Migrating email from Virgin to Proton Email using IMAP Failing

[MikeyMcG]

I'm setting up a Proton Mail account, for security reasons. I want to migrate my Virgin emails to my Proton account. It uses IMAP to do this. But when I enter my Virgin login details, it says it can't access my Virgin email account. It says to check that my Virgin IMAP server and login details are incorrect. I've tried using both imap.virginmedia.com and imap.ntlworld.com servers, and port 993.

The Proton app says to ensure IMAP is enabled on my Virgin email account. But I don't know where to check this, or if its enabled by default. Can anyone give me some pointers on how to do this?

[Graham_A]

@MikeyMcG IMAP access is enabled by default.

When setting up on a new third party email client you need to be careful with the username and password that you use.

The username is your full virgin media email address.  The password depends on whether you have created an app password for the email address. If you have then that's the one you need to use with the proton app.  If you haven't then try the My Virgin Media password for the email address concerned.

[MikeyMcG]

Ok, so I followed that link and went through the app password details. It then supposedly sent me an email with my app password. Except, it didn't. This is what the email says

"Hello,

Thanks for updating your email address on your My Virgin Media account. To confirm the change, all you must do is to verify your email in the link below:

Verify email address [link]

As soon as the email address is verified, your new My Virgin Media email address will be changed to xxxxxxxxxxx@proton.me.

From now on, you'll need to use your new email address to sign into My Virgin Media.

Kind regards,

The Virgin Media team"

I clicked the "Verify email address" link, which took me to another Virgin webpage:

"Your email address has been updated

You've successfully changed your email address.

We'll use this email address to send you service updates and billing information."

That is NOT what I wanted. I want to be able to access and read my Virgin email in the Proton app. I will be using 3 different email providers and I want to know which provider my emails are being sent to. Virgin is the only one I'm having any problems with.

[Graham_A]

@MikeyMcG Not sure what you mean when you say that you followed that link as I didn't actually post one.

It looks as if you have gone through the process of creating an app password for your VM email address.  In order to do this you will have been asked to change your login details to a non virgin media email address.  This does not change the underlying email address.  It only changes the way you log in via the My Virgin Media account or VM webmail.

You can read more about the change here: https://www.virginmedia.com/dpb/help/change-my-virgin-media-email-address