Moving email from GMail to Thunderbird; have GM 'Takeouts; have TB addon import/export installed.

Tips for importing a large volume of mail from Gmail:

Get the messages by label/folder, not in All Mail. Unzip the zipped take-out file. Install the add-on ImportExportToolsNG. Use ImportExportToolsNG to import each Gmail folder into a local folder in Thunderbird.

As much as I understand All Mail, which is not completely, you probably do not want to import it because it contains only duplicates of messages in other folders, including trash.

Import is not designed for this scenario.

Yes, one label at a time.

What problem(s) are you having?

I just generally don't know how importing from TakeOut using the add-on works, and don't find basic instructions anywhere. When I look at my unzipped Takeout, I don't see individual folders, so I guess I need to redo all that. I've been accessing my gmail via Thunderbird for some time now, but the point in doing so is to have ALL my gmail in Thunderbird **local** folders, and keep only about a rolling 1 year's worth on the gmail server as well, but there seems to be no easy way to do it. One thread suggested using TakeOut was the better strategy (see threads below). Maybe I should just copy the IMAP gmail folders to a local folder and skip the whole takeout thing? Then just delete from the IMAP folders using Thunderbird?

Related threads: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1560065 https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1597371

Oh, I guess there is no way to copy a folder, so that strategy also does not work. Honestly, I'm about to close my gmail account and walk away from this mess.

Operaflute, let us try to keep things simple.

There are indeed ways to copy folders. You have already received sound guidance to use Google Takeout instead. Let us get Google Takeout working for you. After that, I can help you use ImportExportToolsNG to import the messages.

Tell me about your folder structure in gmail. How many folders have you created? Do you keep everything in your inbox? File into meaningful folders? File into an archive folder? Something else?

I believe that you can choose to have Takeout export all your messages in an allmail folder. Do you want to store all your gmail mail in Thunderbird's local folders in a single folder? That would simplify some of our work, but might be less useful to you.

You want to select the option in Google Takeout to export messages into multiple mbox files, not the option to export allmail only.

What is in your Takeout folder now?

After you have the right Takeout files, I will help you import the messages into Thunderbird.

After that, we'll figure out how to have only messages in local folders from before a certain date and only messages in gmail after that date. This is where you free up quota space on gmail.

After that, you can determine an archive method. I don't know how close we can come to your goal of a rolling year of mail stored in gmail. We'll see.

You asked in another thread how to avoid keeping duplicates of messages. I do not know. It's an issue because of how Google uses labels. An add-on might help.

Other people on the forum may be able to help with the open issues.

Let's go one step at a time. Please don't get ahead of me.

"No way to copy a folder"- I think the problem is that it was an IMAP folder.

GOAL: Replicate current gmail structure in Local folders. (Then delete most but not all of data off gmail server.) We're talking decades worth of email - some 200K messages.

GMAIL structure: Most messages are unlabeled, but I do have 50 or so labels in use. TakeOut: Seems like my last go around resulted simply in AllMail, which won't serve my goal. Today requested a new Takeout, this time selecting only "Inbox." As stated, we don't know if I'll end up with a bunch of duplicate messages using this method. THOUGHT: Since I have my IMAP folders, which all seem in order, can I skip takeout and simply use Import/Export NG to export the TB IMAP folders to local folders? Is there a good reason to use TakeOut as an intermediate step?

Appreciate your patient take here.

IMAP folders can be copied.

Why did you ask only for the inbox in Takeout? Is that where most of your messages are? Are you doing a test with the inbox?

If you want to proceed, you want all your labels/folders exported by Takeout.

Since I have my IMAP folders, which all seem in order, can I skip takeout and simply use Import/Export NG to export the TB IMAP folders to local folders? Is there a good reason to use TakeOut as an intermediate step?

I already wrote above: "You have already received sound guidance to use Google Takeout instead." In a different thread, Matt gave you several reasons why Takeout is better. Is something making it difficult for you to get all your labels/folders exported by Takeout? Why do you keep asking about copying IMAP folders?

I believe that copying IMAP folders can work fine. When I have done it, it has worked fine. But people who should know more than I do say that it is not reliable. If you want to try it, here's what I would do:

1. Make a back-up copy of your whole Thunderbird folder. If you don't know where it is, you can find it by using the "Help" menu (press the alt key if you are in Windows and the menus are not showing or use the ≡ menu at top right), then "Troubleshooting information", then "Profile folder" – "Show in [ ]". Once your profile folder is shown in the file system, go up one level to the enclosing folder. That is your Thunderbird folder.
2. Select one small folder that you want to copy.
3. Right click on the folder name. Select "Properties", then "Synchronization". Check "Select this folder for offline use" and press "Download now". Monitor the status toolbar at the bottom of the Thunderbird window to see when all the messages have been downloaded.
4. Right click on the folder name again. Select "Copy to" then "Local folders" then "Local folders" again.

Let me know how it went.

I am starting with Inbox, because each TakeOut takes days to get returned to me, and so far, every time I do it, the result isn't what I need. So I figured I'd just start with the biggest folder. Doing so will let me figure out whether or not the labeled messages are included, which will let me know if I will need to strategize how to avoid duplicating messages. So, yes, a test of sorts.

I kept asking about copying the existing IMAP folder, because all the messages are *already* stored on my laptop (they are all already downloaded), so it seemed nonsensical to retrieve them from Gmail's server a second time. But this is not my wheelhouse, so if that's not the best way, it's not the best way. However, upon right clicking the inbox folder (in TB), I am not given the option to copy it. This led me to ask if I could use Import/Export NG for this operation.

My profile is automatically backed up daily, so that's something! (But I see that I should back up the entire TB folder. Will do.)

Thanks for the explanation. I understand. In your place, I would be doing the same things.

I see why you say that IMAP folders cannot be copied. Special IMAP folders (inbox, drafts, sent, trash, spam) cannot be copied. So do the synchronization and download steps above, then create a destination folder in local folders, select all the messages, right click on the messages, and copy.

There is a way to use ImportExportToolsNG for this purpose. Some people seem to believe that it is better. I do not understand why.

A whole hierarchy of user-created folders can be copied at once. But you still have to make sure that all the messages are downloaded before doing it.

Well, no point in NOT trying to copy the messages while I wait for the next TakeOut to arrive. With that many messages, it does seem to make sense to import vs copy. (All this churning away seems to invite corruption...) The labeled folders are significantly smaller - if I get the Inbox settled (either with TakeOut or copying) the separate folders seem small enough to reasonably simply copy the messages over. We shall see.

Copying user-created folders is probably much faster than copying messages from special IMAP folders.

You might try this:

Close Thunderbird. Copy your inbox file to your desktop. Rename it. Move it into your local folders directory in the file system. Re-start Thunderbird.

That is just two file copies, then Thunderbird will need time to index the folder after you launch Thunderbird. Should be fast.

There may be other or better ways.