Migrate from Gandi to Google Workspace

Many users of Gandi mail (GandiMail) move to Google Workspace to get Gmail, Calendar, Drive and real-time collaboration in Docs. You can move all your emails, contacts and calendars without losing history or interrupting delivery — as long as you follow the right order and keep Gandi live until the destination is verified.

What gets migrated — and why people switch

An email migration is about far more than the messages. Plan to move several data types:

• Emails: entire GandiMail mailboxes, including folders and sub-folders, with original dates preserved.
• Contacts: address books from the Gandi webmail (SOGo/Roundcube).
• Calendars: appointments, invitations and recurring events.
• Files: if you store documents on Gandi web hosting or a local share, plan to move them to Google Drive and shared drives.

People switch for Gmail's simplicity, powerful search, real-time collaboration and clearer storage. The goal: everyone finds their complete history on Monday morning, having lost nothing.

Step 1 · Audit what you have before touching anything

A successful migration starts with a precise inventory:

• the number of Gandi mailboxes and their size (a 20 GB mailbox does not move in the same window as a 1 GB one);
• the aliases, forwards and shared mailboxes configured at Gandi;
• the domain and the current DNS/MX records — since Gandi is often the registrar too, note the TTL and lower it to 300 seconds a few days before cutover;
• the IMAP credentials for each mailbox (server mail.gandi.net), needed for the migration.

The larger the volume, the earlier you should start and the longer you let the sync run in the background.

Step 2 · Provision Google Workspace

Create the Google Workspace tenant, then verify domain ownership in the admin console (via a TXT record at Gandi). Recreate the user accounts — ideally with the same addresses as at Gandi so nothing changes for correspondents — the groups, the shared drives and the security rules (two-step verification). Do not change the MX records yet: at this stage, mail still lands at Gandi.

Step 3 · Migrate email, contacts and calendars

Google provides the official tool: the Data Migration Service (DMS), built into the admin console. Because GandiMail exposes standard IMAP access, DMS connects to it directly (server mail.gandi.net, port 993/SSL) and copies emails into Gmail while preserving folders and dates. You provide, per mailbox, the matching address and password; for a larger estate, prepare an account-mapping file.

The principle is a background sync: it starts while Gandi is still receiving mail, then a final delta pass catches messages that arrived in the meantime. Contacts and calendars move by exporting from the Gandi webmail (vCard for contacts, ICS for calendars) and importing them into Google Contacts and Google Calendar.

Step 4 · Move files to Drive

If documents live on Gandi web hosting, a NAS or local machines, gather them and upload to Google Drive using the Google Drive for desktop client, rebuilding the folder tree inside shared drives. Then re-check permissions: a folder that is "open to everyone" internally must not accidentally become public.

The secret to a zero-downtime cutover: never turn off the source until the destination is verified. Both mail systems coexist for a few days while mail finds its new route.

Step 5 · Switch DNS/MX without downtime

Once the initial sync is done, change the domain's MX records to point to Google Workspace (the single smtp.google.com MX, or the five legacy ASPMX records). Add the SPF record, the DKIM key generated by Google and a DMARC policy to protect deliverability. Thanks to the TTL you lowered in Step 1, propagation usually takes a few dozen minutes; keep Gandi mail active for another day or two to catch the last messages.

Step 6 · Verify and reconfigure clients

After cutover, confirm that a test email lands in Gmail and that calendars are complete. Then reconfigure clients: in Outlook, add the account via Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GWSMO) or move users straight onto the Gmail interface. On mobile, replace the Gandi IMAP account with a Google account. Remember to update signatures, filters and calendar shares.

Common pitfalls

• Rate limits: IMAP and Google both enforce quotas; a very large mailbox can take several hours — plan generously.
• Duplicates: re-running a full migration instead of a delta duplicates messages. Stay in incremental mode.
• IMAP passwords: if two-step verification is enabled at Gandi, generate the right credential type for IMAP access.
• Recurring calendars: complex series or badly set time zones can shift — check them first.
• Aliases and forwards: recreate them on the Google side before cutover to avoid bounces.

How much it costs: Yuna7 vs an IT contractor

Having a contractor migrate Gandi to Google Workspace often costs several hundred dollars, with quotes and lead times. Yuna7 automates the cutover and you only pay for what you actually use — you can even try it for free.

Let Yuna7 migrate Gandi to Google Workspace for you

Describe your migration in one sentence: Yuna7 audits your Gandi mailboxes and domain, provisions Google Workspace, runs the Data Migration Service over IMAP for mail, imports contacts and calendars, moves your files to Drive, switches the DNS/MX records at the right moment and verifies everything arrived — you simply approve the sensitive steps. Far cheaper than a technician, and launched in minutes.