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Moving from Google to Proton is manageable when you treat it as several separate jobs, not one all-in-one transfer: Easy Switch can bring over Gmail, contacts, and calendars, while Google Drive files need a separate export and import. A personal Gmail migration is also different from moving a managed Google Workspace domain. Keep the old account active until you have checked your data and updated important logins.
First, identify what you’re moving
Start by checking whether your Google account is personal Gmail or a managed Google Workspace account. The distinction determines who can authorize the move and whether you’ll need to change domain mail routing. Make an inventory before starting:
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- Email, including how much history you need and any labels or folders worth retaining.
- Contacts and calendars, including shared calendars and events others rely on.
- Google Drive files, shared items, and documents or spreadsheets used collaboratively.
- Accounts that use your Gmail address to sign in or receive password resets.
- Third-party integrations and workflows that depend on Google services.
Proton’s guides describe different procedures for personal accounts and Workspace organizations: personal Gmail migration and Google Workspace migration.
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Proton Easy Switch supports importing mail, contacts, and calendars from Gmail. For a personal Gmail account, the process can also connect Gmail so you can continue sending and receiving through the old address while you transition. That is different from moving your Google Drive files: the Drive move uses Google Takeout and a separate Proton Drive import workflow.
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| Google data or service | Migration route | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail email | Proton Easy Switch | Personal Gmail can be imported; a continuing Gmail connection is optional. Proton Easy Switch |
| Contacts and calendars | Proton Easy Switch | Choose what to import and, for calendars, whether to create a new calendar or merge. Proton’s Gmail migration guide |
| Google Drive files | Google Takeout, then Proton Drive | This is a separate process; Easy Switch does not transfer Drive files. Proton’s Drive import guide |
| Workspace domain email | Proton’s Workspace migration process and DNS MX change | Requires administrator access; changing MX records redirects incoming mail. Proton’s Workspace guide |
Moving a personal Gmail account
Import mail, contacts, and calendars
- In Proton Mail, open Settings → Import via Easy Switch → Google, then authorize the Gmail account.
- Select the data to import: mail, contacts, and calendars. For mail, the documented flow lets you choose a date range or folders; for calendars, choose whether to add a new calendar or merge with an existing one.
- Review storage before starting. Proton’s guide says the initial import can use up to 80% of available Proton storage. It also documents a 10,000-contact cap for this flow. Check the current account limits and available storage before relying on those figures.
- Monitor the job in settings. Proton documents controls to pause, resume, reconnect, or cancel an import. Its Easy Switch guide says the transfer runs in the background, so you can use your computer while it proceeds: manage Easy Switch imports.
The same migration guide describes Free users as able to connect one Gmail account and paid plans as able to connect up to three. These are plan limits stated in Proton’s documentation, so confirm the current limits in your account before planning around them. Importing only the history you need can help conserve storage.
Decide whether to keep the Gmail address connected
Importing moves existing content; connecting Gmail provides a bridge for future mail while you update logins, contacts, and subscriptions. Keep the old address accessible during that transition. Change the email address on critical accounts and verify that password resets and expected messages arrive where you want them before disconnecting the connection or closing Gmail.
Move Google Drive files separately
- Use Google Takeout to export the Drive content you want to keep.
- Follow Proton’s current instructions to bring the export into Proton Drive: import files from Google Drive.
- Check the imported folders and files, and separately review shared items and collaboration needs. Do not assume the export recreates Google sharing permissions or connected workflows.
Moving a Google Workspace organization
A Workspace move affects the organization’s domain, not just one person’s inbox. Before scheduling a cutover, confirm access to a Google Workspace administrator account, a Proton administrator account, and the domain provider where DNS records are managed.
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Plan the administrator-led migration
Proton’s documented process configures the migration, authenticates the Workspace administrator, installs Proton Easy Switch from Google Workspace Marketplace, and then configures the domain and users. The guide covers email, contacts, and calendars. Treat Drive-file migration as a separate task unless current Proton business instructions explicitly say otherwise.
Understand the MX-record cutover
Changing the domain’s MX records tells mail systems where to deliver new incoming messages. Proton’s Workspace instructions say to add Proton’s MX records and remove other MX records; follow the live instructions for your domain setup rather than applying a generic DNS change without checking it. Proton says routing confirmation can take up to 24 hours. Once routing is confirmed, new incoming domain mail goes to Proton, and the guide describes the migration as final. Users activate through an invitation and verification; an administrator may need to reset an unactivated user.
Because MX changes affect everyone using the domain, coordinate the switch with users and avoid treating it like an individual Gmail import. Keep administrator access and a recovery plan available while checking that users can sign in and receive mail.
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Moving data is only part of replacing a suite. Proton Drive includes Docs and Sheets, alongside encrypted file storage, uploads, downloads, and sharing. Those tools may cover common document and spreadsheet tasks, but the available product documentation does not establish that every Google feature, integration, or team workflow has an equivalent.
Documents and spreadsheets
Proton Docs can edit DOCX and other listed formats and export DOCX, PDF, TXT, Markdown, and HTML. When you edit an existing DOCX, Proton says it creates a new copy. On Windows and macOS, synced Docs may appear as placeholders; download a copy rather than moving a placeholder in Finder or File Explorer. See Proton’s Docs import and export instructions.
Proton Sheets supports real-time editing, notes, sharing permissions, public links, and version history. For direct email sharing, collaborators need Proton accounts; recipients of public links can access without one, according to Proton’s Sheets collaboration guide.
Privacy and workflow trade-offs
Proton documents encrypted storage for Drive, but that property alone does not determine whether it is the better fit for a particular team. Consider whether your priority is a different privacy model or whether your work depends on Google integrations, shared calendars, established document workflows, or counterpart access that may be simpler in your current setup. Verify the workflows you use most before committing to a full cutover.
A safer order for the switch
- Inventory accounts, data, shared resources, and integrations; identify personal Gmail versus Workspace.
- Confirm Proton storage and choose the email history you actually need.
- Run Easy Switch for mail, contacts, and calendars, then review the import status and results.
- Export Drive files through Google Takeout and import them separately to Proton Drive.
- Update high-priority account logins and confirm mail, calendar events, contacts, and files are usable.
- For Workspace, schedule administrator-led user activation and the DNS MX change; verify mail routing after the change.
- Keep the old Google account available until the checks are complete and dependent services no longer rely on it.
The change is most straightforward when the goal is to move personal mail and calendars while leaving time to shift logins and files separately. It becomes a larger operational project when a Workspace domain, shared team resources, or Google-dependent workflows are involved.
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