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· AzAd Team · Also published on the sister site

Migrate from Gmail / Google Workspace to AzAd Mail

A calm cutover plan for moving organization email from Gmail or Google Workspace to AzAd Mail — DNS, users, IMAP, and hybrid options.

Teams that want to migrate Gmail to AzAd Mail usually care about branded addresses, admin control, and cost — not about cloning Google Docs on day one. This guide is a practical cutover outline. It assumes you have already decided AzAd Mail is the right Google Workspace alternative for email.

Before you change MX

  1. Inventory users and aliases. Note shared inboxes and groups you still need.
  2. Export contacts (Google CSV) for import into AzAd Contacts.
  3. Lower MX TTL a day or two ahead if your DNS host allows it.
  4. Decide full cutover vs hybrid mail (keep Google MX, host selected AzAd mailboxes).

Hybrid is ideal when some addresses must stay on Google or lack a license. Full cutover is simpler once everyone is ready to leave Gmail for that domain.

Provision AzAd first

  1. Start a card-required trial at /start/ (15 GB self-serve tier).
  2. Create the organization and admin mailbox.
  3. Add and verify the domain in AzAd Admin. Follow SPF and DKIM guidance even before MX moves.
  4. Create user mailboxes that mirror the addresses you are moving.
  5. Import contacts. Smoke-test webmail login for each critical user.

Approximate display pricing: 15 GB ≈ US$2.86/month per mailbox (800 PKR ÷ 280). Confirm current numbers on pricing.

Move historical mail

Use an IMAP client or migration tool:

Do not use azademail.com or mail.azademail.com as IMAP hosts — those are Pages hostnames. Details: IMAP & SMTP setup.

Migrate VIP mailboxes first. Keep Google read-only during overlap so nothing is orphaned if you pause.

Cut over DNS

  1. Publish AzAd MX records when inbound should land on AzAd.
  2. Keep SPF includes correct; remove Google only when Google no longer sends for the domain.
  3. Confirm DKIM for AzAd is active.
  4. Send external test messages both ways (AzAd → Gmail consumer, AzAd → Outlook.com).

If you chose hybrid instead, leave Google MX in place and configure Google routing for unrecognized recipients to server.azademail.com port 25 — see the hybrid page for Admin Console pitfalls (avoid Non-Gmail mailbox at domain root).

Clients and mobile

Common failure modes

Timeline for a calm cutover

Week 1: provision AzAd org, domain verify, SPF/DKIM live, two test mailboxes.
Week 2: IMAP history copy for one VIP; keep Gmail receiving MX.
Week 3: client rollout sheet (server.azademail.com, ports, full username); pilot group on AzAd IMAP or Android.
Week 4: MX cutover or hybrid enable; overlap read-only Gmail; deprovision Google mail seats after quiet week.

Lowering MX TTL a day or two before cutover reduces cache pain. Keep previous MX values in a rollback note.

Aliases, groups, and shared addresses

Inventory Google groups and aliases before cutover. AzAd admin handles org users and mailboxes — map each alias to a person or shared mailbox plan deliberately. “We forgot info@” is a common post-cutover fire drill.

Docs and Meet after mail leaves

AzAd does not replace Docs, Drive, or Meet. Many teams keep free Google accounts or another docs stack for collaboration while AzAd handles @company.com mail. That split is honest operating model, not a hidden compromise.

Hybrid instead of full cutover

If some users must stay on Gmail, enable hybrid mail instead of moving MX. Provision AzAd mailboxes for addresses without Google licenses; configure Google routing to port 25. IMAP hostname for AzAd users remains server.azademail.com.

Post-cutover week

Expect duplicate threads if some users still read Gmail while MX points to AzAd. Communicate a single “read from AzAd only after date X” rule. Keep Gmail read-only briefly for history reference, not for new send.

Google Takeout and exports

Export contacts and any local archives before you lose Google admin access to a user. Takeout can supplement IMAP migration for large mailboxes — plan disk space and time.

Signature and vacation responders

Update signatures and auto-replies after cutover — stale “Sent from Gmail” footers undermine the branding move you just paid for.

App passwords and Google security

Google may require app passwords for IMAP export when 2FA is on. Generate those before migration weekend — not during it.

Final sanity check

Before MX points to AzAd, every moved address should exist as a mailbox, SPF/DKIM should validate, and at least one user should send/receive in webmail. Skipping that sequence causes avoidable bounce storms.

Next step

When you are ready to migrate Gmail to AzAd Mail, review pricing and start provisioning at /start/.

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