Plan Before You Move
Whether you are moving from a free provider to your own domain, or shifting your domain to Tech Guru IT Solutions, email migration needs a short plan. The goal is simple: no lost messages and minimal downtime.
Step 1: Take Stock
- List every mailbox on the old system, its approximate size, and who uses it.
- Note any forwarders, aliases, mailing lists and autoresponders, since these must be recreated manually.
- Check total data size against your new plan storage.
Step 2: Prepare the New Server
Create all mailboxes on the new server first, with the same addresses. Set strong passwords and share them securely with staff. Do not change DNS yet.
Step 3: Copy Old Mail
The most reliable method is IMAP to IMAP copying, which transfers folders directly between servers. Options include:
- Adding both accounts in a desktop client such as Thunderbird and dragging folders across. Suitable for a few small mailboxes.
- Using a migration tool that copies over IMAP in bulk. For larger teams, raise a ticket and our engineers can run the migration for you.
Step 4: Switch DNS at a Quiet Time
Update the MX records to point to the new server, ideally on a weekend evening. Lower the TTL a day in advance if possible so the change spreads quickly. During propagation some mail may still arrive on the old server, so keep the old service active for at least one week and run a final copy of anything new.
Step 5: Verify
- Send test mails from Gmail and another outside address to each migrated mailbox.
- Confirm sending works from every device after updating settings.
- Check that SPF, DKIM and DMARC records match the new server so your mail does not land in spam.
Only cancel the old provider after all checks pass and staff confirm nothing is missing.
