Migrating Email from Another Provider to Exact Hosting

When you move a domain's email to Exact Hosting, your existing messages do not come across automatically. This guide explains how to bring your old mail into your new Exact Hosting mailbox and the order to do things so you do not lose any messages during the switch.

About email migration

Migrating email means copying the messages (and ideally the folder structure) from your old mailbox into your Exact Hosting mailbox. There are two common approaches:

• Self-serve import. You connect your old account to Exact Hosting Webmail and pull your messages in. Best for a single mailbox of modest size.
• Support-assisted migration. For large mailboxes, many accounts at once, or a full domain cutover, Exact Hosting Support can help coordinate the move.

Tip: Whichever method you use, keep your old mailbox active until you have confirmed every message arrived. Do not cancel the old service on day one.

Before you begin

• Your Exact Hosting mailbox, already created. Set up the destination mailbox first. For cPanel email, see Adding a New Email Account in cPanel.
• Your old mailbox's IMAP settings. You need the old provider's incoming server, port, username, and password. Get these from your previous provider.
• Your old account still active. Migration copies from a live source mailbox, so keep the old account running until the move is verified.

Recommended migration order

Follow this order to avoid losing mail that arrives mid-migration.

1. Create your Exact Hosting mailbox and confirm you can sign in to it.
2. Import your existing messages using one of the methods below — before you change DNS.
3. Update your MX and SPF records to point new mail at Exact Hosting. See Configuring Email DNS Records and Mail Client Settings.
4. Wait for DNS to propagate (up to 48 hours), watching both old and new mailboxes during the overlap.
5. Confirm new mail is arriving at Exact Hosting, then retire the old service.

Method 1: Self-serve import through Webmail (Enhanced Email)

Exact Hosting Webmail can pull mail from another account using the Other accounts feature.

1. Sign in to Exact Hosting Webmail.
2. Open Settings, then select Other accounts.
3. Click Add.
4. Enter the email address, username, password, server address, server port, and SSL setting from your old provider.
5. Select Leave a copy of the message on the server so your old mailbox stays intact as a backup.
6. From the Default folder drop-down, choose where retrieved messages should be saved.
7. Select Import old messages to bring in your existing mail. (If you leave this unchecked, only new, unread mail is imported.)
8. Select Test connection on save, then click Submit.

For more detail on the Other accounts feature, see Using the Webmail Settings Menu at Exact Hosting.

Note: Large mailboxes can take time to import, and very large mailboxes may be better handled as a support-assisted migration.

Method 2: Import using a desktop mail client (both products)

If you prefer, you can use a desktop client like Thunderbird or Outlook to move mail between accounts:

1. Add both your old account and your new Exact Hosting account to the same mail client over IMAP. Use the Email Server Settings Reference for the Exact Hosting side.
2. Wait for both inboxes to finish downloading.
3. Drag or copy the folders and messages from the old account into the matching folders under your Exact Hosting account.
4. Wait for the copy to finish syncing to the server before removing the old account.

Warning: Do not delete messages from the source account until you have confirmed they appear in your Exact Hosting mailbox in Webmail, not just in the desktop client.

Method 3: Support-assisted migration

For a full domain cutover, many mailboxes, or very large accounts, contact Exact Hosting Support to discuss a coordinated migration.

Next steps

• Point your domain at Exact Hosting. Complete the DNS step in Configuring Email DNS Records and Mail Client Settings.
• Set up your devices. Once mail is flowing, configure your iPhone & iPad, Outlook, or other clients.
• Protect deliverability. Add SPF and DKIM records so your migrated mail lands in inboxes.

Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.