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You can move from Google to Proton safely, but it is a staged migration rather than a one-click replacement. Proton Easy Switch handles existing Gmail messages, contacts, and calendar events. Google Drive and Google Photos take a different route: export with Google Takeout, download every archive part, unzip locally, and upload to Proton. Keep Gmail and your Google libraries available until you have verified the imports and changed important account details.
The safest order is: inventory your data, check Proton and local storage, import mail and contacts, import or subscribe to calendars, move Drive and Photos, test the result, update account and recovery addresses, and only then disconnect or delete the old Google services.
What moves directly, and what does not
Proton’s tools do not treat every Google service the same way. Understanding the boundary prevents the most common mistake: assuming that an import creates a permanent two-way sync.
| Google data | Proton route | What the result means |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail messages | Mail settings → Import via Easy Switch → Google | Copies existing messages. You can also connect the Gmail address for future sending and receiving, but the connection is not a full mailbox mirror. |
| Gmail contacts | Easy Switch contact import | Copies contacts, with up to 10,000 contacts mentioned in Proton’s customizable import guidance. |
| Google Calendar events | Calendar’s Easy Switch import | Copies events accessible when the import runs. It is a snapshot, not ongoing synchronization. |
| Future calendar changes | Subscribe to the external calendar | Proton documents subscription as the route for continuing updates from a calendar that remains elsewhere. |
| Google Drive files | Google Takeout → local download and unzip → Proton Drive upload | Files are uploaded into Proton Drive. Folder structure is retained, although split archives may need reorganization. |
| Google Photos | Google Takeout → local download and unzip → Proton Photos web or Windows import | Photos and videos are uploaded; album results depend on the exported folder structure. |
Proton’s support pages accessed on October 13, 2026 describe the limits and behavior below. Plan allowances and app behavior can change, so check the current Proton screen for your account before beginning.
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Stage 1: Inventory everything before touching the old account
Make a list of what you actually use. A migration is easier to verify when every source has a destination and an owner.
Build a source inventory
- Gmail: important conversations, attachments, labels, filters, aliases, and messages that skip the Inbox.
- Contacts: personal entries, groups, and contacts used for account recovery or two-factor authentication.
- Calendars: every Google Calendar, shared calendar, recurring event, reminders, and people who regularly send invitations.
- Drive: shared and personal folders, Google-native documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, scans, and files shared with others.
- Photos: albums, year or event groupings, videos, and photos that exist only in the Google library.
- Accounts that depend on the Gmail address: banking, healthcare, government, payment services, shopping, social networks, subscriptions, and password-reset routes.
- Other Google services whose data you may need to export separately.
Confirm which kind of Google account you have
The personal Gmail instructions apply to a non-Workspace Google account. A Google Workspace migration uses a different business workflow and requires both a Proton administrator and a Google Workspace administrator. Do not apply consumer Easy Switch instructions to an organization account without involving those administrators.
Check storage and local working space
Review the available Proton storage before importing mail or uploading files. Also check that the computer used for Google Takeout has enough free space for every archive part and its unzipped contents. The sources do not establish a universal quota or a universal amount of required local space; your library size and Proton plan determine both.
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Stage 2: Import Gmail, contacts, and mail history
Start Easy Switch from Proton Mail
- Open Proton Mail settings and choose Import via Easy Switch.
- Select Google and begin the Google authorization flow.
- Grant the permissions requested by the setup. Proton warns that denying requested permissions can cause an error.
- Choose whether to import email, contacts, and calendars during setup. You can tailor the import instead of moving every category at once.
- Choose an email date range or folders if you want a targeted import, and optionally apply an import label so migrated messages are easy to identify.
- Start the import and monitor its status in Proton rather than assuming that a background job has finished.
Proton’s initial Gmail setup imports recent messages using up to 80% of the available Proton storage. After that job completes, More import options can be used to request all Gmail messages. The 80% figure describes the initial allocation in Proton’s 2026 guidance; it is not a promise that every account has the same total quota or that every mailbox will fit.
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Choose between history-only and a connected Gmail address
| Choice | Best when | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Import only | You want a historical copy in Proton and are ready to use a new Proton address. | Messages sent to the old Gmail address will not automatically appear in Proton after the import. |
| Import plus Gmail connection | You need a transition period in which Proton receives mail sent to Gmail and lets you send from that address. | It is not two-way mailbox synchronization: read/unread state, stars, and folder moves do not mirror between services. |
The Gmail connection is for individual Google accounts. Proton’s personal guidance says Google Workspace accounts and custom-domain addresses are not supported for this connection. Gmail filters that skip the Inbox can also prevent connected messages from being delivered to Proton, so review those filters before relying on the connection.
Handle labels, folders, and repeat imports
Gmail labels do not always appear exactly as they did in Gmail. Proton documents support for three folder-hierarchy levels; deeper structures are reorganized during import. Nested Gmail labels can be flattened into a parent-and-nested-label format. If an arrangement matters, record it before importing and inspect representative folders afterward.
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Stage 3: Preserve future mail and change the address gradually
Historical mail and future mail are separate jobs. An imported mailbox does not change the address held by banks, doctors, government services, employers, or other websites.
- Keep the Gmail account active while you test Proton.
- Update the email and recovery address for high-value accounts first, including banking, healthcare, government, payment-linked services, and password managers.
- Send test messages to both addresses from an independent account. Confirm that replies, attachments, and messages sent to the old Gmail address arrive where you expect.
- Tell frequent correspondents when to use the new Proton address. Keep the Gmail connection during the transition if you still need to receive mail sent to the old address.
- Only after verification should you disconnect the Gmail connection or consider deleting Gmail.
A connected Gmail address does not make Proton and Gmail one shared inbox. Read a message in one service and its read state will not automatically change in the other; moving a message between folders likewise does not synchronize the move.
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Stage 4: Import Google Calendar correctly
Run the calendar import
- Open Proton Calendar on the web or Android.
- Use the Calendar Easy Switch path and choose Google.
- Authorize the requested access and select the calendars to import.
- Choose whether to merge an imported calendar with an existing Proton calendar when that option is offered.
- Let the background job finish, then inspect representative past, future, recurring, and shared events.
Easy Switch performs a one-time import, not an ongoing sync, between your third-party calendar and Proton Calendar. The import copies events accessible at the time it runs; edits made later in Google do not automatically update the copied Proton events.
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Use a subscription when Google must remain the live source
For continuing updates, Proton recommends subscribing to the external calendar. Decide which service will remain authoritative, and keep the Google calendar available until the subscription displays the changes you expect. A subscription is a different arrangement from an imported copy: it is intended to show continuing external updates, while the import is a one-time transfer.
Account for calendar limits
| Documented figure | Meaning | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 3 calendars | Free Proton accounts may have to merge an imported calendar with an existing calendar. | Figure stated in Proton’s 2026 calendar-import guidance; verify current plan behavior. |
| 20 calendars | Proton’s troubleshooting guidance states an account supports up to 20 calendars. | Above that count, merge, skip, or remove a calendar. |
If you regularly receive invitations at the Gmail address, test the complete flow before cutting over. Proton says invitations arriving at Gmail can still be added to Proton Calendar, but the practical result depends on how you receive and accept the invitation. Ask regular contacts to use the Proton address once you are ready.
Stage 5: Move Google Drive files through Takeout
Export and prepare the files
- Open Google Takeout and select Google Drive for an export.
- Create the export and wait for it to become available.
- Download every archive part. A multi-part export is incomplete if even one part is missing.
- Unzip the downloaded archives into a clearly named staging folder.
- Inspect the folders and reorganize split sections if the export makes a project or year harder to navigate.
Proton Drive retains folder structure when you upload the unzipped files. When a Takeout export is split into several archives, however, the resulting folders may be awkwardly divided, so reorganizing before upload can save cleanup later.
Upload with the method that fits the job
| Upload route | Use it when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Proton Drive web | You have a modest upload or need occasional access from a browser. | No desktop installation is needed, but the browser is less convenient for very large or numerous uploads. |
| Proton Drive Windows or macOS desktop app | You are moving many files or a large archive and can leave a computer running. | It requires installation and local setup; Proton describes it as generally more stable for large or numerous uploads and says it automatically retries when something goes wrong. |
- Open Proton Drive on the web or in the desktop app.
- Select the destination folder and upload the unzipped files and folders.
- Watch the upload status until it reports completion; do not close the app or browser merely because the transfer appears to have started.
- Open several important documents, including files from different folders and file types.
- Keep the Google copies until the spot-check and the rest of your migration are complete.
Stage 6: Move Google Photos, including albums
Export all photo data first
- In Google Takeout, select Google Photos and create the export.
- Download every archive part, not just the first file offered.
- Unzip all parts into a staging folder.
- Review the folder layout before importing. If the export is split, photos from the same year or event may be distributed among multiple folders.
- Choose Proton Photos web import or the Windows desktop import, depending on your platform and album needs.
Proton documents importing Photos through the web Photos tab or the Windows desktop app. The Windows app derives albums from folder names and skips duplicates; it ignores files that are not photos or videos. Web import is available across platforms and displays photos in a timeline, while the Windows route is useful when the exported folder names already represent the albums you want.
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Expect folder-derived album differences
Google Photos albums do not necessarily survive as identical Proton albums. Split Takeout archives can scatter photos from the same period among several folders, producing multiple albums where you expected one. Before a Windows import, choose the largest available archive size when creating the export or reorganize folders by year or event.
Observe the current Windows import limits
| Limit | Current Proton documentation | What happens if you exceed it |
|---|---|---|
| 500 albums total | Proton, 2026 | The import may stop with remaining content not imported. |
| 10,000 photos per album | Proton, 2026 | The import may stop with remaining content not imported. |
These are current support-page figures, not permanent guarantees. Check Proton’s current Photos documentation before a large import, especially if your library is near either limit.
Stage 7: Verify before cutting the cord
Do not delete Gmail, Drive, or Photos immediately after an import starts. Use a representative checklist rather than assuming that a successful job status means every item is usable.
- Mail: find an old message and a recent message; open messages with attachments; inspect labels and folders; test a reply and a new outgoing message.
- Contacts: open important contacts and groups; confirm that recovery and two-factor contacts are present.
- Calendar: compare representative past and future events; inspect recurring events, shared events, time zones, and invitations; confirm that a subscription updates if you chose one.
- Drive: open important documents from several folders; check PDFs, images, spreadsheets, presentations, and shared-work files; confirm that upload status is complete.
- Photos: browse old and recent dates, videos, representative albums, and photos from different Takeout parts; check that duplicates were handled as expected.
- Accounts: sign in to critical services and verify that the new Proton address is stored for login, notifications, and recovery.
Keep Google accessible during this verification period. Proton’s Gmail checklist treats updating important accounts, disconnecting the Gmail connection, and deleting Gmail as later steps—not prerequisites for importing.
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Easy Switch reports an authorization or setup error
Restart the Google authorization flow and grant every permission requested by Proton. Incomplete permissions are a documented cause of setup errors. If you are using Workspace or a custom-domain address, stop using the personal Gmail connection instructions and follow the administrator-led business workflow instead.
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Messages sent to Gmail do not appear in Proton
Check whether the Gmail connection is still active and inspect Gmail filters that skip the Inbox. Proton’s troubleshooting guidance warns that such filters can affect connected-message delivery. Also remember that the connection does not mirror folders or read state.
Folders look different after import
Review the three-level folder hierarchy supported by Proton. Deeper Gmail structures are reorganized, and nested labels can become a parent-and-nested-label arrangement. The source messages are not necessarily missing simply because the visual hierarchy changed.
A calendar cannot be added
Check how many Proton calendars already exist. A free account may need to merge the imported calendar, and Proton’s troubleshooting guidance states a 20-calendar account limit. Merge, skip, or remove an unnecessary calendar, then retry or import into an existing calendar.
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A Drive or Photos upload appears stuck
Check the current import or upload status rather than relying on a notification. For Drive, the desktop app is Proton’s more stable option for large or numerous uploads and automatically retries failed transfers. For Photos, confirm that every Takeout part was downloaded and unzipped, and review the staging folders for files that are not photos or videos.
Photos are split into unexpected albums
Inspect the exported folders before importing. Split archives can separate photos from the same year or event. Reorganize folders by year or event, or choose a larger archive size when creating a new Takeout export, then import the revised structure.
A practical cutover plan
- Preparation day: inventory mail, calendars, contacts, Drive, Photos, recovery routes, and account type; check Proton and local storage.
- Mail phase: run Easy Switch, select the desired date range or folders, and decide whether to connect Gmail for transition traffic.
- Calendar phase: import each calendar, merge where necessary, and subscribe to any external calendar that must continue updating.
- File phase: create Takeout exports, download every archive part, unzip locally, reorganize split folders, and upload Drive and Photos.
- Verification phase: use the message, contact, event, file, photo, and account checklist; review import and upload status.
- Account-update phase: change important login, notification, and recovery addresses and tell frequent contacts about the Proton address.
- Retirement phase: disconnect Gmail only when you no longer need transition delivery, and delete or abandon Google copies only after you have confirmed that the Proton data is complete and usable.
This sequence lets Proton become your working destination while Google remains a safety net. It also separates irreversible decisions—changing account recovery details or deleting an old mailbox—from reversible work such as importing, testing, and reorganizing files.
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