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Transfer Emails Between Servers with Thunderbird

Add the old and the new mailbox as IMAP accounts in Thunderbird and copy the messages from one to the other.

Email3 min read7 steps2 screenshots

Before you start

  1. Create the new email account on the new server (for example in cPanel).
  2. Install Thunderbird on your computer.
  3. Make sure you know the login details of the old and the new mailbox.

Add both accounts as IMAP

Set up the old mailbox and the new mailbox in Thunderbird as IMAP accounts. IMAP keeps the mail on the server, so Thunderbird can see the folders of both.

Use the mail server host names for the incoming and outgoing servers. For many hosts these are mail.example.com, but if the domain still points to the old server, use the new server's host name or IP address for the new account so that you reach the right server.

  1. In Thunderbird open Account Settings > Account Actions > Add Mail Account.
  2. Enter the name, the email address and the password.
  3. Click Configure manually, choose IMAP, and enter the server names and ports (993 with SSL/TLS for IMAP, 465 or 587 for SMTP).
  4. Repeat for the second account.
    Both mail accounts in Thunderbird

Transfer the emails

In this example we move the messages of old@example.com to new@example.com.

Step 1: Select the messages

Open the Inbox of the old account. Click Edit > Select All (or press Ctrl+A) to highlight all the messages.

Step 2: Copy or move them

Right-click the selection and choose Copy to (keeps the originals) or Move to, and then pick the account and the folder, such as the Inbox of the new account.

You can also drag the messages onto the folder.

Step 3: Wait for the transfer

A progress message shows at the bottom of the window. A large mailbox can take from a few minutes to hours.

Step 4: Check the result

Open the Inbox of the new account. The messages should be there. Compare the number of messages in both accounts. You can also log in to webmail on the new server to check them.

The emails copied to the new account

Repeat for other folders (Sent, Drafts, Archive).

Tips

  • Use Copy at first. Delete the old messages only after you checked the new mailbox.
  • Transfer a few folders at a time for big mailboxes.
  • Make sure the new mailbox has enough disk space (quota).
  • Another way to move a whole mailbox is the imapsync tool, which copies everything from one IMAP server to another.

Quick recap

  • Add both mailboxes as IMAP, select the messages, copy them to the new account and check.