This page describes the scenario where you migrate email accounts belonging to a domain. We recommend you migrate the email accounts using our self-service email migration tooling before you transfer the related domain from the old to the new provider.

Migration process

Create destination mailbox at new provider

In order to switch your email provider, you'll need to create a new, empty mailbox at your destination provider.

Since your domain name is not yet transferred, the exact process depends on your particular provider:

  • Some providers allow to create an email address "john@doe.com" even if "doe.com" is not yet transferred to the provider[1]
  • Many providers allow to create a temporary email address "john@customerId.provider.com" (or similar) based on a so called access domain. Later, once your domain is transferred, you can usually add an email alias (see also below).
  • If neither option is possible, you may create email accounts using a second domain (e.g., "john@doe.net") to create email accounts and assign email aliases for your original domain later.
  • If neither of this is feasible, please check Email migration/With domain name transfer/Domain transfer first


Once you signed up for a new mailbox, note down the email address, the login name (which might be the same as the email address) and the password.

Migrate emails from your old mailbox into your new mailbox

You can now copy the existing emails from your old email account into your new account.

Please have the following information for both - source and destination account - at hand:

  • Name of the provider[2] and name of your email product[3]
  • You're now ready to migrate your data - visit Migrate now

Transfer domain name (or change MX record)

Once the email migration has finished, you can transfer your domain to your new provider.

Run delta migration

Once your domain has been transferred and some grace time has passed[4], you can start the delta migration[5] in order to transfer email that have arrived in your source mailbox after the initial migration has finished.

Note

Some providers may change or block access to your source account once you transfer your domain to another provider. A delta migration is likely to fail in such cases.

Set email aliases (optional)

If your destination provider did not allow you to create email accounts using your actual domain before that domain was transferred, you'll most likely have used another domain name or an access domain to configure the destination accounts for the email migration.

In this case, after your actual domain has now been transferred to the destination provider, you need to "wire" your domain to the email accounts created before. To achieve this, most providers allow to assign additional email adresses or "alias names" to an existing mailbox within their control panel.

Configure your email client applications

You can send and receive email with your new email account either using the webmail interface offered by your new provider, or by using an email client application.

Note

While you can configure your email client application at any time after your new email account is available, we recommend that you do so only after the email migration has finished.[6]

References

  1. Some providers allow configuring a so-called external domain to achieve a similar result. Since setting up an external domain is however technically difficult and might cost extra money, we do not recommend to use this for migration purposes unless you know what you are doing.
  2. See FAQ:How can I identify my email service provider? for help
  3. In case, your email provider offers multiple different email products - see also FAQ:How can I identify my email product?
  4. See FAQ:How does a domain transfer work?
  5. See also Handbook:Delta migration
  6. See also FAQ:Why should I reconfigure email client applications after an email migration?
Retrieved from "https://www.audriga.com/w/index.php?title=Email_migration/With_domain_name_transfer/Email_migration_first&oldid=38"