How to use the email migration tool

To migrate your emails and mailboxes to WebHostsOnline, you can use our in-house Email Migrations tool. This will let you migrate your IMAP mailboxes, your Gmail mailboxes and your Outlook mailboxes in to WebHostsOnline.

Note: You’ll need to have set up the mailboxes within WebHostsOnline first using the same password as currently used by the mailbox. Here’s how to set up a mailbox.

• Head to MyWebHostsOnline > Manage Hosting > Options / Manage > Email Migration

• Enter the relevant credentials and then select Sync.
• Hostname – This will be the hostname of the mail server that you are synchronising your emails from. If you are not sure what this is then it may be worth asking your previous hosting provider what this is. 
• Username – This will be the mailbox that you are synchronising. 
• Password – This will be the password of the mailbox at your previous host and of the newly created mailbox at WebHostsOnline. Please note: you will need to have set up the mailboxes within WebHostsOnline first using the same password as currently used by the mailbox. 

Once the sync has completed, your emails will have migrated over to WebHostsOnline’s email hosting.

My email migration has failed, what should I do?

If the sync fails to start, this is likely due to the credentials not being correct. You should confirm that the password you have used is correct and that the hostname is also correct – try logging into the previous hosts webmail to confirm the details are correct. 

Can I use the email migration tool more than once for the same mailbox?

Yes, you can use it as many times as you want. You may want to do this if you have recently switched MX records so mail now routes to WebHostsOnline, to get the latest copy of the mail from the previous mail server you can simply redo a mailbox migration. This will then only migrate emails that are new, so you will not have any duplicate emails. 

Does the email migration tool move or copy emails across?

The email migration tool copies the emails and folders across to WebHostsOnline, so no emails are “removed” from your old mail server/mailboxes. 

Can I only perform one mailbox migration at a time?

Yes, you can only perform one mailbox migration at a time per package.

Where can I find my hostname?

Your previous host will be able to tell you your hostname. It is worth trying mail.yourDomain.com as that is a common hostname that is used. 

Should I keep or change the DNS prior to an email migration?

It is strongly recommended that you change the DNS to WebHostsOnline after the email migration has completed. This will ensure any future emails will be received to the correct mailbox. 

Remember, if you’re unsure about something, don’t hesitate to contact the WebHostsOnline support team by signing into your account . We’re here to help!