Move email from another provider to cPanel (IMAP migration)

Moving email to MdmHost has two parts: copying the old messages, and switching the domain's MX records so new mail arrives in cPanel. Done in the right order, nobody misses a message. If you are moving a whole cPanel account from another cPanel host, our team can usually transfer it for you including email; just open a ticket.

Before you start

• A list of the mailboxes to move and their passwords on the old provider.
• IMAP access enabled on the old provider (Gmail and Outlook.com need IMAP turned on, and may need an app password).
• Thunderbird installed on a computer (free; it can connect to both servers at once).

Create the mailboxes in cPanel

1. Open cPanel → Email → Email Accounts → + Create.
2. Create each address with the same name it had before. Set a quota large enough for the old mail.
3. See create email accounts for details.

Your domain still delivers to the old provider at this point; the new mailboxes are empty.

Lower the MX TTL

A day before the switch, lower the TTL of the MX record at your current DNS provider to 300 seconds, so the change takes effect quickly later.

Copy messages with Thunderbird

1. In Thunderbird add the old mailbox as an IMAP account (old provider's settings).
2. Add the new mailbox as an IMAP account. Because DNS still points elsewhere, use the MdmHost server hostname from Connect Devices as server, port 993 SSL/TLS for incoming and 465 SSL/TLS for outgoing. See email settings.
3. Let the old account download fully. Right-click each folder → Properties → Synchronization or use File → Offline → Download/Sync Now so large folders are complete.
4. Select all messages in an old folder (Ctrl+A), right-click → Copy To → the matching folder in the new account. Repeat for Inbox, Sent and important folders. For subfolders, you can drag a whole folder onto the new account's Inbox.
5. Check the message counts match.

Switch the MX records

• Moving the domain's DNS to MdmHost: change the nameservers at the registrar to the MdmHost nameservers. cPanel already has the right MX, SPF and DKIM records.
• Keeping DNS elsewhere: set MX to mail.example.com (priority 0), with an A record for mail pointing to your account's shared IP, and copy the SPF and DKIM records from cPanel → Email Deliverability.

Make sure cPanel → Email → Email Routing is set to Local Mail Exchanger. More in MX records and email routing.

Final sync and reconnecting devices

1. For one or two days, check the old mailbox for late messages and copy them across again.
2. Update phones and computers to the new server settings, or remove and re-add the accounts.
3. Cancel the old email service only after you have confirmed everything arrived.

Troubleshooting

• Copy stops with "quota exceeded": raise the mailbox quota in cPanel.
• Gmail labels duplicated: Gmail shows one message in several labels; copy only real folders and "All Mail" if needed.
• New mail still arrives at old provider: DNS caches; wait for the old TTL to expire.

Next steps

• Import contacts into webmail
• Check SPF and DKIM
• Reconnect your iPhone