How to Move a Domain's Email When You Switch Hosts

Your old web host also handles email for yourdomain.com, and that account is closing. Mail has to land somewhere else before the old server goes dark, and the DNS records that route it have to point there.

Decide where mail will live

Mail cannot stay on the old host once the account closes. Pick one destination: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, the new host's mail service, or a dedicated provider such as Fastmail or Zoho. Sign up before touching DNS.

Copy the existing mail out

Add both the old and new accounts to a desktop client such as Thunderbird or Outlook using IMAP, then drag folders from the old account to the new one. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 also have migration tools that pull from an IMAP server directly. Wait for the copy to finish and spot-check a few old messages at the new provider.

Create the mailboxes at the new provider

Create every address that exists today, spelled the same way, including aliases and catch-all rules. Check the old host's control panel for forwarders you forgot about.

Lower the MX TTL a day ahead

In the DNS zone, set the TTL on the MX record to 300 seconds. Do this at least 24 hours before the switch so caches expire quickly once the record changes.

Change the mail DNS records

Change only these records:

• MX: replace the old host's mail servers with the new provider's servers and priorities.
• SPF: edit the TXT record at the root so it includes the new provider, for example v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all. Remove the old host's include.
• DKIM: add the TXT or CNAME record the new provider gives you.
• DMARC: add a TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com, starting with v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain.com.

Leave A, AAAA, and CNAME records alone unless the website is also moving.

Watch both mailboxes for a few days

Keep the old mailbox open until the old account closes. Some sending servers cache the old MX and deliver there for a day or two. Drag any stragglers across, then send a test message from an outside address and confirm it arrives at the new provider.

If DNS is at the registrar. Nameservers and records are separate things. The zone can stay at the registrar when hosting changes; only the record values need to change.

If the domain only forwarded mail. There is nothing to copy. Recreate the MX records and forwarding rules at the new provider or registrar, then delete the old ones.