Moving Stony Brook Google Mail Messages to a Personal Gmail Account Using Thunderbird

If you're leaving Stony Brook or want to keep a copy of your university emails, you can transfer messages from your Stony Brook Google Mail account to your personal Gmail. This article explains how to do that securely and efficiently.

This Information is Intended for:
Instructors, Staff, Students

Issues with 2-Step Authentication

If you have 2-step authentication set up on your Gmail account, you won't be able to setup Thunderbird with your mail. Either turn it off or create a Gmail Application specific password for applications that connect via POP/IMAP.

Enable IMAP in your Stony Brook Google Mail and Personal Gmail Account

Make sure you must enable IMAP access for your Stony Brook University Google Mail account AND for your personal Gmail account (if you don't have a personal google mail account, create one). To enable IMAP access, follow these directions:

  1. Log into your Stony Brook University Google Account with your NetID and NetID password or personal Google account with your username and password.
  2. Click on the gear near the top right corner and then select See all settings.
  3. Click Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
  4. Under "IMAP Access", select Enable IMAP and then at the bottom click Save Changes.
    Gmail settings showing IMAP access section with IMAP enabled under the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
  5. Log into your personal Google account (mail.google.com) and repeat steps 2-4

Download Thunderbird

  1. Download Thunderbird from Mozilla
  2. Click the download button and run the .EXE file. Your OS may prompt you with security warnings. If so, click Run
  3. On the Setup screen, click Next and then choose Standard setup and then click Next and then click Install and then click Finish.

Set up Thunderbird with your Stony Brook Google Mail account

You will need to set this up twice; once for your Stony Brook account and then again for your personal gmail account.

  1. Open Thunderbird
  2. In the top right, click the menu icon (three horizontal lines  Gmail menu icon with three horizontal lines (hamburger menu).) and select Account Settings OR Options or Preferences  and then Account Settings
  3. At the bottom of the screen, click Account Actions and then Add Mail Account
  4. Enter your name, email address, and password, and then click Configure manually
  5. Enter this server information:
    Incoming: imap.gmail.com; Port: 993; Connection security: SSL/TLS OAuth2; Username: first.last@stonybrook.edu
    Outgoing: smtp.gmail.com Port: 465 SSL: SSL/TLS OAuth2; Username: first.last@stonybrook.edu
  6. Select Advanced config
  7. On the left under the first.last@stonybrook.edu email address, click Server Settings. For Authentication method, select OAuth2
  8. On the left, click Outgoing Server (SMTP), click to select your email address, and then click Edit.
  9. Change the Authentication method here to OAuth2 then click OK.
  10. Once your Stony Brook account has been added, in the list on the left, click Inbox under your @stonybrook.edu account.
    If you don't see Inbox, double-click your first.last@stonybrook.edu email address, and the word Inbox will display below it.
    If you get an error that the mailbox can't connect, double-click on your first.last@stonybrook.edu email address to open NetID sign in.
    1. If prompted to sign in with NetID and NetID password, sign in, and then grant Thunderbird access by clicking Allow
    2. If you have trouble authenticating your @stonybrook.edu account, update Thunderbird

Set up Thunderbird with your Personal Gmail account

  1. Add your personal Gmail account by following the instructions from Step 3:
    1. In the top right, click the menu icon (three horizontal lines  Gmail menu icon with three horizontal lines (hamburger menu).) and select Account Settings OR Options or Preferences and then Account Settings.
    2. At the bottom of the screen, click Account Actions and then Add Mail Account
    3. Enter your name, email address, and password, and then click Configure manually
    4. Enter this server information:
      Incoming: imap.gmail.com Port: 993 Connection security: SSL/TLS OAuth2 Username: your email address
      Outgoing: smtp.gmail.com Port: 465 SSL: SSL/TLS OAuth2 Username: your email address 
      Click Done

Step 5 Drag Emails/Folders between Accounts

  1. Once you have added both accounts to Thunderbird, drag and drop emails/folders from one inbox to the other.
    You must have enough space in your personal Gmail account to accommodate the emails you move over.

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This Information is Intended for:
Instructors, Staff, Students
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes
This Content Last Updated:
01/29/2026