Guide
Change email hosting without losing a single message
The tricky part of changing host isn’t copying the email — it’s the switchover. For a few hours, mail can land on both the old and the new server. Here’s how to do it without losing anything.
1. Set up the new mailbox
Create the same mailboxes on your new host as on the old one, with the same addresses. The domain doesn’t need to point there yet: we copy the mail by connecting to the server directly.
Note down the old and new password for each mailbox. If you use Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud, get an app password ready.
In step 2 choose Same address, new hosting or server and your new provider: we use your new host’s server name (not mail.yourdomain, which still points to the old one) and, even after the DNS change, the update keeps reading from the old server.
2. Run the main copy before touching DNS
Start the migration while the domain still points at the old host. The main copy moves the bulk of your mail — even tens of GB — while you and your team keep working as usual.
Nothing is deleted from the old mailbox: if anything goes wrong, the original is still there.
3. Change the MX records
Once the main copy is done, update your domain’s MX records to point to the new provider. From then on, new mail starts arriving on the new server.
DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to spread, and during that window some email may still reach the old server. That’s normal — and it’s why the next step exists.
4. Run the final top-up
After changing the MX records (ideally a few hours later), press Update on your migration page: we copy only the emails that reached the old mailbox in the meantime. Anything already there is skipped, so there are no duplicates.
The top-up is included in the price, and you can repeat it until the credentials are deleted, 14 days after the copy ends.
5. Set up your devices and close the old service
Update the mail settings on your phone and computer with your new provider’s details. Keep the old host running for a few more days, then switch it off once you’re sure nothing else is arriving.
Quick checklist
- Mailboxes created on the new host, passwords to hand
- Main copy finished before the DNS change
- MX records pointing to the new provider
- Final top-up run after propagation
- Phones and computers set up on the new server