Move My Microsoft 365 Email Away From GoDaddy – Complete 2025 Guide

Recently, I’ve been facing GoDaddy’s Microsoft 365 limited settings, unexpected costs, and support issues. That’s why I decided to move my Microsoft 365 email away from GoDaddy.

I know many businesses have faced the same pain points, and they are wondering how to migrate data from GoDaddy. But, the first thing I learned is that there is no option for a GoDaddy Office 365 tenant to tenant migration, because you don’t have the required Admin credentials and permission to do so.

Fortunately, I found some practical solutions that helped me move from GoDaddy to Microsoft in minutes. In this guide, I’ll explain all of them step by step. So, first, let’s go through the benefits of switching from GoDaddy.

Why Leave GoDaddy’s Microsoft 365?

Moving from GoDaddy’s Microsoft 365 is a huge decision. But I have to move my Microsoft 365 email away from GoDaddy because I want more control over my Microsoft 365 account, but with GoDaddy hosting, I don’t even have my admin credentials to manage my users and tenant effectively. Not only this, there are more limitations which I faced at that time:

• GoDaddy’s Microsoft 365 plans are only for small businesses, and when your organisation grows, it becomes impossible to scale.
• GoDaddy’s promotional pricing increases after the initial period, resulting in unexpected expenses.
• Advanced security and functionalities, such as Data Loss Prevention, retention policies, and an auditing tool, are unavailable under GoDaddy’s version.
• GoDaddy acts as a middle layer for support, which can slow issue resolution and complicate the handling of complex Microsoft 365 problems.
• Federation with GoDaddy will cause problems with single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and password resets.
• Critical updates and changes to Microsoft 365 services will be managed through GoDaddy, which can delay access to new features or improvements.
• Enterprise-level capabilities such as conditional access policies, advanced threat protection, and custom role management are unavailable in GoDaddy’s Microsoft 365 plans.

Most probably because of any of these listed reasons, you decided on this transition. But do you know, switching from GoDaddy is not easy, because there is no option or native tool offered by it. Don’t worry, next, I’ll share how I switched using the most practical techniques. 

How do I Move My Microsoft 365 Email Away from GoDaddy?

I found three practical approaches that will help move data from GoDaddy simultaneously, i.e.

#1. Outlook IMAP

One of the challenges of moving Microsoft 365 email away from GoDaddy is that they don’t provide admin credentials for the tenant. In such cases, you can still migrate your emails securely using an IMAP-based approach without permissions or admin rights.

Why IMAP Migration Works:

• Does not require admin credentials.
• Transfers all emails, folders, and attachments.
• Works even if you only want to move email without calendars or Teams data.

I followed the steps below to move my Microsoft 365 email away from GoDaddy:

• Purchase new licenses directly from Microsoft.
• Create new user accounts matching your current mailboxes.
• In the source Outlook, export each mailbox to a PST:
• File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Export to a file > Outlook Data File (.pst).

• • Contact GoDaddy to remove your domain from their tenant.
  • Use Microsoft’s domain setup wizard in the Admin Center.
  • In the target Outlook, import PST files:

• File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Import from another program or file > Outlook Data File (.pst).

• Send test emails and confirm access to shared mailboxes or calendars.

Instead of exporting data in PST, you can backup Outlook Emails to Gmail also. 

This approach is only practical when you’re migrating a small set of data. For bulk and automated migration, opt for the next solution.

#2. Move My Microsoft 365 Email Away from GoDaddy Via IMAP Migrator

If you need to migrate multiple mailboxes or large volumes of email, doing it manually becomes time-consuming and error-prone. That’s why I researched a way to make IMAP migration automatic. Fortunately, I found SysTools IMAP to Office 365 Migration Tool that simplifies the process for me  with its advanced features, filters, and easy-to-use interface.

I tried its free version first, and after the satisfied with its quick results and robust performance, I opted for its full version. You can also do the same with the buttons below:

 Download Now  Purchase Now

After downloading this, you can take the benefits of its advanced features, i.e. 

• Supports bulk mailbox migration efficiently.
• Comes with advanced filters.
• Migrate Yahoo Mail to Office 365, G Suite, Exchange Server, and more.
• Preserves folder structure, email attachments, and read/unread status.
• Provides detailed reports to track the migration progress and verify success.

Now, go through the steps which I followed to move my Microsoft 365 email away from GoDaddy or any IMAP-compatible email service:

• Step 1. Open the utility, and select IMAP & Microsoft 365 as the source and target platforms.
• Step 2. Mark the Email option on the same screen. Leverage the date filter for the desired data migration.
• Step 3. Provide the source IMAP Server.
• Step 4. Enter the target admin credentials and validate them.
• Step 5. For mapping, users use the Import Users or Download Template options.
• Step 6. Press the Start Migration button.

#3. Defederation

This approach makes your tenant and mailboxes stay intact while GoDaddy removes itself as the reseller. This option is written on the official GoDaddy page. So, you can opt for this without any doubt.

Here’s the step-by-step guide mentioned in their official guide to move my Microsoft 365 email away from GoDaddy: 

1. Check for any active subscription, non-expiring soon, and a non-migrating contact email.
2. Request “move my Microsoft 365 email away.”
3. Get temporary admin credentials from GoDaddy.
4. Buy new Microsoft 365 licenses directly from Microsoft or a CSP, as GoDaddy licenses won’t transfer.
5. Assign licenses to users.
6. Update DNS/MX records to Microsoft endpoints.
7. Cancel GoDaddy subscriptions once everything works.

Author’s Verdict

Defederation is not a DIY approach to move my Microsoft 365 email away from GoDaddy, plus it can’t work without credentials. For the same, you have to contact GoDaddy to provide you with temporary admin credentials, which is quite a time-consuming and lengthy task.

On the other hand, the IMAP solutions (both methods 1 & 2) are the most practical and straightforward for any skill level user. It doesn’t require any credentials or permissions, so it is highly recommended to opt for the same to get the expected results.