When migrating email data from Gmail to Exchange or Microsoft 365 using CloudM Migrate, it's important to understand how Gmail labels are converted into Outlook folders. Due to the fundamental differences in how labels function in Gmail versus folders in Outlook, CloudM Migrate employs specific logic during this conversion process.
CloudM Migrate creates Outlook folders as it migrates emails, and the resulting folder structure is determined by the Gmail labels applied to each email.
Conversion Logic Explained
Here's how CloudM Migrate handles various Gmail labeling scenarios:
Emails with a Single Label
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Logic: If an email has only one Gmail label, that label is directly converted into an Outlook folder.
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Outcome: The email is placed within this newly created Outlook folder.
Emails with Multiple Labels (Shortest Path & Categories)
When an email has multiple Gmail labels, CloudM Migrate prioritizes one label for folder creation and uses the others as categories.
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Folder Creation (Shortest Path):
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CloudM Migrate identifies the "shortest path" label among all assigned labels. This label is then used to create an Outlook folder.
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Example: For an email with labels "Clients/A/Invoices" and "Clients/B", "Clients/B" would be chosen as the shortest path because it has fewer hierarchical levels.
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Outcome: The email is placed into the Outlook folder created from the shortest path label.
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Category Assignment:
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Any remaining Gmail labels (those not used for folder creation) are converted into categories and assigned to the email in Outlook.
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Multiple Labels of Same Path Length
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Logic: If an email is assigned multiple labels that share the same "shortest path" length, CloudM Migrate selects the label that comes first alphabetically.
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Outcome: The chosen alphabetical label is used to create the Outlook folder, and the email is placed within it.
Emails in "Inbox" or "Sent" with Other Custom Labels
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Logic: If an email is present in both the Gmail "Inbox" or "Sent" label and other custom labels, CloudM Migrate nests the custom label folder.
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Outcome: The folder corresponding to the custom label(s) is created as a sub-folder within the Outlook Inbox (or Sent Items, if the original Gmail label was "Sent").
Single Gmail Label Becomes Two Outlook Folders (Unique Scenario)
A specific scenario can lead to a single Gmail label resulting in two distinct Outlook folders. This occurs when a single Gmail label contains a mix of emails:
* Emails also assigned to the Gmail "Inbox" label.
* Emails only assigned to that specific label (and not the "Inbox").
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Outcome: In this situation, the single Gmail label may be converted into two separate Outlook folders:
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Under Inbox: One folder will be created as a sub-folder under the Outlook Inbox. This folder will contain only the emails that were originally in both the "Inbox" and that specific Gmail label.
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Root Level: Another independent folder (at the same level as the Inbox) will be created with the same label name. This folder will contain only the emails that were exclusively assigned to that specific Gmail label.
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This means that emails from a single Gmail label could be split across two different folders in Outlook.
Recommendation
It's crucial to make migrating users aware of CloudM Migrate's label-to-folder conversion behavior before you start your migration. Understanding how your Gmail labels will translate into Outlook folders will help you set appropriate expectations for your new email organization and folder structure.