How to Switch from Yahoo! Mail to Gmail

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Tired of Yahoo and want to try Gmail? Here's an easy guide to a hassle-free switch!

• Steps

Automated Transfer Method

1. Open your gmail account. Go to Settings.
2. Click on the "Accounts and Import" Tab. Enter the passwords for your Yahoo! mail account.
3. Select the import options you want to use. You can decide to import all your contacts, and old mail, or some portion of thereof.

Manual Contact Transfer Method

1. Export your contacts from Yahoo mail: Go to >> contacts >> Import/Export
2. Select Yahoo CSV from the drop down menu.
3. Save the file to your Desktop.
4. Log into Gmail.
5. Click on "Contacts" in the left hand sidebars.
6. Select "Import Contacts" from the options.
7. In "Browse" select the file on your Desktop. It will import all your contacts.

• Tips

1. If you want to abandon your Yahoo account, go to "Mail Options" in Yahoo. Select "Vacation Response." Write a short note to announce to correspondents to send all emails to your new Gmail address, which you specify. This email will be sent to whoever emails you on your Yahoo. So you may want to obfiscate your email ID: ie. ghost_post(AT)oman.om instead of ghost_post@oman.om If you want, you can also send a quick email from Gmail to your Contact Book addresses informing them of your change.
2. If you're willing to pay the $20 per year for Premium Yahoo mail and want to auto-forward your email from Yahoo to Gmail, go to "Mail Options" in Yahoo. Select "POP and forwarding." Choose "forwarding" from the list and enter your Gmail address. Press "send." (Yahoo! has recently discontinued some of its programs which charged for features. Reports vary, but some Yahoo! email users have reported this service now available for free. Try it on your account to see.)
3. If you don't want to use Gmails auto slurp feature for your old mail, you can use the method available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/mrpostman/ and http://sourceforge.net/projects/freepops/
4. Special notes for sbcglobal.net users of yahoo email: You'll first try to use gmail's import dialog using your xyz@sbcglobal.net email address, but this will fail because the pop server for your email is no sbcglobal.net. Gmail's email import dialog then allows extra choices. Try these instead:
   
   
   
   • POP username: xyz@sbcglobal.net
   • POP server: pop.att.yahoo.com
   • Port: 995 Use SSL checked
   • Note that username is NOT simply xyz, but xyz@sbcglobal.net. Ie: Gmail import will attempt to log in to pop.att.yahoo.com using username xyz@sbcglobal.net. Hope this helps!

• Warnings

1. Remember to check your Yahoo account occasionally in case you have received an important message which the sender has not forwarded to your Gmail. Also, Yahoo will deactivate any account that has not been logged into for four months, as it will be deemed a "dormant account" (http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/mail/access/access-04.html)
2. As of recent, Gmail supports both importing and exporting your contacts to CSV (comma separated values) file. Take note that Gmail's CSV file is compatible with MS Outlook (NOT Outlook Express), so if you want to transfer your contacts from/to your local e-mail client, make sure it supports MS Outlook CSV format. You can easily import/export address books between MS Outlook and MS Outlook Express though, but it's beyond the scope of this article.
3. Be cautious when using the "Vacation Response" as mentioned above. This will alert everyone who emails you what your new email is, no matter if you want them to know it or not. Some spammers do monitor emails that come back to them with software which can automatically add your new email address to their database.

Source: www.wikihow.com