After you purchase Alibaba Mail, your email administrator can use the management platform to migrate emails from your previous system to Alibaba Mail. The process involves three main steps: enabling the master migration switch, configuring the migration parameters, and selecting a migration plan.
An email migration is a complex project that impacts your entire organization and requires careful planning. You must create a detailed plan and involve your IT personnel as key stakeholders.
Do not proceed with the final switchover until you have addressed all potential issues.
We recommend reviewing the following documentation before you begin.
FAQ
Migrating emails to Alibaba Mail
Refer to the documentation linked above. Instruct users to perform basic configuration on their original mailboxes. As the administrator, you can then create accounts in Alibaba Mail, enable the master migration switch, configure the migration parameters, and select a migration plan. The migration uses protocols such as IMAP. After the email migration is complete, switch your domain name resolution to Alibaba Mail.
Switching domain resolution before migration
Typically, you should switch your domain name resolution only after the email migration is complete.
When you switch, you must point your domain's email DNS records to Alibaba Mail and away from your old system. After the switch, your old email system will no longer receive new emails.
In special cases, you can switch domain name resolution first and then migrate the mailboxes gradually. However, you must ensure the IMAP service on your source system remains active, as migration is impossible if the original service expires. In this scenario, users cannot access their historical emails until the migration for their account is complete.
Transferring emails between Alibaba Mail accounts
Administrators can use the account recycle bin feature to transfer emails between intra-domain accounts. This method is faster and more convenient than using the email migration feature.
Account recycle bin: Alibaba Mail automatically retains deleted email accounts for 30 days. During this period, you can transfer the emails to another account or restore the original account. For instructions, see: How to transfer emails from a deleted account?
Migrating from the free edition to a paid edition
You upgrade the Alibaba Mail free edition to a paid edition. No email migration is required.
Migration status stuck at "in progress"
Because the email migration process continuously syncs incremental emails, the status remains "in progress".