One of the most common reasons small businesses put off switching to a professional email address is the fear of losing their existing emails. Years of customer conversations, invoices, and important threads — the thought of starting from scratch is enough to keep most people on Gmail indefinitely.
The good news: you don't have to lose any of it. Email migration moves your existing messages, folders, and contacts across to your new address.
What is email migration?
Email migration is the process of transferring your existing emails from your old account (Gmail, Hotmail, or another provider) into your new Microsoft 365 mailbox. Once complete, your full email history is accessible from your new address — exactly as it was before.
What gets migrated?
Typically, email migration covers:
- All your existing emails — inbox, sent items, archived messages, everything
- Folder structure — if you've organised emails into folders, those carry across
- Contacts — your contact list transfers to Microsoft 365's address book
- Calendar entries — appointments and events can be moved across
Does it affect my current emails while it's happening?
No. Migration runs in the background. You can continue using your old email account as normal while the migration completes. Once everything is confirmed as moved across, you switch over to your new address and your old one can be left as a backup or closed.
How long does it take?
This depends on how many emails you have. For most small businesses — a few years of email history — migration typically completes within a few hours to a day. Larger volumes take longer but the process is fully automated once started.
Do I need to tell my contacts?
Yes — once you've switched to your new address, it's worth sending a brief message to your regular contacts letting them know your email has changed. Most Microsoft 365 setups also allow you to forward any emails sent to your old address for a period, so nothing gets missed during the transition.
We handle this for you
When you use our Professional Mailboxes & Email Setup service, we handle the migration as part of the setup process. You don't need to touch any of the technical steps — we move your emails across, configure everything correctly, and make sure nothing is lost in the process.
If you're worried about a complex migration — a large volume of emails, multiple accounts, or specific folder structures — get in touch and we'll talk through what's involved before you commit to anything.