How do I keep my email address when I change provider?

Why can't I keep a Gmail or Proton address when I leave?

An address at the provider's domain, such as @proton.me, @tuta.com or @mailbox.org, belongs to the provider, so you lose it when you leave. The sender's mail server looks up the MX record of the domain after the @, and that record is controlled by whoever owns the domain.

With your own domain, you own the part after the @. You can point its MX records at another provider, and every message sent to the old address then arrives at the new mailbox. This is the idea behind the page on what a custom email domain is. The domain stays at your registrar; the mailbox is rented from whichever provider you choose.

One limit applies. A move to your own domain gives you a new address once, from the old provider's address to the new one. After that, every later move keeps it. Do that move before you hand the address to banks, shops and friends, not after.

Which providers let me use my own domain?

Eleven of the 14 providers in Postelva's index of 12 November 2026 allow a custom domain on at least one plan. They include Proton Mail Plus (1 domain), Tuta Revolutionary (3 domains), Mailbox.org Standard, Fastmail Individual, Migadu, StartMail and Zoho Mail Free (1 domain, up to 5 users). Posteo does not allow custom domains, and Skiff has shut down.

The full table, with prices and record counts, is the index of email providers with custom domains. The free plans of Proton Mail do not include a custom domain, so a move from a free account starts with a paid plan.

Proton and Tuta do not sell domains. Fastmail sells a few extensions to paid accounts, and iCloud+ buys them through Cloudflare. A domain bought from the mailbox provider ties both to one company, so the better pattern is a domain from a registrar, and the mailbox at the provider.

In what order do I move the mailbox without losing mail?

Move the old mail first, switch the MX records last, and keep the old account until new mail has arrived. The sequence below follows the migration guidance of the providers we read on 12 November 2026.

1. Buy the domain and add it to the new provider. At Postelva, usually within minutes of the top-up being credited. The new provider shows the records it needs.
2. Copy the old archive. Use the new provider's import tool over IMAP. Forwarding alone moves only new mail, not the old.
3. Lower the TTL. Set the TTL of the old MX records to 300 to 600 seconds at least 24 to 48 hours before the switch. A change takes about as long as the old TTL to spread.
4. Switch the records. Add the new MX, SPF and DKIM records, and remove the old provider's MX records, or give the new ones the lowest priority number. Keep one SPF record only, adding the new include to it.
5. Wait and check. MX changes take one to four hours in most cases and up to 24 to 48 hours. Keep the old account open until you have seen mail arrive at the new one.

The detailed procedure is in the guide on how to move email to a new provider without losing mail.

What protects the address once I own the domain?

The domain must not lapse: if it expires, mail to your address stops. According to Postelva's survey of 12 November 2026, the 14 extensions we sell each cost the same in year one, at renewal and at transfer, so the yearly fee is predictable. A .com is $124.90 over ten years.

Turn on automatic renewal and keep the balance funded: at Postelva, renewal is automatic renewal from your balance, switched on or off for each domain. The page on what happens to email when a domain expires covers the grace and redemption periods.

Keep the registrant email working too. ICANN rules require the registrant email to be verified within 15 days of registration or transfer, and a domain that stays unverified can be suspended. The domain is in your name, and the transfer code out is free, requested from the client area, so you can also move the domain to another registrar without a fee.