How To Migrate An IMAP Email Account - Moving IMAP Email Servers
Migrating IMAP email from one server to another
When you move to a new Email provider, existing mail is not typically migrated over into the new mailbox. Email Migration is the process of migrating an email message (or messages) from one mail client into another mail client. An equivalent term is Mailbox Migration, in which case records such as e-mails, appointments, contacts, or tasks may also be migrated. Usually, email clients don't support similar file formats for saving mailbox data, so you will need to use IMAP to migrate mail from server to server. Bluehost servers support IMAP. The other server/host you are pulling emails from, or taking emails to, also needs to support it.
You will Need:
- The password for the email account you are want to migrate.
- An IMAP-capable local email client. Most email clients like Thunderbird, Outlook, and Apple Mail will support IMAP email accounts.
Instructions:
- The same email account needs to be at both locations. So on the new server, you need to create the same email address with the same spelling and capitalization.
- The new email address needs to have the same password. (After you are done migrating, it is advisable to change your password).
- Now comes the interesting part. Because you will be referencing two servers, you need to create two email accounts in your email client(This is Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.)
- They will use the same email address.
- They will use the same password.
- They will be configured the same(using IMAP)
- The incoming server (IMAP server) is where things will get different. For your older server, put in the IP address for it. For the new server, put in the domain name. (This will help differentiate between the two and avoid confusion). If you are stuck with having the same domain name for both locations, then please use the IP address instead.
Make certain they both connect. Then you can drag and drop messages between the accounts. Please give it time to move them over. If you have thousands of emails and/or large files or attachments, it will take some time.
For further assistance, you may contact our Support Desk or you may also refer to our Knowledge Base articles to help answer common questions and guide you through various setup, configuration, and troubleshooting steps.