How to Migrate from Yahoo Mail to Proton Mail

Move your emails, contacts, and calendars from Yahoo Mail — step by step, without losing anything.

March 2026 · 10 min read

Yahoo Mail has been around for decades, but it lacks the end-to-end encryption and privacy protections that Proton Mail offers. Whether you're concerned about data mining, targeted advertising, or simply want a more secure inbox, migrating to Proton Mail is a straightforward process.

This guide covers everything — importing your entire mailbox, transferring contacts and calendars, and setting up automatic forwarding so you don't miss a single email during the transition.

Step 1: Import Your Emails with Easy Switch

Proton's Easy Switch tool connects directly to your Yahoo account and imports your emails automatically. It supports Yahoo Mail natively.

1. Log into your Proton Mail account at mail.proton.me
2. Go to Settings → All settings → Import via Easy Switch
3. Click Import messages and select Yahoo
4. Sign in with your Yahoo account credentials and grant Proton permission to read your emails
5. Choose which folders to import — you can select all or pick specific ones
6. Optionally set a start date if you only want recent emails
7. Click Start import and let it run — large mailboxes may take several hours

You'll receive an email notification when the import finishes. You can also monitor progress from the Easy Switch settings page at any time.

Step 2: Import Your Contacts

You can import contacts directly via Easy Switch or manually export them from Yahoo Contacts and import the file into Proton.

Option A: Easy Switch (Recommended)

1. In Proton Mail, go to Settings → Import via Easy Switch
2. Click Import contacts and select Yahoo
3. Sign in with your Yahoo account and grant permission
4. Select which contact groups to import
5. Click Start import

Option B: Manual Export & Import

1. Go to contacts.yahoo.com
2. Click Actions → Export (or the three-dot menu → Export)
3. Choose Yahoo CSV or Outlook CSV format and click Export Now
4. In Proton Mail, go to Contacts in the left sidebar
5. Click Import (top-right) and upload the CSV file
6. Review the mapping and click Import to finish

Step 3: Import Your Calendar

Yahoo Calendar events can be exported as ICS files and imported directly into Proton Calendar.

1. Go to calendar.yahoo.com and sign in
2. Click the Actions menu (three dots) next to the calendar you want to export
3. Select Export — this downloads an .ics file
4. In Proton Calendar at calendar.proton.me, click Settings → Import
5. Upload the .ics file and choose which Proton calendar to import into
6. Click Import to finish

Step 4: Set Up Automatic Forwarding

While you transition, set up automatic forwarding so any emails sent to your old Yahoo address are automatically delivered to your new Proton Mail inbox.

1. Go to mail.yahoo.com and sign in
2. Click the Settings gear icon → More Settings
3. Go to Mailboxes in the left sidebar
4. Click on your Yahoo email address
5. Scroll down to Forwarding and toggle it on
6. Enter your new Proton Mail address in the forwarding field
7. Yahoo will send a verification email to your Proton address — click the link to confirm
8. Choose whether to Store and forward (keeps a copy in Yahoo) or Forward only

Step 5: Update Your Important Accounts

Now that your Proton Mail is set up and forwarding is active, systematically update your email address on important accounts. Start with the most critical ones:

• Banking & financial services — your bank, credit cards, investment accounts, PayPal
• Government services — tax office, healthcare portals, pension accounts
• Social media — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn
• Shopping — Amazon, eBay, and any stores you use regularly
• Subscriptions — streaming services (Netflix, Spotify), software, newsletters
• Work & professional — employer HR systems, professional memberships
• Cloud storage — Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud (update recovery emails too)

Step 6: Final Security Steps

Once your migration is complete, take these steps to fully secure your new setup:

• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your Proton account for maximum security
• Set up a recovery method — add a recovery email or phone number in Proton settings
• Review your Yahoo account security — change your Yahoo password and enable 2FA there too, since the account is still active
• Configure Proton Mail filters to organise incoming mail into folders automatically
• Explore the Proton ecosystem — Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton VPN are all included with paid plans
• Set a reminder to disable forwarding from Yahoo after 3–6 months once you're confident everything is updated
• Consider keeping Yahoo active — don't delete your Yahoo account immediately, as you may need it for account recovery on services you forgot to update