Move off Amazon WorkMail before 31 March 2027
AWS is shutting WorkMail down. I move your mailboxes, calendars and contacts to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, set up the DNS and email authentication properly, and make sure nothing bounces on the way.
Dates from AWS's WorkMail end-of-support notice.
How a migration goes
The same order every time, because the order is what keeps mail from bouncing.
Audit
Every mailbox, alias, group, shared mailbox and forwarding rule, plus every app and website that sends mail from your domain. Nothing gets discovered after the switch.
Choose where to go
Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for most teams. I set up the new tenant, users, groups and aliases to match what you have.
Move the mail
Mailboxes are exported from WorkMail and imported into the new service, with calendars and contacts, before anyone is cut over.
Prepare DNS
DNS lifetimes are lowered ahead of time so the switch takes minutes, not a day. The new DKIM keys are published and verified first.
Cut over
MX records move, SPF and DMARC are updated, autodiscover is set, and a final sync picks up anything that arrived during the switch.
Reconnect people
Outlook, Apple Mail, Gmail and phones are pointed at the new service, with a short guide for staff.
Watch it land
DMARC and TLS reports are read for the following weeks to confirm every sender passes, then the WorkMail organisation is retired.
What's included
The parts a mailbox export doesn't cover.
DNS and email authentication
MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, autodiscover, and MTA-STS with TLS reports where it helps. The records that decide whether your mail lands in the inbox or in spam.
Apps that send email
Amazon SES, website forms and line-of-business systems that send as your domain keep working after the move.
Shared mailboxes and groups
info@, sales@ and distribution lists rebuilt in the new service so nobody notices the change.
A plan you can read
One page: what moves, when, and what each person needs to do. No surprises on the night.
Why me
I run email for businesses every day, not once a decade.
I look after the domains, DNS and mail for the companies I run systems for: SPF, DKIM and DMARC on every domain, DMARC and TLS reports flowing back, CAA records, and application mail sent through Amazon SES. Those companies have WorkMail mailboxes too, so this is a move I am planning for my own clients, not a sideline. See the AWS I run, or read about WorkMail and Amazon SES.
Questions
What happens to WorkMail after 31 March 2027?
AWS ends support on that date and you will no longer be able to use Amazon WorkMail. Mail sent to your domain has to be landing somewhere else before then, or it will bounce.
Will I lose any email?
Not if it is done in order. Mailboxes are exported and imported before the switch, the MX change is timed with short DNS lifetimes, and anything that arrives during the cutover is picked up in a final sync.
Do we keep our email addresses?
Yes. Your domain stays yours. Only the service behind it changes, so every address, alias and group keeps working.
Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?
If your team lives in Gmail and Google Docs, Workspace. If it lives in Outlook, Word and Excel, Microsoft 365. AWS also lists Zoho Mail, Kopano Cloud and Zoom Mail as alternatives. I'll recommend one after looking at how you actually work.
How long does it take?
A small business is usually days of preparation and one evening or weekend for the switch. Larger organisations take longer because of shared mailboxes, groups and the number of devices to reconfigure.
What about the apps and websites that send email from our domain?
They are part of the audit. Invoices, notices and website forms often send through Amazon SES or WorkMail's SMTP. They keep working, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC are updated so both the new mailbox host and those senders pass.
Do you work outside British Columbia?
Yes. Email migrations are done remotely, so I work with businesses anywhere in Canada and the US.
Don't leave it until March
Tell me how many mailboxes you have and where your team works best. Email me, or see other ways to reach me.