Migrate iRedMail to Mailcow Effortlessly in 2025

iRedMail is a free open-source email service just like Mailcow. It is an easy-to-set up and support email server: IMAP, SMTP, and POP3. The program provides you features like spam filtering, database backed email storage. iRedMail is suitable for small enterprises or individual home servers. However, many of you want to export their iRedMail emails to Mailcow, why is that? To understand this, we explained how different iRedMail is to the Mailcow program.

Why Migrate iRedMail to Mailcow? (Mailcow vs iRedMail)

Although iRedMail is a good choice, there are some advantages Mailcow offers, which makes it worthwhile to migrate. Most administrators prefer Mailcow because of its containerized architecture, which makes updates and management easier. Additionally, Mailcow comes with a more modern web-based user interface that makes the whole experience more user-friendly.

Mailcow also offers its built-in security features, making the risk of spam and access without permission greatly reduced. Mailcow can become a good alternative for migrating the email server to improve security features and easy management.

Manually Migrate Emails from iRedMail to Mailcow Server

This approach involves exporting and importing, emailing data manually. Let us have a look at the execution.

Step 1:  Prepare Your Mailcow Server

First of all, prepare the new Mailcow server by installing Docker and Docker Compose, since Mailcow runs inside a containerized environment. You should update and configure your system to avoid possible problems during setup.

1. Install Docker and Docker Compose.
2. Download and configure Mailcow.
3. Setup DNS records for MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Properly configuring DNS records is a very important aspect that needs to be correctly done for proper email delivery. Misconfigured records often lead to undelivered or bounced emails because the messages do not reach inboxes but appear in spam mail.

Step 2: Export Mail Data from iRedMail

1. Use doveadm backup to export mailbox data.
2. Copy mail directories (/var/vmail/) to a backup location.

Backing up your mail data will provide you with an alternative to save yourself from inevitable data loss. Verify the integrity of your backup after this step.

Step 3: Import Mail Data into Mailcow

1. Using doveadm import, mail data is transferred to Mailcow’s Dovecot format.
2. Set the ownership and permissions correctly.

Permissions on files need to be correct to prevent any access problem. Check all files are owned by the correct user and group.

Step 4: Configuration of User Accounts

1. Create user accounts manually in Mailcow
2. For a large number of users, use scripts or automation tools.

For large migrations, automation tools can save time and reduce errors. Consider using scripts to create user accounts efficiently.

Migrate iRedmail to Mailcow via IMAP Sync Migration

IMAPSync is a reliable method ensuring the integrity and structure of email while transferring data. This is particularly helpful to minimize downtime. Further, it supports incremental syncing, an advantage for migrating large mailboxes without losing any single email in the process.

1. Install IMAPSync by adding the command: sudo apt-get install imapsync
2. After that run the IMAPSync to migrate iRedMail to Mailcow: imapsync –host1 old-server –user1 user@example.com –password1 ‘oldpassword’ –host2 new-server –user2 user@example.com –password2 ‘newpassword’

In this way, your emails from iRedMail will automatically transfer it to Mailcow.

Limitations of the Manual Method

• These methods require a good knowledge of the Linux mail server.
• User accounts must be recreated.
• DNS propagation can take time, which can temporarily affect email delivery.

This can be hectic for those people who are uncomfortable with the whole process of working on a Linux server. More administrators, therefore, choose to use automated migration tools in order to make the process of moving possible.

Conclusion

The iRedMail to Mailcow migration is worthwhile for better security, management, and performance. Although the steps are technical in nature, tools like the above-mentioned Email backup software can make automation easier. So, knowing what Mailcow is compared to iRedMail, as well as the requirements for an iRedMail server, will help in a smooth and almost unnoticed transition.

Careful planning and, above all, a smooth migration requires planning and effective execution. With this guide, you have the information needed to migrate confidently and make use of all Mailcow features to manage your mail server more efficiently.