Moving a domain that already has email
Your domain already sends or receives mail somewhere else. Switching to MailPoppy is straightforward — but because real mail is flowing today, it's worth two minutes to understand exactly what changes, so nothing slips through the cracks.
The one thing to understand first
When you set up your domain in MailPoppy, you're telling the internet to deliver your domain's incoming mail to MailPoppy from now on, instead of to your current provider.
And there's a simple rule for incoming mail: an address can only receive once it has a mailbox in MailPoppy. Until then, messages to that address are turned away — the person who wrote gets a note saying it couldn't be delivered. Nothing is lost on your side, and it's fixed the instant you add the mailbox.
So the golden rule is: set up the domain, then create a mailbox for each of your addresses straight away. The steps below walk you through doing exactly that, in the right order.
What actually changes
Where incoming mail goes
New messages to your domain start arriving in MailPoppy instead of at your old provider. That's the switch you're making — on purpose.
How your mail is sent
MailPoppy sets up the records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) that prove your mail is really from you, so it keeps landing in inboxes, not spam.
Who can receive
Each address needs its own mailbox in MailPoppy to receive. Creating them takes seconds and there's no per-mailbox fee.
Before you begin
- Keep your current email running. Don't cancel anything until your new mailboxes are set up and you've checked your mail arrives. Switching is reversible right up to the end.
- Have your list of receiving addresses ready (from step 1 below) so you can create their mailboxes the moment setup finishes.
- Make sure your domain's DNS is managed in AWS (Route 53), or move it there first — that's how MailPoppy sets your domain up.
The safe way to switch
Follow these in order and your mail keeps flowing throughout — no gap, no lost messages.
- 1
Write down every address that RECEIVES mail
Make a quick list of the addresses on your domain that people send messages to — you@, info@, sales@, support@, and so on. You'll create a mailbox for each of these in MailPoppy. (Addresses that only ever send, like a no-reply, don't need to be on the list.) - 2
Make sure your domain's DNS is in AWS (Route 53)
MailPoppy sets up your domain's email by editing its DNS in AWS Route 53. If your domain's DNS is managed somewhere else today (your registrar, or another host), move it to Route 53 first — a one-time change on your provider's side. Nothing about your mail changes yet at this point. - 3
Set up the domain in MailPoppy
In the app, choose your domain and press “Set up email for this domain.” This is the moment your domain's incoming mail starts arriving in MailPoppy instead of at your old provider, and your sending records are put in place. It usually takes a few minutes to take effect. - 4
Immediately create a mailbox for each address on your list
Right after setup, add a mailbox for every receiving address you wrote down. Until an address has a mailbox, messages sent to it can't come in — so doing this straight away is what keeps your mail flowing without a gap. - 5
Bring your old mail across
Use MailPoppy's import to copy your existing folders and history into the new mailboxes over IMAP, so you keep everything. See the Import guide for the exact settings for your old provider. - 6
Test, then you're done
Send a message to each address from an outside inbox (like your phone) and check it arrives in MailPoppy. Once you're happy, you can close your old email service. Keep it running until you've confirmed everything came across.
Addresses that only send (like no-reply)
They don't need a mailbox — and they keep working
no-reply@, for example — doesn't receive anything, so it doesn't need a mailbox and won't show up in your mailbox list. It carries on sending exactly as before. For setting one of these up from scratch, see the transactional & no-reply email guide.Just remember: replies to it will bounce
support@ that also sends), just give it a mailbox too and its replies will land in your inbox.If your domain was already set up in Amazon SES
Some people have already added their domain to Amazon's email service (SES) at some point — maybe for a website's contact form — and it might show as “not verified.” That just means an old, half-finished setup that never completed. You don't need to clean anything up: MailPoppy adopts the domain, refreshes its setup for you, and takes it through to verified as part of the normal “Set up email for this domain” step. If a domain sits on the checking step for a while, that's just the internet catching up with the change — it clears on its own.
Good to know
Do the mailboxes soon, not later
Your old mail is never touched
No lock-in
Ready when you are
Set up your domain, create your mailboxes, then bring your old mail across. Take it in that order and the switch is smooth.