Here's how to fix problems you might have when setting up and importing email data with the data import tool.
For information about Exchange Online Email imports, go to Troubleshoot an Exchange Online email import.
Troubleshoot imports from Google Workspace
If you have issues importing email data from Google Workspace, start with these steps.
1. Check the email address of the super admin
Make sure you entered a correct and valid email address of a source domain Google Workspace super administrator.
If you get an error when trying to access the authorization request, the email has been sent to someone who isn't a super administrator on the source domain. To fix the issue, in your Google Admin console on the target domain, click Disconnect and create a new connection using a valid super administrator email address for the source account. For details, go to Request authorization.
2. Verify that the super admin has given consent
If you are a super administrator on the source account, to verify whether you gave consent to the authorization:
- Go to the domain-wide delegation settings in the source account.
Check whether Data Import is listed as a client.
For more details about domain-wide delegation, go to Control API access with domain-wide delegation.
If it isn't listed as a client, authorize by clicking the consent link sent in the authorization request email.
If the client ID entry is missing or you can't find the authorization request email, exit the import and reauthorize the source account.
For details, go to Request authorization.
3. Check that the email link is valid
The authorization consent link expires after 24 hours. If the super admin on the source account doesn't grant consent within that time frame, click Resend email to send a refreshed link to them.
Troubleshoot imports from an IMAP server
1. Check the connectivity to the IMAP server
- Ensure that the IMAP server is hosted on port 993 and connects to the Google IP address ranges.
- Verify that the IMAP server uses IMAP over SSL (IMAPS).
2. Check the credentials of the users
Make sure that you entered the correct username and password of the source users. If you're importing from an IMAP server that authenticates using app passwords, use the app password in the import map. For details, go to Create & upload an import map.
3. Verify the number of existing IMAP connections for users
If a user has existing IMAP connections, the IMAP server might reach its connection limit, and the data import tool won't be able to connect. To troubleshoot, remove the other IMAP connections for the user and try again.
Troubleshoot imports from a single user's Gmail account
If you have issues importing a single user's data from a Gmail account, start with these steps.
1. Check the email address of the user
Make sure you entered a correct and valid Gmail address. This Gmail address can be of a personal user or a user from within your Google Workspace account.
If you're trying to import a user's Gmail data from a different Google Workspace account, follow the steps at Import email from a Google Workspace account.
2. Verify that the user has given consent to import
In your Google Admin console, click Verify Authorization and make sure you get a Connected notification, which indicates that the connection is authorized. If the user has rejected the request, you get an Authorization Denied message.
If the user denies the request after having approved it, the connection moves from a Connected state to an Authorization denied state. In that state, you won't be able to start an import. If the import is already running when the user revokes their consent, the import eventually stops, and the data import report shows errors that indicate the user denied the authorization request.
3. Check that the email link is valid
The authorization consent link expires after 24 hours. If the user on the source account doesn't grant consent within that time frame, click Resend email to send a refreshed link to them.
4. Make sure that app access is not restricted
If you're importing Gmail data between two users in your Google Workspace account, and a source user cannot give consent for a import because their account is blocked by your organizational policies, the Data Import app might be blocked. To fix the issue, make sure that Data Import is listed as a trusted app in App Access Control. For details, go to Control which third-party & internal apps access Google Workspace data.
Note: The App ID for Data Import is
375035952210-rgm6j1o8apj8smnt390s0sqp3g3a6ksj.apps.googleusercontent.com.
General troubleshooting help
Error uploading map
You might get one of the following errors when uploading the import map when you set up an import from Google Workspace:
| Error message | Steps to troubleshoot |
|---|---|
| Entry already exists | You added a source email address more than once. Check your import map for duplicated source users (it's OK to list the target user more than once). |
| Target Gmail Account Entity must be set | A target email address is missing. Check the CSV file for missing target users. |
| Email ID for Gmail Account entity must be set and valid | Ensure that the email addresses in the file are set and use valid email formats. |
Import fails to start
Make sure that a target domain super admin starts the import. The data import tool requires super admin privileges as it grants domain-wide delegation in the target domain before it begins to import data.
Import completes, but there are failed items
Click View data import logs and use the report to identify items that didn't import and the reasons for the failure. For details, go to Understand email import reports.
Fix the issues, then run a delta import.
Missing messages
If you can't find some messages after an import, work through the following troubleshooting steps.
Step 1: Make sure a message isn't mislabeled
Get the message-ID of a missing message from the source account.
For details on finding the message-ID, go to Trace an email with its full header.
In the target account, use the rfc822msgid: Gmail search operator to search for the message-ID.
For details on using a search operator, go to Refine searches in Gmail.
If you can't find the message, continue to the next step.
Step 2: Check the data import report
- Export the data import report. For details, go to Export the reports.
- Search for the missing message using its message-ID.
- If the message shows as failed in the report, locate the error code in Resolve common error messages.
- Follow the instructions to troubleshoot the error message.
Error importing labels
If you get an error when importing labels, you might get the following issues:
- For imports from Google Workspace or a Google Account (such as a personal Gmail account), the message attached to the label imports but in a warning state.
- For imports from an IMAP server, the message is skipped if the parent label doesn't import.
- If the source account contains more than 6,000 labels, a delta import is required.
To troubleshoot, try running a delta import. If the issue persists:
- Choose an option:
- Fix the issue with the label. To troubleshoot the label, go to Understand email import reports.
- Remove the label.
- Run a delta import.
Exit import fails
You might get a "Failed to exit import. Try again" error while trying to disconnect a user or exit a Gmail import. Check the Gmail source account, and if the account is suspended or deleted, go to Restore a suspended user.
