Work out where your mail actually lives
Email breaks during host moves for one of two reasons: the DNS records that point mail somewhere were not copied to the new DNS provider, or the mailboxes themselves were on the old host and disappeared when the account was closed. The fix for each is different, so start by identifying which setup you have.
If your MX records point to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, the mailboxes are not on your web host. Changing hosts only matters if you also change the DNS provider, because the records must exist in whichever zone is authoritative. If your MX records point to a hostname at your web host, the host is running your mailboxes, and those mailboxes need their own migration. SiteGround, for example, documents an Email Migrator that copies messages over the IMAP protocol for accounts up to 7GB in size.
For course and membership sites, also list what sends mail from WordPress itself: purchase receipts, renewal reminders, password resets and lesson notifications. Those messages often go through a separate sending service, and that service needs to stay authorised in SPF and DKIM after the move.
Copy the whole zone before changing nameservers
When you move a domain to a new DNS provider, the new zone must be complete before the registrar starts handing out the new nameservers. Cloudflare's full setup guide says that since the quick scan is not guaranteed to find all existing DNS records, you need to review your records, and that your DNS records must be accurate for your domain to work properly. It also notes that the exact values for mail records depend on your email provider.
The most reliable approach is to export a BIND zone file from the current provider and import it. Cloudflare documents importing a BIND zone file, and notes that $INCLUDE is not supported. After import, compare the two zones line by line, paying attention to TXT records, which hold SPF, DKIM, DMARC and domain verification tokens and are the ones most often missed. If DNSSEC is enabled, Cloudflare says to turn it off at your registrar before replacing nameservers; the nameserver migration check guide covers that step.
The records that keep mail flowing
The table below lists the records each provider documents. Values that are account-specific, such as DKIM keys and Microsoft 365 MX targets, must be copied from the admin console, not typed from memory.
| Record | Purpose | Google Workspace documents | Microsoft 365 documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| MX | Where inbound mail is delivered | Value smtp.google.com; remove any other MX records | Copy value from the admin center; TTL 3600; remove old MX or give it lower priority |
| SPF (TXT at the root) | Which servers may send for the domain | v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all for Google-only senders | v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all; merge into a single SPF record |
| DKIM | Signs outgoing mail | TXT record, for example host google._domainkey, generated in the Admin console | CNAME records selector1._domainkey and selector2._domainkey |
| DMARC (TXT at _dmarc) | Policy and reports for failed checks | Start with p=none; include rua for reports | Configured separately after SPF and DKIM |
| Autodiscover | Automatic mail client setup | Not covered in the Google pages cited | CNAME autodiscover; optional but highly recommended |
SPF, DKIM and DMARC details that bite during moves
Google's SPF help says your SPF record should include the domains or IP addresses of all servers that send email, and that an SPF record can have up to 10 include tags. Microsoft is explicit that if an SPF record already exists, you should not create a new one; instead add the Microsoft 365 value so there is a single SPF TXT record. A host move is a common moment to accidentally create a second SPF record, or to drop the include for the transactional service that sends your course receipts.
Google says it can take up to 48 hours for SPF authentication to start working, and up to 48 hours for DKIM after the key is added. Its DMARC guidance says DKIM and SPF should be authenticating messages for at least 48 hours before turning on DMARC, and recommends starting with p=none. Microsoft notes that Exchange Online only supports TTL values less than 6 hours (21,600 seconds) on its MX record. If you are only moving web hosting, none of these values should change; copy them exactly and resist the urge to tidy them up on cutover night.
Cutover checklist for mail
- Before: export the current zone and list every MX, TXT and CNAME record; screenshot the mail provider's expected values.
- Before: if mailboxes are on the old host, schedule the mailbox migration separately and confirm the new destination works.
- Before: list every service that sends as your domain (Workspace or 365, the WordPress mail plugin's provider, newsletter tools).
- At nameserver change: confirm MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and autodiscover exist in the new zone before updating the registrar.
- After: send a test message to and from an outside mailbox, trigger a password reset and a test receipt from the site, and check the message headers for SPF and DKIM pass.
- After: keep the old host's mail account until no new mail is arriving there and old messages are copied.
Questions before you decide
Will changing web hosts break my Google Workspace email?
Not if the DNS provider stays the same, because the MX and TXT records do not change. If the move also changes nameservers, the new zone must contain the Workspace MX (smtp.google.com), SPF, DKIM and DMARC records before the registrar switches.
Can I have two SPF records, one for the old host and one for Microsoft 365?
Microsoft says no: if an SPF record already exists, add the Microsoft 365 value to it so the domain ends up with a single SPF TXT record that covers both.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Cloudflare: Full setup Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Cloudflare: Import and export records Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Google Workspace: Set up MX records Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Google Workspace: Set up SPF Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Google Workspace: Set up DKIM Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Google Workspace: Set up DMARC Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Microsoft Learn: Connect your domain by adding DNS records Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: WordPress Automatic Migrator tutorial (Email Migrator) Accessed 13 Oct 2026
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