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To move a business mailbox to Titan without losing existing mail, make an independent backup, confirm the Titan mailbox has enough free storage, and use the migration method that matches your current provider. For a normal IMAP mailbox, Titan’s administrator Import email data tool copies Inbox, Drafts, Sent and other folders while the old mailbox remains available. Gmail and Google Workspace require a Google Takeout MBOX export followed by a Thunderbird or Apple Mail transfer over IMAP. Do not change your domain’s MX records until the import is complete and you have checked old and recent messages, folders, attachments, contacts and backups. Keep the old account configured for several days so you can recover from omissions before routing new mail to Titan.

What does Titan’s email import actually do?

Titan’s Email Import tool copies messages from an external IMAP mailbox into a selected Titan mailbox. It is an administrator function: the destination account must already exist, and you provide the source server details and credentials. The source mailbox is not erased, so it can remain available for verification and recovery.

The standard import includes Inbox, Drafts, Sent and other source folders. Titan processes the newest messages first, which lets you check current correspondence before the oldest archive has finished. Titan explicitly excludes Spam and Trash. If those folders contain mail that must be retained, move the messages into another source folder before starting or rerunning the import.

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Import is primarily an email operation. The detailed operational guidance describes email import, not a complete transfer of contacts or calendars. Export contacts separately and plan calendar migration as a separate task. Some Titan account flows may present contact-import options, but verify what your specific account supports rather than assuming contacts came across with mail.

What should I do before migrating?

Preparation is what prevents an apparently successful import from becoming a business-data loss incident. Complete these checks for every mailbox, not just the account used for testing.

  1. Inventory the source. Record each mailbox, alias, forwarding rule, shared address, folder and approximate mailbox size. List contacts, calendars, mobile devices and applications that send mail as the account. An alias or forwarding rule is an account setting, not a message, and normally has to be recreated in Titan.
  2. Create an independent backup. Keep a copy outside both the old provider and Titan. For Google migrations, retain the original MBOX export exactly as downloaded; do not rely on the copy imported into a desktop client. Titan documents daily mailbox backups and restoration, but the available guidance does not establish a retention period or service-level guarantee, so maintain your own pre-migration copy.
  3. Check the Titan quota. Compare the source mailbox’s used space with free space in the destination Titan mailbox. The destination needs room for the messages and their attachments. If the source is larger, delete only material your retention policy allows, archive it externally, or increase Titan capacity before importing. A full destination can make folders or messages appear to be missing.
  4. Confirm administrative access. You need access to the Titan Email Control Panel and the source mailbox credentials. If the source has an administrator restriction on IMAP, enable IMAP or obtain the provider’s approved migration credentials before beginning.
  5. Choose a low-risk window. Mail can continue arriving at the old provider while the copy runs. Schedule the final verification when someone can inspect current messages and respond if the import reports an error.

Which migration route applies to my current provider?

Use direct IMAP import for most hosted mailboxes. Use the MBOX workflow for Gmail or Google Workspace because Google’s export format and authentication require a desktop mail client rather than Titan’s ordinary external-IMAP form.

Source Method Data handled by the documented workflow Important limitation
Most IMAP providers Titan Email Control Panel → Import email data Inbox, Drafts, Sent and other non-excluded mail folders Spam and Trash are not imported; destination quota must be sufficient
Gmail or Google Workspace Google Takeout MBOX export → Thunderbird or Apple Mail configured to Titan over IMAP Mail contained in the MBOX, then copied into Titan folders Keep the MBOX backup; contacts and calendars require separate handling

How do I migrate a normal IMAP mailbox directly into Titan?

Use the following sequence for each source mailbox. Do not change DNS first; Titan needs the old mailbox reachable while it copies the archive.

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1. Confirm the destination mailbox and quota

Create or select the correct Titan mailbox, then check its available storage. Match the destination to the employee or shared address you inventoried. If the mailbox is close to full, resolve that before entering import credentials.

2. Open Titan’s import function

In the Titan Email Control Panel, choose Import email data. Select the option for an external IMAP mailbox. The labels can vary slightly by account administration interface, but the required fields are the same: source IMAP server, port, SSL requirement, source email address, source password, destination Titan mailbox and a notification address.

3. Enter the source IMAP settings

Use the server name supplied by the old provider. Port 993 is the commonly used IMAP-over-SSL port; use another port only when the provider’s documentation requires it. Enable the SSL or secure-connection option when the source expects encrypted IMAP. A correct webmail password is not enough if the provider requires an app-specific password or has IMAP disabled, so resolve those provider requirements before retrying.

4. Map the destination carefully

Choose the Titan mailbox that corresponds to the source address. Recheck spelling and the domain before submitting. A successful copy into the wrong mailbox is operationally difficult to unwind, especially when several employees have similar addresses.

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5. Start the import and record its status

Submit the job and save the confirmation or notification details. Titan reports the job as In progress and later Completed. Large mailboxes may take a few hours to a few days. Because the newest messages are processed first, begin verification with current conversations even if the oldest archive is still running.

6. Handle excluded folders

Do not treat a missing Spam or Trash folder as an import failure: Titan does not import those folders. If a message in either folder is legally, financially or operationally important, move it in the source account to a normal folder such as Archive, then rerun or repeat the import according to the control panel’s available option.

7. Keep the source online while checking

Leave the old mailbox active and configured in the desktop or mobile clients for several days. Compare a sample of recent mail, older archive mail, sent messages, drafts, attachments and folder counts. Open attachments rather than checking only message subjects; a message can be present while an attachment has failed or is unreadable.

How do I move Gmail or Google Workspace mail to Titan?

Do not rely on Titan’s ordinary direct-IMAP import for this case. Export Gmail or Google Workspace mail with Google Takeout, preserve the MBOX backup, and then use a desktop mail client to copy the messages into Titan.

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  1. Export Mail with Google Takeout. Select Mail and create the export. Wait for the archive to be generated and download it to a location with enough free disk space.
  2. Preserve the original MBOX. Make a second copy before opening or importing it. If the file is corrupted or the client import is interrupted, this untouched copy is your recovery source.
  3. Install or open Thunderbird or Apple Mail. Add the Titan mailbox using IMAP. Use the Titan-provided server names and secure settings for your account; do not guess them from the old Google configuration.
  4. Import the MBOX into the client. Use the client’s import function and confirm that the message count and folder tree appear as expected. The MBOX is a local source at this stage, not yet proof that Titan has received the mail.
  5. Copy folders into Titan. Move or copy the imported messages from the local MBOX folders into the Titan IMAP mailbox. Keep the client open and connected until synchronization completes. For a large archive, transfer one major folder at a time and note progress.
  6. Verify in Titan webmail. Sign in through Titan’s web interface and inspect recent and older messages, Sent, Drafts, folder names and attachments. Only after this check should you proceed to DNS cutover.

Google’s export contains mail, not a guaranteed one-step transfer of contacts, calendars, aliases or forwarding rules. Export contacts separately and recreate account settings in Titan. If the organization uses retention, legal hold or delegated mailboxes, document those requirements before deleting any Google data.

How do I verify that no business messages were lost?

Verification should combine a content sample, folder review and an operational test. Do it while both accounts are still available.

  • Recent mail: Find messages from the last day or week, including messages with replies, inline images and attachments.
  • Older mail: Open samples from several years or archive periods, not just the newest page of the Inbox.
  • Sent and Drafts: Confirm that sent messages retain their recipients, dates and attachments, and that active drafts are present.
  • Folder structure: Compare important custom folders and approximate counts. Expect Spam and Trash not to be present unless you moved needed messages before import.
  • Search: Search for known senders, invoice numbers, project names and message IDs. Search catches mail that a folder-by-folder visual scan can miss.
  • Contacts and calendars: Restore or import them through their own backups and then verify addresses and appointments separately.
  • Mobile and desktop clients: Add Titan alongside the old account, confirm synchronization and check that applications using SMTP or IMAP have the new credentials.
  • Backups: Confirm that your independent backup opens and that Titan’s available backup or restoration controls are enabled for the account.

Do not remove the old account immediately after seeing a “Completed” status. The status means Titan finished the copy job; it does not prove that your business-specific contacts, rules, aliases, calendars or external applications were configured.

When should I change MX and TXT records?

Change DNS only after the import reports completion and your verification checklist passes. Updating the domain’s MX records makes Titan the receiving service for new mail; doing it earlier can split new messages between the old provider and Titan while the archive is still moving.

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  1. Use Titan’s provider-specific setup instructions to obtain the exact MX and TXT values for your domain.
  2. At your DNS host, replace or update the domain’s MX records as instructed. Remove obsolete MX records only when Titan’s instructions say to do so; leaving a competing record can route mail unpredictably.
  3. Add or update the required TXT record, commonly used for domain verification or sender-policy configuration, with the exact value Titan provides.
  4. Save the prior DNS values in your migration notes so a rollback is possible if a configuration error prevents delivery.
  5. Send test messages from an external address and to an external address. Check delivery in Titan and confirm that outgoing mail authenticates correctly.

DNS changes can take time to appear at different resolvers. Keep the old mailbox accessible during that propagation and continue monitoring both systems until incoming mail consistently arrives in Titan.

What should I do if Titan’s import is stuck?

If an import remains In progress for more than 24 hours, treat it as a connection or account problem rather than repeatedly changing DNS.

  1. Recheck the source IMAP server name, port, SSL setting, source address and password.
  2. Confirm that the old mailbox is still active and that IMAP access has not been disabled or blocked by a provider policy.
  3. Check the Titan destination quota and free space.
  4. Retry the import using corrected settings. If the control panel offers a new job rather than resume, record the previous job and avoid creating overlapping imports without checking for duplicates.
  5. Contact Titan support with the mailbox, job status, start time and settings confirmation if it remains stuck.

A long duration alone is not proof of failure: Titan says a large mailbox may take from a few hours to a few days. A job that eventually reports Completed still requires the content checks above.

Why are messages or folders missing after import?

Start with the two causes documented for this workflow: excluded source folders and insufficient destination storage.

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  • Check whether the message was in Spam or Trash. Those folders are intentionally excluded.
  • Check Titan’s free quota and compare it with the source mailbox size. A full destination can prevent later messages or attachments from arriving.
  • Search Titan globally instead of looking only in Inbox; a folder may have been created under a different parent name.
  • Compare the source and destination while the old account is still online. If the source contains the message and Titan does not, move it from an excluded folder if necessary and rerun the appropriate import.
  • For Google migrations, inspect the local MBOX and the desktop client’s local folders. The message may still be on the computer waiting to be copied into the Titan IMAP account.
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How should I migrate several employee mailboxes?

Use a mailbox-by-mailbox runbook and stagger the work. For each user, record source address, Titan destination, source size, quota check, import start and completion, verification owner and DNS or client changes.

Move one low-risk mailbox first to validate credentials, folder behavior and the organization’s backup process. Then migrate the remaining accounts while keeping old credentials and configurations available. Shared addresses, aliases, forwarding rules and application senders should be tested separately because they may not be represented by messages in the mailbox.

Watch aggregate Titan storage: keeping duplicate old and new accounts configured can consume additional local or server storage. Do not delete the old configuration until every mailbox owner has completed verification and the independent backups are confirmed.

What is a safe rollback plan?

A rollback is simplest before DNS changes. Keep the old mailbox active, preserve the backup, and document the previous DNS records. If verification finds missing data, stop the cutover, correct the import or perform a targeted second copy, and continue using the old service.

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After MX changes, rollback requires restoring the prior DNS values and checking where mail was delivered during propagation. Keep a timeline of the change and test messages so you can identify messages that arrived at either service. Never delete the source mailbox until the organization has accepted the migration and its retention obligations are satisfied.

Migration checklist

  • Every mailbox, alias, forwarder, contact source and calendar is inventoried.
  • An independent backup exists and can be opened.
  • Each Titan destination has enough free quota.
  • The correct path—direct IMAP or Google MBOX—is selected.
  • Source IMAP credentials, server, port and SSL requirements are confirmed.
  • Import status reaches Completed, or a documented support case is open.
  • Inbox, older mail, Sent, Drafts, folders and attachments are sampled.
  • Spam and Trash requirements are handled explicitly.
  • Contacts, calendars, aliases and forwarding rules are restored separately.
  • Old and new accounts remain available during verification.
  • Only then are MX and TXT records updated using Titan’s exact domain instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep receiving mail at the old provider while Titan imports it?

Yes. The import copies messages while the source remains available, so the old account can stay online during the transfer and verification period. This also gives you a recovery path if a message, folder or attachment needs to be copied again.

Does Titan preserve my original message dates and attachments?

The documented import is designed to copy existing messages and folders, including Sent and Drafts, but you should verify dates, recipients and attachments in the destination. A completed job is not a substitute for checking representative messages from both recent and older periods.

Do I need to migrate contacts and calendars separately?

Plan to do so. The detailed Titan import guidance covers email, while contacts and calendars are separate data sets; export or back them up independently and verify the exact features available in your Titan account.

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Should I move important messages out of Spam before migration?

Yes. Titan does not import Spam or Trash. Move any message you must retain into a normal source folder before starting or rerunning the import, then verify it in Titan.

What information should I give Titan support when an import fails?

Provide the affected mailbox, import job status, how long it has been running, the source IMAP server and port, whether SSL is enabled, and confirmation that the source account and destination quota are valid. Do not send a password in an ordinary support message.

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