Import many mailboxes
For Owners and User Administrators moving a team - start an import for every mailbox at once from one CSV file, follow them on one page and download a report.
Moving a whole team? Owners and User Administrators can start an import for many mailboxes at once from one CSV file: one row per mailbox, up to 10 rows. Each row becomes its own import, the same as one started by hand.
Before you start
- Add the mailboxes first. Every mailbox in the file must already exist in your account (see Mailboxes).
- Collect an app password for each old mailbox. Each person makes one at the old provider (the provider guides show how) and gives it to you, or an administrator of the old service makes them.
- Check who you can import into. User Administrators can import into Members' mailboxes and shared mailboxes. Only an Owner can import into an Owner's or administrator's mailbox.
Fill in the file
- In the console, open Import mail and choose Import many mailboxes (CSV).
- Choose Download template. It has the column names and one example row: replace the example with your own rows.
- Fill in one row per mailbox:
| Column | Needed | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
mailbox | Required | The address of the mailbox here that the mail goes into. It must already exist in your account. |
source_host | Required | The old provider's IMAP server. |
source_port | Optional | 993 (TLS) or 143 (STARTTLS). Empty means 993. |
source_username | Required | The user name for the old mailbox, usually its full email address. |
source_password | Required | An app password made at the old provider for this import. |
exclude_junk_trash | Optional | Leave out Junk and Deleted items: yes or no. Empty means yes. |
sync | Optional | Keep copying new mail until you stop it: yes or no. Empty means no. |
For the yes-or-no columns you can write yes, no, true, false, 1, 0, or leave them empty. Save the file as
CSV in UTF-8. It can be up to 256 KB.
The file holds passwords
Keep it somewhere only you can open, and delete it once the imports have started. We read it once, keep each password encrypted with its own import, and never keep the file.
Upload it
- Choose the file, then Upload and start.
- Confirm it's you with your console password if the console asks.
- Every good row starts an import straight away. Each mailbox's person gets an email saying an import into their mailbox started.
Rows with a problem don't start. The console lists them by line number with the reason, without repeating what was in them. Fix those rows and upload a file with only them. The reasons are:
- No mailbox with that address in this account.
- That mailbox is on an earlier row too.
- Only Owners can import into an Owner's or admin's mailbox.
- The mailbox is suspended, being deleted, not ready or waiting for its first password change.
- The mailbox already has an import in progress.
- The host isn't an IMAP server reachable from the internet.
- The port must be 993 or 143.
- The user name is missing or too long.
- The app password is missing or too long.
- exclude_junk_trash and sync must be yes, no, true, false, 1, 0 or empty.
Follow the batch
The batch page shows every mailbox with its status and progress, the same as on the Import mail page. Open one to pause, resume or cancel it, or to type a new app password when it says Needs you.
Download report gives you a CSV file with a row per mailbox: mailbox, status, messages, duplicates,
too_large, failed and error. It has counts and short status codes only, never passwords or anything about the
mail.
Up to 2 imports run at the same time in one account. The others wait their turn and start by themselves.
Import from any IMAP server
Copy mail from any provider or server that offers IMAP with an encrypted connection, with the settings to ask for and what to do when it refuses.
Switch a domain without losing mail
Move your own domain's mail to AnhourMail step by step - copy the old mailbox, keep new mail coming while DNS changes, point MX here, then stop syncing.