Move Gmail Folder To Another Account?

Here are some reasons Gmail users need to Transfer Folders from one Gmail Account to another:

• To have centralised access to all Gmail folders under one account.
• Transfer Gmail folders to another Gmail account for backup and archival purposes.
• If you are changing your primary Gmail contact account.
• Often, users move certain Gmail folders to another Gmail account for easy collaboration with team members.
• Before closing or deleting a Gmail account.

Whatever your reason may be, here we will cover multiple approaches that will help you move folders from one Gmail account to another.

How to Transfer Folders from One Gmail Account to Another?

In this guide, we will cover 4 ways to move Gmail folders (labels) to another Gmail account. There are manual ways to import labels from one Gmail account to another, which can sometimes be time taking and technically complex for everyday users.

Which is why using an advanced tool is the smartest way to transfer Gmail folders to another account. Let us discuss each one by one.

Method 1: Gmail’s Built-In Import Tool to Move Gmail Folder to Another Account

Follow the steps below properly to transfer Gmail folders to another Gmail account.

1. Log in to your Gmail account in which you want to import Gmail folders/labels.\
2. Click on the Gear icon > See all Settings.
3. Then, navigate to Account and Import >> Import Mail and Contacts.
4. Enter your secondary email address to export Gmail folders.
5. Next, click Continue and Allow Gmail to access your Google Account.
6. Select the Import Mail option and press Start Import.

That’s it. You have successfully imported labels from one Gmail account to another.

Method 2: Google Takeout to Transfer Folders from One Gmail Account to Another

Google Takeout is a tool made by Google to export, back up, and download Gmail emails with attachments, Google Drive, and photos. However, it can also come in handy to move folders from one Gmail account to another.

Here are the exact steps you can follow to move folders from one Gmail account to another using Google Takeout :

1. Open Google Takeout and log in with your Gmail account.
2. Deselect all and only select Mail using the checkbox.
3. Enter export settings and choose Send download link via email.
4. Click on the Create Export option.
5. You will now get a ZIP file. Download & Extract the ZIP file.
6. After extracting, you will get Gmail labels in the MBOX format.
7. Now import these MBOX to Gmail Destination account.

Note: If you are a Google Workspace user and want to transfer Gmail folders to another Gmail account. Go to https://takeout.google.com/transfer log in with the source account. Select the labels you want to migrate to another Gmail account. Enter the destination account. Verify your identity and click on “Start transfer” to automatically copy labels from one Gmail account to another.

Method 3: Using Desktop Email Client

Any desktop email client such as Outlook, Thunderbird, or Apple Mail can help you to move folders from one Gmail account to another by merely dragging and dropping.

Here are the follow-along steps:

1. Configure both the source and destination accounts in the email client.
2. Select all the folders you need to import into another Gmail account.
3. Simply drag and drop the Gmail labels from the source account to the destination account to transfer.

Note: You no longer need to enable IMAP separately or need an app password to configure a Gmail account in the desktop client. It can be simply done using Google OAuth.

Limitations of the Manual Method

• It is a time-consuming process as moving large folders can consume a lot of time, even days.
• There are chances when Gmail folders may lose their original hierarchy when being transferred manually.
• Offers no email filter options which can make the process lengthy and frustrating.
• Not an ideal method for beginners as it requires a bit of technical knowledge.
• Incorrect setup may risk losing Gmail account access.

How to Transfer Folders from One Gmail Account to Another? Steps

Users can download the free demo version of the software that allows converting the first 25 items from a Gmail account to another personal Gmail account. For countless email migrations, please purchase the licensed version of the tool.

Now, after downloading and launching the software on your Windows-compatible machine, please follow these steps:

1. Enter your Gmail account details like Email ID and password. Once done, Click Login. 
2. The software will list all folders in the GUI automatically. Check the desired folders that you wish to migrate into another account.
3. Thereafter, choose Gmail as your saving option to transfer Gmail folders to another Gmail account.
4. If you wish to save the transfer data at a default folder location, then enable this option “Save messages in default folder”.
5. Enter the credentials of the Gmail account in which you want to move Gmail folders.
6. Next, Enable the Use Advance settings for selective backup option if you want to filter emails.
7. Lastly, press the Backup tab to start the migration. Now, you can open your new Gmail account to view the email messages.

FAQs: Move Gmail Folder to Another Account

Q1. Can I directly “merge” two Gmail accounts and their labels?
Ans. No, Google does not provide a direct “merge” feature for Gmail accounts or their labels. Each Gmail account is separate. However, you can transfer data, including emails with their labels to combine them.

Q2. Will my labels remain the same after transferring emails?
Ans. Yes, if you use the above discussed tool you can move folders from one Gmail account to another while preserving the accuracy and hierarchy of the labels, during and even after the process.

Q3. Can I selectively move specific emails or just certain labels?
Ans. Yes, using the professional tool like Gmail Backup Software you can move specific emails as it offers advanced filters such as date range, sender or receiver details, keywords or subject, making the process easier without any manual effort.

Let’s Conclude

Moving thousands of email folders from one Google Gmail account to another is a huge task. You need a lot of time and effort to do such a conversion. So, it is better to opt for an automated solution such as the one discussed in this article. Now, hopefully, you will be able to transfer folders from one Gmail account to another without any hassle. For more information contacts our support team!