How to Import OLM Into Gmail?

Outlook for Mac data file (.olm) users often chooses to import the file contents into Gmail, as it provides them anywhere, anytime access to data – from any device. Also, you may want to import OLM file to Gmail, when migrating from macOS to Windows or any other operating system.

Whatever be the reason, you cannot directly import your OLM file into Gmail.

Manual Ways to Import OLM File into Gmail

You can manually import OLM emails, contacts, and other items into Gmail, by configuring a Gmail account in Outlook for Mac. However, the process to import emails is different from the manual procedure to import contacts and calendars.

Steps to Import Emails from OLM File into Gmail

Step 1: Configure your Gmail account for IMAP

1. Sign in to your Gmail account.
2. Once you’re logged in, click the Settings icon in the top-right corner.
3. Click Settings.
4. In the Settings page, click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
5. From the ‘IMAP Access’ section, choose Enable IMAP, and then click Save Changes.

Figure 1 – Enable IMAP for Gmail

Step 2 – Add IMAP-enabled Gmail account into Outlook for Mac.

The steps to add an IMAP-enabled Gmail account in Outlook on macOS will differ depending on the version of Outlook for Mac you are using.

Steps to Add Gmail Account in Outlook 2019/2016 for Mac

1. Open your Outlook for Mac application, and click Outlook >Preferences >Accounts.

Figure 2 – Outlook 2019/2016 for Mac Menu

• In the Accounts window, click the plus (+) sign in the lower-left corner, and then select New Account.
• When prompted, enter your Gmail account e-mail address and password.

Figure 3 – Sign in into Gmail

• Now, click Allow.

Figure 4 – Google Account Permissions

• In the dialog box that appears, select Open Microsoft Outlook.

Figure 5 – Open Microsoft Outlook

• Click Done to start using Gmail in Outlook for Mac.

Steps to Add Gmail Account in Outlook 2011 for Mac

1. In Mac Outlook, select Tools >Accounts.

Figure 6 – Outlook for Mac Menu

• In the Accounts window, select E-mail Account.

Figure 7 – Select E-mail Account

• Next, manually enter your Gmail account information as follows:
• Enter email address, password, and user name of your Gmail account.
• From the ‘Type’ drop-down list, select IMAP.
• In the Incoming server textbox, type imap.gmail.com and 993 (ssl)/143 (ssl)).
• In the Outgoing server textbox, type smtp.gmail.com, and 25/465 (ssl).
• Click Add Account.

Figure 8 – Outlook for Mac Accounts Window

Your Gmail account will now get configured in Outlook for Mac.

Step 3: Transfer OLM File Data to Gmail

1. In your Outlook for Mac account, select the folder containing items you want to export to the Gmail account.
2. Right-click the selected folder, select Move or Copy to folder button.
3. In the pop-up window that appears, choose Gmail label name from the list, and then click copy.
4. Click Send/Receive to transfer all OLM emails to Gmail account.

Steps to Import Contacts from OLM into Gmail

Step 1: Export OLM Contacts to .txt file

Note: The following step-wise instructions applies to Outlook for Mac 2011.

1. In Outlook for Mac, go to File, and then click Export. 

Figure 9 – Outlook for Mac 2011 Menu

• In the Export Window that appears, select the Contacts to a list (tab) option. 

Figure 10 – Outlook for Mac Export Window

• In the Save dialog box, enter the name of Contacts file and specify the location where you want to save the file.

Figure 11 – Save Dialog Box

• Click Done when ‘Outlook has finished exporting your data’ window pops-up. 

Figure 12 – Export Complete Message Box

Step 2: Convert txt file to Comma Separated Value (CSV) File Format

Gmail does not support txt file format created in Mac Outlook 2011. Therefore, you will need to migrate that file data to CSV file format before importing it into Gmail. For this, perform the following:

1. Right-click the txt file, and click Open With >Microsoft Excel. This will open the file with the help of MS Excel application.

Figure 13 – Open Text File with Spreadsheet Program (Excel)

• Open your Excel application on macOS, click File >Save As. 

Figure 14 – Excel File on macOS

• In the dialog box that pops-up, chooseMS-DOS Comma Separated Value from the list of file formats.

Figure 15 – Select MS-DOS Comma Separated (.csv) Option

• Click Save for saving the Excel file at a desired location.

Step 3: Import CSV file into Gmail

Finally, let’s import OLM contacts into Gmail. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Open Gmail Account, click the Google Apps icon, and then select Contacts.

Figure 16 – Select Contacts from Google Apps

• In the Contacts screen that opens, browse and select Import.

Figure 17 – Import Contacts Option in Gmail

• From the dialog box that pops-up, click Select file to choose the CSV file you want to import. Once the file is selected, hit Import.

Figure 18 – Import Contacts Dialog Box 

• The process of Importing OLM Contacts into Gmail will get initiated.
• Once you have executed the above steps, you can view your OLM contacts in Imported Folder under My Contacts in Gmail.

Professional Way to Import OLM File into Gmail

You cannot move all OLM file contents to Gmail at the same time by using a single manual method. Also, the manual process to import emails from Outlook for Mac data file into Gmail is different from the process of transferring OLM contacts. Thus, a lot of effort and time is required to move complete data from an OLM file.

However, you can overcome these limitations by using Stellar Converter for OLM software. The software helps convert all mailbox items such as Emails, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, etc. from Outlook for Mac data file (OLM) to Windows Outlook data file (PST) – in a single process.

Once converted, you can import the PST file data, including emails, contacts, etc. into Gmail. You will need to manually import PST file into Gmail by configuring its account in MS Outlook, but you won’t have to invest time in moving OLM file items separately to Gmail.

Note: You can also migrate PST file data to Gmail by using GSMMO tool. For more information, refer to this link.

Once configuration is complete, you can move the entire PST file contents to Gmail at the same time.

End Note

Make sure to carefully analyze the methods on ‘how to import OLM file into Gmail‘, and choose one that best serves your needs. If you are willing to spend time moving OLM file contents to Gmail separately, you can choose to manually import the Outlook file to Gmail. If you want to save manual efforts and time by importing all the OLM file contents into Gmail, try using the OLM to PST converter tool as discussed in this post.

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About The Author

Charanjeet Kaur

Charanjeet is a Technical Content Writer at Stellar®who specializes in writing about databases, e-mail recovery, and e-mail migration solutions. She loves researching and developing content that helps database administrators, organizations and novices to fix multiple problems related to MS SQL and MySQL databases and Microsoft Exchange.