Change Email Providers

If you need to change your email provider there are many great options. Switching your email to a new provider has a few different steps and can vary in complication. In general there are 3 main steps to changing your email.

Below is an overview of the steps and how to accomplish them. Every situation can have different needs and may require additional methods or resources. If you have any questions, please contact DirectLink Technical Support: Canby 503.266.8111, Mt. Angel 503.845.2291, support@mydirectlink.net, or chat with us here during office hours.

1. Find a New Email Provider

There are many free email providers available that have robust services and features.
Here are the most popular and long-standing options, with links to their respective setup instructions:

2. Backup or Transfer Your Email Messages

If you want to backup or save your messages from your old email account, you need to set up an email program (client) which will allow you to save your messages as files on your computer. We have a separate page that goes over that here: Backing Up Your Email Messages.

Once you have your messages and contacts backed up in a file such as MBOX, PST, OST, CSV, etc. you can typically import them into an email client program.

Some email providers have utilities that may allow you import your messages directly into your new email account.

Here are some articles that cover the various ways of importing or transfering your messages:

Google Gmail

How to Import an Old Email Account Into Gmail - howtogeek.com

Check emails from other accounts - support.google.com

Microsoft Outlook

Import and export Outlook email, contacts, and calendar - support.microsoft.com

Import email, contacts, and calendar from an Outlook .pst file - support.microsoft.com

Mail on Mac (Apple)

Import or export mailboxes in Mail on Mac - support.apple.com

3. Update Your Accounts and Contacts

Once you have your new email account setup, you'll want to make sure to update any accounts you have that use your old email address. For example, in your Netflix account you may have your old email set as the main login username and contact. If you log into your Netflix account using the website (typically using the website is easier than using the app) you can update your email address from the Account page. You'll want to do this with any account you have set up that uses your old email address (utility bill pay, bank account, streaming services, game services, forums, social media, etc.).

The other part of this is informing your contacts of your new email address. Let your friends, family, work associates, clients or anyone that uses your old email address to update their contact information with your new email.

Setting up a Forward

This can be a long process and if you are able to, you can set up an automatic forward from the old email account to your new one. Setting up an automatic forward is a fairly straightforward process but it will vary based on the email program or webmail service.

For example in Microsoft Outlook, you can go to settings and select Enable forwarding and enter your new email address.

If you are using DirectLink webmail, you can go to "Preferences" and then "Mail".

Then scroll to "Receiving Messages" and enter your new email address in the "Forward a copy to:" field.

Note: when you disconnect Internet service with DirectLink you will lose access to your email account. You need to backup and set the forward ahead of time before the email service is deactivated.