Workshop Webinar: Migrating Your Academic Accounts Off Gmail Safely

Immediate action for students and educators: migrate academic accounts from Gmail with minimal disruption

If you use Gmail for class, research, or school admin, you may need a new, long-term plan for your email identity. In early 2026 Google announced major Gmail changes that give users new address options and expanded AI access to inbox data. That creates both an opportunity and a risk: you can choose a new primary address or move to a different provider — but only if you plan the migration correctly to preserve access to learning platforms, library resources, subscriptions, and exam systems.

This live workshop webinar walks students, educators and IT staff through a proven, low-disruption migration path: exporting mail and drive data, updating academic accounts and SSO, securing credentials, and keeping workflows intact while you switch addresses. Read on for the practical checklist, sample scripts, and step-by-step tactics we’ll demonstrate live.

Why this matters now (2026 context)

Late 2025 and January 2026 brought two forces that make migrations urgent for many in education:

• Google's Gmail decision (Jan 2026): Google rolled out options to change primary Gmail addresses and deeper AI integrations that, by design, can access inbox, Drive and Photos data for personalized AI features. That prompted institutions and individuals to reassess whether a Gmail address should remain the hub of academic identity and research access. For guidance on how to think about long‑term digital identity and legacy planning, see our piece on digital legacy and succession planning.
• Identity and security trends: Passwordless logins (FIDO2/passkeys), increased OAuth scrutiny, and stronger data-residency rules for universities mean account configurations are changing fast across platforms. These changes tie directly into broader identity strategy playbooks you should review before migrating.

“In 2026, email migration is not just an IT task — it’s an academic continuity plan.”

What this webinar covers — practical, hands-on outcomes

Attendees will leave the live session with:

• A custom 2-week migration timeline tailored for students and faculty
• Step-by-step demonstrations: Google Takeout exports, IMAPSync flows to new accounts, and importing MBOX into mail clients
• Templates: account-inventory spreadsheet, stakeholder notification email, and helpdesk scripts
• Security checklist: revoke unused OAuth tokens, enable passkeys/MFA, and preserve recovery controls
• Q&A and live troubleshooting for typical academic services (LMS, library access, publisher portals, ORCID)

Pre-migration checklist (do this before you move anything)

Start here to minimize lost access and downtime. This is the exact checklist used in our live workshop. For a short pre‑move checklist that includes social and third‑party accounts (useful for students and staff), compare against this pre‑move social account checklist.

1. Inventory every account tied to your Gmail: LMS (Canvas, Blackboard), institutional portals, library access, journal subscriptions, GitHub, ORCID, conference accounts, online exam systems, cloud storage, banking and payment services.
2. Record recovery options and 2FA status: noting whether each account uses the Gmail address as recovery and whether 2FA is enabled.
3. Take a backup snapshot: Google Takeout export for Mail, Drive, Contacts, and Calendar.
4. Create a migration plan with dates: set a “cutover” date and allow a 2–4 week overlap where both old and new addresses are monitored.
5. Communicate in advance: tell advisors, collaborators, funding offices and team members about the planned change.

Account-inventory template (quick fields you’ll use)

• Service name
• Username / linked email
• Recovery email / phone
• 2FA method
• Action required (update email, add alias, re-register)

Step-by-step migration methods (export, import, forward)

We show three practical routes during the webinar: export via Google Takeout, IMAP sync between accounts, and client-based import using MBOX. Choose one or combine them depending on mailbox size and institutional tools.

1) Exporting from Gmail and Google Workspace (Google Takeout)

1. Go to Google Takeout: select Mail, Drive, Contacts, and Calendar. Choose .zip and MBOX for Mail.
2. For large exports, pick multiple archives and use a stable network; consider using institution-managed export with admin tools if your mailbox is >50 GB.
3. Download archives and verify by opening a sample MBOX with Thunderbird or an MBOX viewer. When you create a secure archive for long‑term storage, use recommendations from the Zero‑Trust Storage Playbook to keep your exports encrypted and access‑controlled.

2) IMAPSync for server-to-server migration (recommended for large mailboxes)

IMAPSync is a resilient tool to copy messages between IMAP servers while preserving flags, labels and folders. We’ll demo the basic command during the live session.

<code>imapsync --host1 imap.gmail.com --user1 old@gmail.com --password1 'OLDPASS' \
  --host2 imap.othermail.com --user2 new@domain.edu --password2 'NEWPASS' --ssl1 --ssl2</code>

Notes:

• Use app-specific passwords or OAuth tokens where passwords are blocked.
• Run a dry run on a subset of folders first.

3) Importing MBOX into clients and services

Import MBOX into Thunderbird or Outlook (via a converter). If moving to Microsoft 365, use Microsoft’s migration endpoint or a third-party migration service for enterprise-scale transfers.

Keeping continuity: forwarding, aliases, and inbox rules

To avoid missed emails during the overlap period:

• Set auto-forwarding from old Gmail to new address for 30–90 days and keep monitoring the old account.
• Create an email alias on the new provider that receives mail to the old name (if possible).
• Set a clear auto-responder on the old address explaining the change and providing the new contact, with links to important resources.
• Set up folders and filters to flag messages that still require manual update (e.g., account verification emails).

Updating academic accounts and SSO efficiently

Changing your email isn’t only about mail — it’s about access. Plan to update a set of high-priority academic services immediately.

1. LMS and grading portals: update profile emails and confirm instructor/TA access won’t be lost.
2. Library and journal access: update your account email to preserve IP or institutional access tokens; some publishers tie subscriptions to an email address.
3. Research identifiers and profiles: update ORCID, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, ORCID backup email, and funder portals.
4. Exam systems and exam proctors: notify testing services and exam boards; some require identity proofs for re-registration.
5. Group collaborations: update shared drives, Git repos, and Slack/Teams accounts to maintain permissions.

Bulk update tactics

• Use an account JSON/CSV export to identify services that accept bulk email changes (IT can script these via APIs).
• If the platform uses institutional SSO, coordinate with your IT admin to re-provision the new email or alias in the IdP. For playbook-level guidance on reducing onboarding friction and doing bulk updates with minimal helpdesk load, see the marketplace playbook case study: Cutting seller onboarding time — the same phased, scripted approach works for account migrations.
• For publisher and vendor portals, prepare a short proof-of-address template and authorization letter to speed account changes.

Sample notification email (use and adapt)

Subject: Change of contact email for [Your Name] — new address: new@domain.edu

Body (short):

Hello [Name/Team],

I’m updating my primary contact email from old@gmail.com to new@domain.edu on [date]. Please update my account so I retain access to [service]. If you require verification, I’ve attached a PDF of my student/faculty ID.

Thank you,
[Your Name]

Security practices during and after migration

Migration is an ideal time to harden accounts. These are steps we’ll run through live.

• Revoke old OAuth tokens: In Google Account > Security > Manage third-party access, revoke apps you no longer use.
• Enable MFA or passkeys: Prefer FIDO2/passkeys where supported for phishing-resistant login. Where not available, use an authenticator app rather than SMS. For high‑level identity strategy and long‑term planning around passkeys and recovery addresses, consult the Identity Strategy Playbook.
• Update recovery options: Add an institutional or long-term recovery email and confirm your phone number.
• Keep a secure archive: Store exported MBOX and Drive zip files in an encrypted container or in institutional archival storage — follow the recommendations in the Zero‑Trust Storage Playbook.
• Phishing awareness: expect credential-reset phishing attempts tied to the migration window; never click reset links before confirming via official support pages.

Minimizing disruption to calendaring and collaboration

Calendar events, shared drives and meeting invites are common breakpoints. Do this:

• Export calendars via Google Calendar export and import to the new calendar account.
• Re-share calendars and verify meeting owners are updated.
• For shared drives, reassign ownership where required (Drive ownership can't always move between consumer and workspace accounts without admin help).

For IT teams and educators: a scalable migration playbook

Institutions often need bulk migrations with minimal helpdesk load. The webinar provides a playbook we’ve tested with university clients.

Key components of the IT playbook

• Phased rollout: pilot with small cohorts, then expand by faculty, then students.
• Automated inventory: scripts to extract accounts tied to Gmail using API queries and to produce CSVs for bulk updates. Instrumenting and monitoring those scripts benefits from an observability approach — see observability & cost control playbooks that explain how to track runs and catch failures early.
• Self-service portal: pre-populated forms for users to request alias creation, forwarding, and Drive ownership changes.
• Helpdesk scripts: ready responses for common edge cases (lost 2FA, publisher access loss, exam account mismatches).
• Compliance checks: ensure FERPA and GDPR obligations are maintained when transferring student data or personal identifiers.

Real-world example: a small faculty migration (case study)

At a mid-size university in late 2025, the IT team piloted migration of 120 faculty who used Gmail for research correspondence. Using Takeout + IMAPSync and staged aliasing, they achieved:

• 99% mail continuity during a 4-week overlap
• Zero lost research articles by updating publisher emails and using shared ORCID logins
• Reduced helpdesk tickets by pre-scheduling office hours and distributing step-by-step guides

The lesson: plan, pilot, document, and keep the old address readable for at least 30 days. If you need a case study for reducing onboarding friction at scale, see the marketplace onboarding playbook example: Cutting seller onboarding time by 40%.

2026 trends and how to future-proof your academic identity

When you migrate in 2026, design for long-term resilience:

• Prefer institutional domains or personal domains: owning a domain (yourname.edu or yourname.bio) gives you control independent of a single vendor’s policy changes.
• Adopt passwordless methods: passkeys and FIDO2 reduce phishing risk and simplify institutional SSO.
• Limit OAuth permissions: grant apps the minimal scope needed and review third-party access quarterly. Use a lightweight tools audit to retire underused apps — a one‑page stack audit can help you strip the fat quickly.
• Set a canonical recovery address: keep a dedicated, stable email (institutional or personal domain) for account recovery across services.

Two-week migration timeline (concise plan you can execute)

1. Day 0–2: Inventory accounts, set timelines, notify stakeholders.
2. Day 3–5: Run Google Takeout and verify exports; test import to new account.
3. Day 6–10: IMAP sync mailboxes, import calendars, re-share drives, enable forwarding and autoresponder.
4. Day 11–13: Update high-priority services (LMS, library, ORCID, publishers).
5. Day 14+: Monitor traffic, revoke obsolete access, keep old address accessible and read-only for 30–90 days.

Actionable takeaways — do these this week

• Run a full account inventory and save it as CSV.
• Export Gmail and Drive with Google Takeout and verify the files.
• Enable passkeys or an authenticator app for all critical accounts.
• Set auto-forwarding and a clear autoresponder before you change your primary address.
• Register for our live webinar to get the exact IMAPSync commands, scripts, and helpdesk templates.

Webinar format, live labs, and post-session support

The session is built around live demonstrations and a hands-on lab:

• 30-minute lecture on the Gmail decision and 2026 trends
• 45-minute step-by-step migration demo: Takeout, IMAPSync, and MBOX import
• 30-minute IT playbook and educator-focused strategies
• 30-minute live Q&A with office-hours signups and recorded resources

Attendees get downloadable templates: account inventory CSV, notification email templates, a 2-week checklist, and helpdesk scripts. If you’re building automated inventory exporters, the observability and cost control patterns in observability & cost control can guide reliable runs and alerting.

Closing — register and secure your academic continuity

Migration doesn’t have to be disruptive. With the right plan, tools, and support you can switch your email identity while keeping research, grades, and collaborations intact. Join the live workshop to follow each step in real time, get hands-on help, and leave with a personalized migration plan.

Ready to migrate with confidence? Register for the webinar, download the pre-migration checklist, and bring your account inventory CSV — we’ll run through it together and answer your edge cases live.

Related Reading

• Why First‑Party Data Won’t Save Everything: An Identity Strategy Playbook for 2026
• The Zero‑Trust Storage Playbook for 2026
• Pre‑Move Checklist: Secure All Your Social Accounts Before Relocating
• Make Your Self‑Hosted Messaging Future‑Proof: Matrix Bridges, RCS, and iMessage Considerations
• Hybrid Home‑Care Operations in 2026: Smart Clinic Bundles, Community Pop‑Ups, and Clinician Resilience
• From Taiwan to Your Portfolio: ETFs That Ride the Semiconductor Reshoring Wave
• Meet the Garden of Eden: A Traveler’s Guide to Spain’s Todolí Citrus Collection
• The Evolution of Gym Class in 2026: From Traditional Drills to Hybrid, Data-Driven Play
• Family Skiing 2026: Planning Affordable Alpine Trips From Dubai With Mega Passes and Kid-Friendly Hotels