Migrate my email to Microsoft 365
Congrats, you've decided to migrate your email service to Microsoft 365! Here is an overview of what to expect during the process of migrating from another service provider, like Google or Yahoo.
Prepare for the migration
Here are a few things to consider before submitting a migration request:
- Which mailboxes are migrating to Microsoft 365?
- Is your current email service still active?
- Do all users have their username and passwords for the mailboxes that you are migrating from?
- Are your DNS and nameservers handled at GoDaddy, or a third-party company? And can you access them?
Step 1: Set up the mailboxes
Before starting the migration, you must set up the mailboxes you want to use on Microsoft 365. Set up Microsoft 365 accounts for the users that you intend to migrate, as well as any brand-new mailboxes.
Complete these steps to ensure your mailboxes are ready for migration:
- Decide what type of email plans and how many user accounts you’ll need. Be sure to compare the new email plans to the current storage of the accounts that you’ll be migrating.
- Create mailboxes for each user.
- If your DNS or nameservers are in your GoDaddy account, your domain will be verified automatically. Do not switch the MX records until you are ready to receive mail in your new mailboxes.
- If your DNS or nameservers are managed externally or in another GoDaddy account, you’ll need to add a TXT record to verify domain ownership. You’ll receive email notifications throughout the migration process.
- Send your users their new sign-in information to ensure they can access their new mailbox.
- They can sign in to their new account any time after their passwords are created, but their email data will not appear until you have updated the DNS records or started the migration process. Please encourage all users to access their webmail at some point before the migration completion.
If you need help setting up your new accounts or any of the email add-ons (Advanced Email Security, Email Archiving or Email Backup), contact a GoDaddy Guide.
Step 2: Request the migration
After your new Microsoft 365 accounts are set up, you’re ready to submit your migration. Our migration experts will tell you everything you need to know about the process, and they’ll keep an eye on the migration until it’s done. You’ll receive email notifications for updates, required actions and when the migration is complete.
- Third-party IMAP migrations: Email and folders
- Third-party Exchange migrations: Email, folders, contacts and calendars
When you call, you’ll need to provide:
- Your domain name(s) and where they are hosted/managed
- A list of usernames that should be migrated
- A date and time that you would like the migration to be completed. This can be as soon as 24 hours from the time that you submit the migration request.
When you are ready to migrate your email, reach out to one of our migration specialists at (480) 463-8719.
Step 3: Submit your current passwords
To move your email data from your existing email service to Microsoft 365, each of your users will receive an email from SkyKick, our migration partner (noreply@skykick.com), asking for your current email address and password. When you enter your password, the Skykick Outlook Assistant will download automatically.
The Skykick Outlook Assistant moves local data from your Outlook for Windows (2016 or newer) to a new profile. We’ll explain more about the Skykick Outlook Assistant in the next section.
If you have trouble submitting your password, reset it with your current provider and try again (close and re-open the link from Skykick). If you continue to have issues, please contact our migration experts.
Step 4: Set up the Skykick Outlook Assistant
To make the migration process smoother and allow us to move even more of your data and settings, we recommend that you and your email users download and install the Skykick Outlook Assistant before your scheduled migration date.
If the qualified users download and install the program before your migration date, the Skykick Outlook Assistant will do the following:
- Automatically create a new profile in Outlook using the new Microsoft 365 email address.
- Migrate local .PST content from the old email into the new profile. This may include:
- POP email data
- Contacts, calendars and tasks
- Signatures
- Autocomplete cache (for example, contacts that aren’t saved in your address book)
If you or any of your users cannot use the Skykick Outlook Assistant, you must manually set up your email client and import your local data.
Step 5: Update your DNS on your migration date
On your migration date, you'll be ready to start using Microsoft 365. If your DNS is managed in the GoDaddy account where the migration is taking place, no action is needed by you. Otherwise, you will receive an email prompting you to make these changes manually.
- If your DNS or nameservers are managed externally or in another GoDaddy account, you’ll need to manually update your DNS records. You can also find the DNS settings in the Set mail destination section of your Email & Office Dashboard.
- If your DNS or nameservers are in your GoDaddy account, we will update these records for you automatically.
If you have downloaded the Skykick Outlook Assistant, you must update your DNS before the assistant can finish setting up your Outlook client.
Step 6: Start using your new email
When you switch to Microsoft 365, most of your email data will be available immediately, but some recent email may not appear right away. We’ll transfer any remaining emails from your old server to Microsoft 365 within 48 to 72 hours of your migration. You can start using your new email, but during this time we’ll check for any missed data.
You’ll receive an email notification once the migration is complete. Now you are ready to use your new email. Start by going through the Microsoft 365 training, learn the difference between forwarding, aliases and distribution groups, and discover essential articles for getting to know your Microsoft 365 email.
Congrats on your big move to Microsoft 365! You can now enjoy your upgraded email experience!
Next steps
- Switch your account settings from POP or IMAP to Microsoft Exchange after moving from another email platform.
- Get the most out of Microsoft 365 and all its features.