Move your email to end-to-end encryption. Swiss jurisdiction. Your inbox, unreadable to anyone but you.
Go to proton.me and click "Create a free account". Choose your username — this becomes your @proton.me address. Pick a strong password. Select the Free plan (you can upgrade later). Complete the CAPTCHA verification.
You see the Proton Mail inbox with a welcome message from the Proton team.
In Proton Mail, go to Settings → All settings → Import via Easy Switch. Click "Import from Google". Sign in to your Google account when prompted. Check all the boxes: Mail, Contacts, and Calendar. Click Start Import. For large mailboxes, this may take a few hours — you can close the tab and come back later.
A progress bar shows the import status. When complete, your Gmail folders appear as labels in Proton Mail.
If Easy Switch handled contacts already, check your Proton contacts list. Otherwise: open Gmail, click the Google Apps grid (top right), select Contacts, then Export as vCard. In Proton Mail, go to Contacts → Import and upload the vCard file.
Search for a few contacts by name in Proton Mail — they appear with correct email addresses and phone numbers.
In Gmail, go to Settings → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Click "Add a forwarding address" and enter your new Proton Mail address. Switch to Proton Mail to find the confirmation email, click the link, then return to Gmail settings and select "Forward a copy of incoming mail to" your Proton address. Keep Gmail's copy in the inbox.
Send yourself a test email to your Gmail address. It arrives in both Gmail and Proton Mail.
Start with the accounts that matter most: banking, government services, and work accounts. Log in to each service, find account settings, and update your email to your new Proton Mail address. Verify each change. Then work through shopping sites, social media, and subscriptions over the following weeks.
Confirmation emails from updated services arrive in Proton Mail, not just Gmail.