How to switch business email providers without losing your emails

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for anyone planning to change email provider, including businesses that want to:

• Move from Gmail, Outlook.com or Yahoo Mail to a professional custom email address.
• Change email hosting provider while keeping the same domain name.
• Move away from bundled website hosting email.
• Reduce email costs without losing existing emails.
• Upgrade to a more reliable business email service.

At a glance: how to move your business email

1. Back up your emails, contacts and calendars.
2. Create your new email account.
3. Update your MX records and, if required, your SPF and DKIM records.
4. Import your emails into your new account.
5. Test sending and receiving.
6. Keep your old account active until everything is working correctly.

Why move your business email?

Businesses switch email providers for many reasons, from reducing costs to improving reliability and customer support.

Your current provider may have become too expensive, support may no longer meet expectations, or you may be paying for features you'll never use. You might simply want a more reliable email hosting service that's easier to manage.

• Lower monthly costs
• Better customer support
• More reliable email delivery
• Improved spam and security protection
• Easier account management
• Moving away from bundled website hosting
• Access to a professional custom email address using your own domain

Whatever the reason, changing email provider doesn't mean starting again.

Can you keep your existing email address?

If you're switching email hosting provider while keeping the same domain name, yes, you can keep exactly the same email address. If you're unsure how domains work, see what an email domain is and how it works.

If your website and email are hosted by different companies, changing email provider won't affect your website. Even if they're currently with the same provider, you can usually move your email without moving your website.

There are two common email migration scenarios.

1. Moving provider but keeping the same email address

Before
hello@yourbusiness.com

After
hello@yourbusiness.com

Your email address stays exactly the same. Only the company hosting your email changes.

2. Moving to a new professional email address

Before
yourbusiness@gmail.com

After
hello@yourbusiness.com

Although your email address changes, you can usually move your existing emails, contacts and calendars across. If you're choosing a new address, here are some professional email address ideas to help you pick something clear and memorable.

Business email migration comparison

Will you lose your emails?

Professional email migrations are carried out every day by businesses of every size. Modern email systems are designed to support migration, and provided that you follow the correct order of steps, you won't lose data.

Before making any changes, back up the information you want to keep:

• Emails
• Contacts
• Calendars

Once your new account is ready, your data can be imported so everything remains available.

How long does it take?

Most business email migrations are completed within a few hours. Smaller mailboxes often take less than an hour, while larger mailboxes containing many years of email can take longer to upload.

DNS changes usually complete within a few hours, although global propagation can sometimes take up to 24 hours.

What you'll need before you start

• Access to your existing email account
• Access to your domain registrar or DNS settings (if keeping the same email address)
• Login details for your new email provider
• A backup of your emails, contacts and calendars
• Enough storage space if you're exporting a large mailbox

You don't have to have a website to set up a professional email: read more on how to get a business email without a website.

How to move your business email

1. Back up your existing data

Export your emails, contacts and calendars if required. This gives you a complete copy and peace of mind throughout the migration process.

2. Set up your new email account

Create your new mailbox with your chosen email provider before making any changes to your existing account.

If you're keeping the same domain name, recreate the same email addresses you already use. If you're moving to a new domain, create your new professional email addresses first.

Most modern email providers use IMAP, making it easy to synchronise your mailbox across multiple devices and simplifying the migration process.

3. Update your domain settings

If you're keeping your domain, you'll need to update your MX records, and in most cases your SPF and DKIM settings too. Or choose a provider that handles all of this for you automatically.

For a simple breakdown of how these records work, see SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained.

4. Move your emails

Your existing emails can be transferred using an email application or by importing your exported mailbox files. Most business email providers support IMAP, allowing your messages, folders and sent items to be copied across without moving them one by one.

5. Import your contacts and calendars

Contacts and calendars can normally be imported using standard export files.

6. Check everything works

• You can send emails
• You can receive emails
• Your folders are complete
• Your contacts have imported
• Your calendars are showing correctly

Troubleshooting common issues

• MX records still pointing to your old provider
  Update your MX records so new mail is delivered to your new email provider. DNS changes usually take effect within a few hours.
• SPF records containing outdated settings
  Remove any old SPF entries and add the correct one for your new provider. Make sure your domain publishes only one SPF record.
• DNS propagation still in progress
  Recent DNS changes may not yet have reached every network. Most updates complete within a few hours, but some can take up to 24 hours.
• Email apps still using old IMAP or POP settings
  Update your incoming and outgoing server details on each device. Remove any duplicate accounts to avoid conflicts.
• Duplicate accounts configured on devices
  If both old and new accounts are installed, your device may send or receive through the wrong account. Remove the old account once migration is complete.
• Missing mail during the changeover
  Keep your old mailbox active until you've confirmed that new emails are arriving at your new provider. Checking both accounts during the transition helps ensure no messages are missed.

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep my business email address?

Yes. If you're keeping the same domain name, you can keep exactly the same email address.

Can I keep my domain name when changing email provider?

Yes. Your domain name remains the same while your email hosting moves to a different provider.

Can I change email provider without losing my old emails?

Yes. As long as you migrate or back up your mailbox first.

Can I move from Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Outlook or Yahoo Mail?

Yes. Most providers support migration from all major services. If you're comparing options, here's a Google Workspace alternative guide that explains the differences.

Do I need to tell my customers I've changed email provider?

Not if you're keeping the same domain name and email address. Your customers can continue emailing you as normal, and they won't notice that you've changed email hosting provider.

Can I move my business email without changing my website?

Yes. Email hosting and website hosting are separate services.

Can I move multiple mailboxes?

Yes. Many businesses migrate several mailboxes at once.

Will there be any downtime?

Usually very little.

If your migration is planned properly, any disruption should be minimal. When you update your MX records, new emails will begin arriving at your new email provider as soon as the DNS changes take effect.

To minimise the risk of missing messages, keep your old email account active until you've confirmed that your new account is sending and receiving emails correctly.

Ready to switch?

With a little preparation, switching business email providers is usually straightforward. Whether you're keeping your existing email address or moving to a new professional custom email address, a well-planned migration will protect your emails, contacts and calendars while keeping disruption to a minimum.

Whether you're moving from Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, Zoho Mail or another email hosting provider, switching doesn't have to be difficult. With a little planning you can keep your emails, protect your contacts and continue communicating without interruption.

A professional email address helps build trust, strengthens your brand and gives customers greater confidence in your business.