Start an Email Import from the Dashboard

The import tool pulls emails from an external account (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, or any external IMAP host) into a TrekMail mailbox using a guided 3-step wizard. The source must be a different mail provider — imap.trekmail.net is not accepted as a source. To copy mail between two TrekMail mailboxes, see Moving mail between two TrekMail mailboxes below.

Available on Starter and higher plans. Nano accounts can view the import page but cannot start an import.

Prerequisites

• Source credentials: The email address and password for the account you are importing from. Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud require an App Password instead of your regular password.
• A TrekMail mailbox: The destination mailbox must already exist. You'll need its password to confirm write access.

Step 1 — Connect to your source

1. Go to Import in the left sidebar. You will see two tabs: Single Import and Bulk Import. Stay on Single Import.
2. Select your provider: Click one of the provider cards (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud). The server address, port, and encryption are filled in automatically. For any other host, select Other and fill in the details manually.
3. Enter your email address for the source account.
4. Enter your password (or App Password for Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud).
5. Expand Advanced settings only if you need to override the server address, port, or encryption type.
6. Click Check connection. We verify your credentials and load your folder list with message counts — no emails are copied at this step.

Step 2 — Choose folders and options

1. Select folders: Check the folders you want to import. Use Select all or None to quickly include or exclude everything.
2. Import options:
   • Skip duplicates — Recommended. Prevents re-importing a message you've already brought in.
   • Only import emails after — Optional date filter. Use this to import only recent email if you don't need your full history.
3. Click Continue to proceed to Step 3.

Step 3 — Choose destination and start

1. Destination mailbox: Select the TrekMail mailbox that will receive the imported emails.
2. Mailbox password: Enter the password for that TrekMail mailbox to confirm write access.
3. Review the import summary — folders selected, estimated message count, and what to expect.
4. Click Start import. The job runs in the background; you can safely close the page.

Monitoring progress

Once started, the job appears in the Import history table at the bottom of the page.

Troubleshooting

• Authentication failed: Double-check your source password. Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud require an App Password — your regular password will not work.
• Connection refused: Make sure you are using port 993 with SSL. Port 143 is often blocked by firewalls.
• "The source host must not point to a local or internal address": You entered imap.trekmail.net (or another host that resolves to TrekMail's own server) as the source. The importer only accepts external providers as sources — this rejection is deliberate. See Moving mail between two TrekMail mailboxes below.

Moving mail between two TrekMail mailboxes

The Import wizard is one-directional: it copies mail into TrekMail from an outside provider. It cannot copy messages from one TrekMail mailbox to another, and the source-host check rejects imap.trekmail.net for that reason.

To copy or move existing folders and messages between two TrekMail mailboxes today, use a standard desktop IMAP client such as Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Outlook, or eM Client:

1. Add both TrekMail mailboxes using the settings from Apps & Devices — Mail Client Setup: imap.trekmail.net, port 993, SSL/TLS.
2. Wait for both accounts to finish syncing their folder trees.
3. Copy or drag the folders or messages from the source mailbox into the destination mailbox.
4. Wait for the copy queue to finish, then verify that the messages are present in the destination before removing anything from the source.

For a large or business-critical mailbox, contact TrekMail Support before starting so the transfer can be planned and verified safely.

Migrating many accounts?

Use the Bulk Import tab to migrate multiple accounts at once with a CSV file. See Bulk Email Migration for the full guide.