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How to Transfer a Business Domain and Retain Former Owners' Email
Question details
The user needs to know how to handle Microsoft 365 tenant, domain, and email migration during a business sale so former owners can keep their email data.
- Product
- Microsoft 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A business is being sold, and ownership of the Microsoft 365 tenant and domain is transferring, but former owners need to preserve their previous emails.
- Observed behavior
- The Microsoft 365 subscription, domain, and mailboxes belong to the business and transfer to the new owner, requiring former owners to migrate their specific mailbox data to a new tenant.
Before making any changes to DNS records or deleting user accounts, ensure you have full global administrator access to the current Microsoft 365 tenant and a clear agreement on which mailbox data the former owners are legally permitted to retain.
Create a New Tenant and Migrate Mailbox Data for Former Owners
Set up an independent Microsoft 365 tenant for the former owners to securely migrate and retain their permitted email history before handing over the business domain.
When a business is sold, the associated Microsoft 365 subscription, tenant, and domains generally transfer to the new ownership. To prevent data loss for the departing owners, they must establish their own separate Microsoft environment and export their historical data before the official handover.
Former owners must purchase and set up a new Microsoft 365 subscription using a new personal or alternate business domain, separate from the one being sold.
Using the desktop version of Microsoft Outlook connected to the original account, navigate to File > Open & Export > Import/Export to export the former owner's emails, contacts, and calendar events to a PST file.
Sign in to the newly created Microsoft 365 account in Outlook and use the Import/Export wizard to import the previously saved PST file into the new mailbox.
Once all necessary data is secured and verified in the new tenant, hand over the original global administrator account credentials and domain access to the new business owners.
Manage Your New Business Documents with WPS Office
After migrating your emails to a new tenant, you may be looking for a cost-effective way to handle your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. WPS Office is a powerful, free alternative to Microsoft Office that provides a complete suite of productivity tools.
- 1. Download the installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installation package for your operating system.
- 2. Install the software: Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process.
- 3. Open your existing files: Launch WPS Office and directly open your existing Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files without worrying about format conversion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the former owners keep the exact same email address after the business is sold?
Generally, no. If the primary domain is sold with the business, the new owners retain control of that domain. Former owners will need to register and use a new domain for their separate Microsoft 365 tenant.
How do I export my Exchange Online mailbox data before the transfer?
You can export your mailbox data by logging into the desktop version of Microsoft Outlook, navigating to File > Open & Export > Import/Export, and choosing to export your data to an Outlook Data File (.pst).
Do I need to delete the former owners' accounts from the original tenant?
Once the required data is safely migrated to the new tenant, the new business owners or their IT administrator should delete or disable the former owners' accounts in the original Microsoft 365 admin center to revoke access to the company environment.
