Moving in from another host

Any host that speaks IMAP can be moved from, and the procedure is the same for all of them. The order matters: the archive is copied before the MX record changes, and copied once more afterwards, so that nothing delivered during propagation is left behind.

Before you begin

• A list of every address at the old host, and whether each is a mailbox or an alias. An alias can stay an alias here from the Plus plan (receive-only, into one of your mailboxes); on Free it becomes a mailbox.
• Each mailbox's password at the old host, for the copy.
• Access to the domain's DNS: the registrar or DNS provider, not the old mail host's panel.
• The old host's IMAP server name. Common ones: Rackspace secure.emailsrvr.com, Google Workspace imap.gmail.com (with an app password), Microsoft 365 outlook.office365.com, Fastmail imap.fastmail.com (with an app password). All on port 993.

The cutover, in order

1. Add the domain and publish only the ownership record. The TXT record at _foundermail proves the domain is yours and changes nothing about where mail goes. Wait for the domain page to show ownership as proved.
2. Create the mailboxes with the same local parts as at the old host. Note each password; the copy in step 4 needs it.
3. Enable sending and publish its records. From the domain's Sending tab: three DKIM CNAME records and the bounce subdomain's MX and TXT. Add include:foundermail.mx to your existing SPF record alongside the old host's include, so both can send during the overlap. None of this affects receiving.
4. Copy the archive (see the two methods below). Do it mailbox by mailbox.
5. Change the MX record to 10 smtp.foundermail.mx and remove the old host's MX records. The domain page re-checks every ten seconds and shows receiving as verified once the change is visible.
6. Point mail clients at FounderMail, using the settings on each mailbox page (the client settings).
7. Copy once more, a day later. Any message the old host received while DNS propagated is picked up. The copy is incremental: messages already here are skipped.
8. Request outbound access if you write first to people who have not written to you (invoices, onboarding). See Sending and outbound access.
9. Cancel the old host after a week of normal mail, then remove its SPF include.

Copying with a mail client

Suited to one to three mailboxes.

1. In Thunderbird or Apple Mail, add the old mailbox as an IMAP account, then add the new one (imap.foundermail.mx, port 993, SSL/TLS, the full address as username).
2. Wait for the old account to finish syncing headers.
3. Select all messages in a folder at the old account and drag them to the matching folder at the new one. Repeat per folder. Sent, Drafts, Junk and Trash are the same folders on both sides because FounderMail marks them with their IMAP role.
4. Leave the client open until the upload completes; a large archive can take hours.

Copying with imapsync

Suited to many mailboxes or large archives, and to repeating the copy a day later. Run once per mailbox:

imapsync \
  --host1 secure.emailsrvr.com --ssl1 --user1 hello@yourdomain.com --password1 'old-password' \
  --host2 imap.foundermail.mx   --ssl2 --user2 hello@yourdomain.com --password2 'new-password' \
  --automap

• --automap maps Sent, Drafts, Junk and Trash by their IMAP role even when the old host names them differently.
• Add --dry first to see what would be copied without copying it.
• Add --folder "Some label" to copy only one folder, for example one Gmail label.
• Re-running the same command later copies only what is new.

Read state and folder structure are preserved. Message dates are the original dates, so the inbox shows the archive in the right order. Storage counts toward your workspace's pooled allowance: 1 GB on Free, 15 GB on Plus, 50 GB on Pro, 250 GB on Scale.

Checks afterwards

• The domain page shows ownership proved, receiving verified, and sending verified.
• A message from an external account arrives in the Inbox within a minute.
• A reply from the dashboard arrives at the external account and passes SPF and DKIM (most providers show this under "show original" or "view headers").
• dig +short MX yourdomain.com returns only 10 smtp.foundermail.mx.

Host-specific guides

• Leaving Rackspace, with a price comparison.
• Leaving Gmail and a forwarder before "Send mail as" ends in January 2027.