Moving Email From An Old Work Account to a New One

Written By Joel Wells

Keep your clients, contacts, and conversations—without needing to be ‘techy’.

This guide shows several ways to keep your emails when you move from one company to another. You do not need to be technical. Just follow the steps below, or use our interactive assistant.

What You Need Before You Start

  1. Old email account

  2. New email account

  3. A computer with internet (Windows or Mac)

  4. Some time (30–60 minutes, depending on how many emails you have)

Tip: Keep your phone nearby in case you need to approve security codes.

Three Ways to Move or Save Your Email

You can choose one or more of these methods:

  1. Method A – Use a mail app and drag emails over
    (Easiest to understand for most people.)

  2. Method B – Export your mail to a file (MBOX) and import it
    (Good for a long-term backup.)

  3. Method C – Forward new mail automatically
    (Does not move old emails, but catches future ones.)

You can:

  • Use Method A to move important emails into your new inbox, and

  • Use Method B as a backup, just in case.

Method A – Use a Mail App as a Bridge (Drag and Drop)

You will use a mail app (program) on your computer as a bridge between old and new accounts.

Examples of mail apps:

  • Outlook

  • Mail or Mail and Calendar (Windows)

  • Apple Mail (Mac)

A1. Open a Mail App

On Windows:

  1. Click the Start button.

  2. Look for Outlook, Mail, or Mail and Calendar.

On Mac:

  1. Open Mail from the Dock or Applications.

A2. Add Your Old Email Account

In the mail app, look for Add account under:

  • File → Add Account, or

  • Accounts → + Add account, or

  • A "+" button near Accounts.

Steps:

  1. Click Add account.

  2. Type your old email address (oldagency@example.com).

  3. Click Next / Continue.

  4. Type your password.

  5. Approve any security code if asked.

  6. Wait until the app says the account was added.

You should now see the old account with folders like Inbox, Sent, Trash.

Accounts
---------------------------------
OldAgency
  > Inbox
  > Sent
  > Trash
[ + Add account ]

A3. Add Your New Email Account

Repeat the same steps for your new email account.

When you are done, you should see two accounts in the mail app:

Accounts
---------------------------------
OldAgency
  > Inbox
  > Sent

NewAgency
  > Inbox
  > Sent

A4. (Optional) Make Folders in the New Account

To stay organized, create folders in NewAgency such as:

  • Buyers 2024

  • Sellers 2024

  • Century21 Clients

Steps:

  1. Right-click on NewAgency Inbox or the NewAgency name.

  2. Choose New Folder or Create Folder.

  3. Type a name and press Enter.

NewAgency
  > Inbox
  > Sent
  > Buyers 2024   ← new folder

A5. Drag Emails from Old to New

  1. Click OldAgency → Inbox.

  2. Click one email.

  3. To select a group:

    • Hold Shift and click another email lower down.
      (Everything between them is selected.)

  4. Drag the selected emails to NewAgency → Inbox or a folder under NewAgency.

  5. Let go of the mouse button.

Move All Emails (If the App Allows)

  1. Click OldAgency → Inbox.

  2. Press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Command + A (Mac) to select all.

  3. Drag them to NewAgency → Inbox.

If you have thousands of emails, move them in smaller batches (for example 200–500 at a time).

A6. Let the App Sync (Update)

  1. Make sure you are online.

  2. Leave the mail app open so it can finish updating.

  3. If you see a Sync or Send/Receive button, click it.

This sends the changes to the email servers.

A7. Check in a Browser

  1. Open your web browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, etc.).

  2. Go to your new email website (for example, Gmail.com, Outlook.com, or your company’s email page).

  3. Sign in with newagency@example.com.

  4. Open the Inbox and any folders.

You should see the emails you moved. If you do not see them yet, give it more time and keep the mail app open.

Method B – Export Your Email to a File (MBOX)

This method makes a backup file of your emails, usually in a format called MBOX. You can keep this file for safety or import it into another program later.

If you only want to see old emails sometimes and don’t need them mixed in with new ones, this is a good option.

B1. Find the Export / Download Option

Sign in to your old email account in your web browser.

Look for a setting that mentions:

  • Export, Download, or Backup

  • Sometimes called "Download your data" or "Takeout"

It is usually found under Settings, Account, Privacy, or Your data.

Settings / Account
---------------------------------
[ Export data ]   [ Security ]
[ Privacy ]       [ Filters ]

Click the option related to Export or Download your data.

B2. Choose Email and the MBOX Format

On the export page:

  1. Select Mail or Email as the type of data to download.

  2. If it asks for a format, choose MBOX (this is a common email file format).

  3. Confirm and start the export.

Depending on the provider, it may:

  • Create a download link, or

  • Email you a link when the file is ready.

Download the file to a place you can find later (for example, Documents or Downloads folder).

Export Mail
---------------------------------
[✔] Mail (emails)
Format: [ MBOX  ▼ ]
[ Start export ]

B3. What to Do with the MBOX File

You now have a file that contains your emails. You have two main choices:

  1. Keep it as a backup on your computer or an external drive.

  2. Import it into a mail app or another email service that supports MBOX.

Option: Import MBOX into a Mail App

Some mail apps can import MBOX files.

Typical steps (wording will vary):

  1. Open your mail app.

  2. Look for File → Import or Import Mailboxes.

  3. Choose MBOX or Mail archive.

  4. Browse to your downloaded MBOX file and select it.

  5. The app will create a folder (for example, Imported Mail) and show the emails there.

File → Import…
---------------------------------
Import from: [ MBOX file ]
[ Choose file... ]  ← select your .mbox

Folder created: Imported Mail
  > OldAgency Backup

From there, if your new email account is also added to the same app (see Method A), you can drag specific messages from the imported folder into your NewAgency folders.

Option: Import MBOX into a New Email Service

Some email services have a feature like "Import mail" or "Upload from file".

If available, the steps are usually:

  1. Sign in to your new email account in a browser.

  2. Go to Settings.

  3. Look for something like "Import mail", "Import from file", or "Import MBOX".

  4. Choose your MBOX file and follow the instructions.

Each provider is different, so just follow the on-screen steps. The key words to look for are Import and MBOX.

Method C – Forward New Mail Automatically

This method does not move old emails. Instead, it sends new emails from your old address to your new one.

This is helpful when:

  • You are still receiving email on the old account, but

  • You want everything to end up in the new inbox.

C1. Find Forwarding Settings

  1. Sign in to your old email account in a browser.

  2. Go to Settings.

  3. Look for Forwarding, Mail forwarding, or Forwarding and POP/IMAP.

Settings
---------------------------------
[ General ] [ Filters ] [ Forwarding ]

C2. Turn On Forwarding

  1. In the Forwarding section, find Add forwarding address or similar.

  2. Type your new email address (newagency@example.com).

  3. Confirm (you may need to click a link sent to the new email address).

  4. Choose whether to keep a copy in the old inbox or not.

  5. Click Save.

From now on, any new emails sent to the old address will show up in the new inbox.

Optional – Keep the Old Account for a While

Even after moving and backing up:

  • Keep the old account active for a few weeks or months if you can.

  • Set an auto-reply that tells clients about your new email address.

  • Check the old inbox occasionally for any missed messages.

Quick Summary (Checklist)

If you want your emails inside the new inbox:

  • Use Method A: Add both accounts to a mail app and drag emails from OldAgency to NewAgency.

If you want a safety copy / archive:

  • Use Method B: Export your old email as an MBOX file and store it, or import it into a mail app or service.

If you want to catch future messages:

  • Use Method C: Turn on forwarding from your old address to your new one.

If you can open a program, click "Add account," and drag with your mouse, you can safely keep your client emails when you switch brokerages.

Questions? Click here.
Joel Wells
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