Migrating your business email

Your business email is critical. Unlike a website that can be down for a few hours, disruption to your email has immediate business consequences: missed client messages, failed invoices, or staff unable to communicate.

Email migrations require careful planning, the right order of operations, and testing before any changes go live.

What you'll need

Handled mainly by us

Common reasons for email migration

Moving from web hosting email (cPanel) to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365
Switching from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 (or vice versa)
Moving from one Google Workspace account to another (e.g. after a rebrand or domain change)
Consolidating multiple email systems after a business merger

What transfers in an email migration

What	Notes
Email messages	Transferred to the new mailbox via IMAP sync or migration tool
Sent items	Usually transfers with messages
Folders / labels	Transfers, though folder structure may need tidying
Contacts	On a move between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, in either direction, the vendors' own tools copy contacts across with the messages. On other moves, including Workspace to Workspace, they're exported and imported separately
Calendar events	Same as contacts: those two tools include calendar data, and on other moves it's handled separately
Email address itself	The address (e.g. you@yourbusiness.com) stays the same

What doesn't transfer automatically

Email filters, rules, and auto-replies are specific to each email platform and usually have to be recreated in the new one. Whether shared mailboxes and distribution groups come across depends on the route (a Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant move can carry shared mailboxes over, most other routes can't), so they often have to be set up fresh. Don't assume any of this carries over: check after migration and rebuild as needed.

The migration process, step by step

PrepareAudit your setup, back up all email, set up the new accounts
MigrateCopy the messages and update your email apps
Cut overSwitch MX, update SPF, DKIM and DMARC, run a final sync
ConfirmYou test sending and receiving, then we wrap up

Stage 1 of 4: Prepare

We audit your current email setup. We identify all email addresses, aliases, shared mailboxes, distribution lists, and how your email is currently configured. Nothing gets missed.

We back up your email. Before making any changes, we export your mailbox contents. On Google Workspace that's Google Takeout for a single person's own data, or the admin Data Export tool for the whole organization. For other providers, we use an IMAP backup tool. This is your insurance policy.

We set up the new email accounts. New mailboxes are created on the new platform and fully configured, including any aliases, shared mailboxes, and distribution groups.

Stage 2 of 4: Migrate

We migrate the message data. Using a migration tool or IMAP-to-IMAP sync, we copy all existing emails from the old mailboxes to the new ones. This can take hours for large mailboxes. It runs in the background.

We update your email app settings. We provide the new server settings for you to update in Outlook, Apple Mail, or any other email client your team uses. Or we reconfigure it for you.

Stage 3 of 4: Cut over

We switch the MX records. The MX record (Mail Exchange record) is a DNS setting that tells the internet where to deliver email for your domain. Switching the MX record to the new provider is the moment new emails start flowing to the new platform. See email DNS records for more.

We update SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. These DNS records tell other mail servers that your new platform is authorized to send email on your behalf. Getting these right prevents your outgoing emails from landing in spam.

We run a final sync. Any emails that arrived during the migration process are synced to the new mailbox so nothing is missed.

Stage 4 of 4: Confirm

You confirm and we wrap up. You test that email is sending and receiving correctly on the new platform. Once confirmed, we give you the all-clear.

Before we start: what you need to do

There are a few things only you can do before we begin:

Give us admin access to your current email platform. Invite support@chykalophia.com as an administrator, unless your project lead has given you a different address.
Warn your team. During the migration window, email delivery continues, but instruct team members not to delete messages, change passwords, or make significant account changes until we give the all-clear.
Identify all email addresses. Tell us about every address that needs to be migrated, including ones that may belong to staff who have left, as well as shared mailboxes and aliases.

Platform-specific notes

cPanel email (sometimes called "web hosting email") is the basic email that comes bundled with shared hosting plans. It works, but in our experience it falls behind on features, on mobile sync, and on getting your mail into inboxes rather than spam folders.

Moving to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 from cPanel is one of the most impactful email improvements a business can make.

The main challenge: cPanel doesn't come with a purpose-built migration tool. We use IMAP migration instead: IMAP is the standard protocol mail apps use to read a mailbox, and both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 can pull a mailbox in over it. This works well but can be slow for large mailboxes.

During the migration: what to expect

Email migration has a window where messages can land in either the old or new mailbox, depending on timing.

Before MX record switch: All new email lands in the old mailbox as normal.
After MX record switch: New email lands in the new mailbox. Other mail servers keep their cached copy of your MX record until its TTL runs out, so the switch takes effect at slightly different times for different senders. We lower the TTL beforehand to keep that window short.
After final sync: Any messages that arrived at the old mailbox during the transition are copied to the new one.

For a short window both mailboxes receive mail. The final sync copies anything that reached the old one, so nothing is lost.

Read this as text

Before the MX switch: all new email lands in the old mailbox as normal, while existing messages are copied into the new one.

After the MX switch: new email lands in the new mailbox. Other mail servers keep their cached copy of your MX record until its TTL runs out, so for a short time some senders still deliver to the old mailbox. We lower the TTL beforehand to keep that window short.

After the final sync: any messages that arrived at the old mailbox during the transition are copied to the new one, and all new email goes to the new mailbox.

The result: no messages are lost, and the disruption window is very short.

Common questions

Will my email address change?

No. Your email address (e.g. yourname@yourbusiness.com) stays exactly the same. Only the system that receives and stores your email changes, not the address itself.

Will emails sent to me during the migration be lost?

No, if the migration is sequenced correctly. We keep the old mailbox active and receiving until the migration and sync are complete, then do a final sweep. Nothing is lost.

How long does email migration take?

Changing the MX record itself takes a moment. How quickly every sender picks it up depends on the record's TTL, which we lower in advance. The message migration, copying all existing email, depends on mailbox size: a typical business mailbox with a few years of email takes a few hours, and very large archives can take longer.

What about my email on my phone and laptop?

After migration, your email app on your phone and computer needs to be updated to point to the new provider's servers. We'll provide the exact settings for your new platform and can walk you through the update. Apps where you sign in with your Google or Microsoft account usually find the right servers themselves; any app set up by typing in server names by hand has to be updated.

What if I'm also migrating my website at the same time?

Email migrations and website hosting migrations involve many of the same DNS records. We can combine them, but it needs careful coordination. The MX record (email) and the A/CNAME record (website) are separate DNS records. They can be updated independently. Tell your project lead if both are happening so we can sequence them correctly.

When to call a pro

Getting the order of the DNS changes wrong can bounce or lose incoming email during the move, and old messages, calendars and contacts don't always come across on their own.

If any of that sounds risky for your business, book a free call and we'll tell you whether you need help. Clients can email support@chykalophia.com.