Effortless Guide to Migrate AOL Mail to Office 365 Account

The acquisition brought a smaller company into the large business. The acquired team had been using AOL (America Online) email accounts for daily communications. Whereas, the parent company operates on the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, where Outlook and Teams are the standard tools for communication. Therefore, to unify the communication systems, the company has opted to migrate AOL to Office 365. There are two ways by which we can do this migration. Either manually or by using an automated Cigati AOL Backup Tool for a reliable and efficient migration process. Continue to read this blog to understand why this migration is needed and how it can be initiated.

AOL is an email service that allows users to manage emails through a web browser or an email app. An Office 365 account that gives users access to Microsoft’s cloud-based productivity tools, such as Word, Excel, Teams, etc. The companies need to migrate to Office 365 to utilize Microsoft’s productivity and collaborative tools. 

Reasons to Transfer AOL Email to Microsoft 365

Let’s first try to understand the benefits of migrating AOL Mail to Office 365. The following points will provide valuable insights:

• Office 365 consolidates essential tools like Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, etc, into an integrated single platform. 
• Microsoft Office 365 meets modern security standards having the built-in security features such as encryption, MFA, etc. AOL lacks these advanced security features.
• AOL accounts do not have a centralized IT management system and, therefore, are not scalable. Whereas, Office 365 manages emails through a single admin console. 
• With Office 365, users can customize email domains. In AOL, the email addresses are outdated and inconsistent.
• Migrating to Office 365 allows users to integrate with an ecosystem where file sharing, data analysis, etc, are interconnected. 

How to Migrate AOL to Office 365? – 3 Easy Methods

To move AOL Mail emails to Office 365, the user can choose between a manual method and an easier, automated, tool-driven approach. Manual methods are slower and are prone to errors. While using the tool automates the entire migration. Below are the methods explained in detail.

Manual Method 1: Drag and Drop Using MS Outlook

This method is simple and effective for those users who want to handle a small or medium number of emails. Consider dragging the entire folder to maintain the folder structure. 

Use a step-by-step guide to transfer emails from AOL to Office 365:

Step 1: Add both AOL and Office 365 Accounts to Outlook

1. In Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings > New.
2. Now, enter your AOL Email ID and click on Connect.
3. Choose IMAP and enter the server details:

Incoming Mail Server (IMAP)	Server: imap.aol.com
	Port: 993
	Encryption: SSL/TLS
Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP)	Server: smtp.aol.com
	Port: 465 or 587
	Encryption: SSL/TLS

4. Enter the AOL password and click Next > Finish.
5. Similarly, add an Office 365 account in Outlook. 
6. Restart MS Outlook.

Step 2: AOL to Office 365 migration

1. Open Outlook.
2. Open both the AOL mailbox and the Office 365 mailbox.
3. Drag the emails from your AOL mailbox that you want to migrate.
4. Drop them into your Office 365 account mailbox.

Limitations: This method does not transfer the contacts and calendars. Users have to transfer them separately. 

Manual Method 2: Forward AOL Mail to Office 365

It is an ideal choice for users who are switching from AOL to Office 365. This method forwards all new emails to your Office 365 account.

The following are the steps to begin importing emails to O365:

1. Open AOL Mail and sign in with your login credentials.
2. Navigate to Settings > More Settings > Mail Forwarding.
3. Now, enter your Office 365 account credentials.
4. Verify it by clicking on the confirmation link.
5. At last, click Save once verified. 

Limitations: It will not transfer the existing emails to your Office 365 account. The other folders such as Sent Items, Drafts, etc are not forwarded. The folder structure is not maintained during the process. 

An Automated Tool to Migrate AOL to Office 365 Account

The AOL Backup Tool is a versatile utility that extracts, archives, or migrates AOL emails with precision. This powerful tool enables users to export emails and attachments into multiple file formats. Users can also migrate directly to email clients like Office 365, Outlook, Gmail, etc. Advanced features like duplicate email detection, selective mail filtering, and preserving folder structure enhance the migration process. The users can also opt to delete emails after backup and can save PDF attachments separately.

Use this structured process to transfer AOL Email to Microsoft 365:

1. Download, install, and launch the tool.
2. Select between Single Mode or Batch Mode.
3. Now, choose AOL from the left panel and log in with your AOL account credentials.
4. Tick the desired folders from the tree-structured list, preview them, and click on Next.
5. Choose the Email Client as Office 365 and authenticate it with your Email ID and Password.
6. Select the additional features as per the need.
7. Lastly, click on the Convert button to begin the process.

Conclusion

Businesses choose to migrate AOL to Office 365 account for advanced security features and better scalability. This blog has highlighted three primary methods for migrating AOL Mail emails to Office 365. The manual options involve technical complexity and might result in data loss. Whereas the AOL Backup Tool provides a reliable, smooth, error-free and full migration. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q – How do I add my AOL email to Outlook 365?

Ans – Open Outlook and navigate to File > Add account. Enter your AOL account credentials, select IMAP, and enter the server settings. Now, enter your AOL App password and click on Connect.

Q – How do I automatically forward AOL emails to Outlook?

Ans – Open AOL Mail and sign in. Navigate to More Settings > Mail Forwarding. Enter your Outlook email address and click on Verify to verify through a confirmation link. Lastly, tap on the Save button.

You May Also Read: Migrate AOL Email to Gmail

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