MXroute to JustEmails: imapsync export, MX cutover, DKIM rotation, DMARC monitoring — complete runbook with mail-tester verification.
The DirectAdmin login page loaded slowly on a Tuesday afternoon. I needed to add one catch-all address for a client domain. Twenty minutes later, I was still clicking through nested menus, second-guessing whether "Email Routing" was the right section or if I needed "Forwarders" instead.
MXroute's email infrastructure is solid. I'll say that upfront. The service has run since 2013, Jarland knows what he's doing, and the pricing philosophy — flat-fee, no per-user nonsense — matches exactly what we believe at JustEmails. We wrote the full MXroute vs JustEmails comparison already. This isn't about which service is "better." It's about how to migrate if you've decided to switch.
And look — if you're sitting on an MXroute lifetime deal from a Black Friday sale, think hard before migrating. A $50 one-time payment you made in 2019 is tough to beat on pure economics. But if DirectAdmin's UX is costing you hours, or you need faster support windows, or you want a transactional email API bundled in, here's the runbook.
We're the JustEmails team, part of Velocity Digital Labs. We've done this migration ourselves and walked others through it. MXroute has some specific quirks — the IMAP server hostnames vary by account, DirectAdmin's export options aren't obvious, and the DKIM selector names differ from what you'll use on JustEmails. We'll cover all of it.
All your email history moved to JustEmails. MX records pointing to our servers. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configured and passing authentication. A mail-tester.com score in the green.
Your addresses working exactly as before — just on infrastructure that doesn't require a sysadmin certificate to navigate. Honestly, I keep underselling this part: the dashboard is just... normal. Click things, they work. Revolutionary, I know.
Before you start:
imappro.mail.mxrouting.net but varies by account)One thing people miss: MXroute's IMAP server isn't always the same across accounts. Log into DirectAdmin, go to Email Accounts, click on a mailbox, and look for the "Mail Server" or "IMAP/POP3" connection info. Write this down.
This trips people up. MXroute uses DirectAdmin, and the IMAP connection details aren't always where you expect.
Log into your MXroute DirectAdmin panel. Navigate to E-mail Manager → E-mail Accounts. Click on any mailbox. You'll see connection settings that look something like:
IMAP Server: imappro.mail.mxrouting.net
IMAP Port: 993 (SSL)
Username: user@yourdomain.com
Password: (your mailbox password)
The server hostname varies. Some accounts use echo.mxrouting.net, others use arrow.mxrouting.net, others use the imappro.mail.* format. Don't guess. Copy the exact value.
If you've forgotten a mailbox password, reset it in DirectAdmin. You'll need it for imapsync.
Log into JustEmails. Add your domain — verification is a TXT record that propagates in a few minutes.
Create a mailbox for every address you're migrating. Match them exactly: sarah@yourcompany.com in MXroute becomes sarah@yourcompany.com in JustEmails. Same for role accounts — support@, billing@, hello@, whatever you've got.
JustEmails includes unlimited mailboxes on the $49/year plan. Create all of them now. Write down the IMAP credentials for each one.
Don't touch MX records yet.
imapsync copies mail between IMAP servers, preserving folder structure, read/unread flags, dates — everything. If you're migrating from Gmail instead, the process differs slightly — check our Gmail to JustEmails migration guide for label-to-folder mapping specifics.
On Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install imapsync
On macOS with Homebrew:
brew install imapsync
Verify installation:
imapsync --version
You should see version 2.x or higher.
Now the sync. Replace placeholders with your actual values:
imapsync \
--host1 imappro.mail.mxrouting.net --port1 993 --ssl1 \
--user1 "sarah@yourcompany.com" --password1 "mxroute-password" \
--host2 mail.justemails.app --port2 993 --ssl2 \
--user2 "sarah@yourcompany.com" --password2 "justemails-password" \
--automap
MXroute uses standard IMAP folder names (Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Trash), so the --automap flag handles mapping cleanly. You won't hit the weird folder-name issues that Gmail migrations cause.
Run this for each mailbox. For multiple accounts, use a CSV and a bash loop:
while IFS=, read -r user mxpass jpass; do
imapsync \
--host1 imappro.mail.mxrouting.net --port1 993 --ssl1 \
--user1 "$user" --password1 "$mxpass" \
--host2 mail.justemails.app --port2 993 --ssl2 \
--user2 "$user" --password2 "$jpass" \
--automap
done < users.csv
CSV format: email,mxroute-password,justemails-password. One row per mailbox.
First sync takes a while depending on mailbox size. A 4GB archive took us about 2 hours. imapsync is resumable — if it crashes, run the same command again and it picks up where it stopped.
Let it run. Go do something else. I usually start these before lunch and come back to a finished sync. The one time I tried to "monitor progress," I just watched a progress bar for 90 minutes like a complete fool.
Your MX records have a TTL. When you change them, some mail servers will keep delivering to the old destination until that TTL expires.
In your DNS panel:
Wait at least as long as your old TTL was. If it was 3600 (1 hour), wait an hour. If it was 86400 (24 hours), wait a day. This is boring. It's also the difference between a clean cutover and mail disappearing into the wrong server for six hours while you panic.
While waiting, grab the DNS records you'll need from JustEmails — MX, SPF, DKIM. They're in your domain settings.
Delete the MXroute MX records. They probably look something like:
echo.mxrouting.net (priority 10)
echo-relay.mxrouting.net (priority 20)
(Or arrow.*, or your specific server assignment.)
Add the JustEmails MX record from your dashboard. MXroute hands you a primary and a relay; we hand you one host, so you're replacing two rows with one:
mail1.justemails.app (priority 10)
Check your JustEmails domain settings — the same single value is shown there.
Two figures to have in hand as mail starts flowing through the new host. The daily sending limit is 20/day for the first week after your domain verifies, 200/day for the second, and 500/day from day 15 onward, held per account rather than per mailbox. Distinct recipients are capped at 100 per hour. Both cover mailbox and API sends together, so if a domain you're moving fans a notice out to a few hundred addresses on a schedule, plan that send against these rather than against the old host's behaviour.
Your existing SPF record includes MXroute. Find it — it probably looks like:
v=spf1 include:mxroute.com ~all
Change it to:
v=spf1 a:mail1.justemails.app ~all
That's an a: mechanism, not an include — it authorises the IP that mail1.justemails.app resolves to. Some guides still show an include: form for JustEmails; don't publish one. An include that points at a hostname with no TXT record authorises no IPs at all, so SPF fails while the record still looks tidy in your DNS panel.
If you have other senders (Mailchimp, Postmark, your app's transactional email), keep their includes alongside it:
v=spf1 a:mail1.justemails.app include:servers.mcsv.net ~all
One SPF record only. Multiple SPF records = SPF validation fails = your mail lands in spam. We covered this in depth in our SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup guide.
I've debugged this at 11 PM more times than I'd like. The worst part? It's always someone who "just added the new one without removing the old one to be safe." Safe. Right.
For DKIM, add the new records from JustEmails. They're typically CNAMEs:
je1._domainkey.yourcompany.com → je1.dkim.justemails.app
je2._domainkey.yourcompany.com → je2.dkim.justemails.app
Delete the old MXroute DKIM record (usually something like x._domainkey or a selector specific to your MXroute server).
Don't tighten your DMARC policy during a migration. If you're at p=reject, consider dropping to p=quarantine for a week. If you're at p=none, stay there.
Make sure your aggregate report address (rua=mailto:...) points to a mailbox that's already receiving mail on JustEmails, or an external service like DMARCian. You want visibility into any authentication failures.
v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourcompany.com; fo=1
Watch those reports for the first few days. For the full walkthrough on tightening DMARC after migration, see our p=none to p=reject guide.
Don't trust "it looks fine." Test it.
Run your domain through MXToolbox:
https://mxtoolbox.com/SuperTool.aspx?action=mx:yourcompany.com
You should see the single JustEmails MX host, valid SPF, valid DKIM.
Then send a test email to mail-tester.com. They'll give you a score out of 10. Aim for 9+. If you're below 8, something's misconfigured. Check SPF and DKIM first.
Send test emails from an external account to your migrated addresses. Send from your migrated addresses to external accounts. Verify both directions land in inbox, not spam.
Mail that arrived at MXroute between your initial sync and the MX cutover is still sitting on MXroute. Run imapsync again:
imapsync \
--host1 imappro.mail.mxrouting.net --port1 993 --ssl1 \
--user1 "sarah@yourcompany.com" --password1 "mxroute-password" \
--host2 mail.justemails.app --port2 993 --ssl2 \
--user2 "sarah@yourcompany.com" --password2 "justemails-password" \
--automap
Same command. imapsync only copies new or changed messages — won't duplicate. This delta sync is usually fast. Minutes, not hours.
Your team's mail clients need new server settings:
Incoming (IMAP):
Outgoing (SMTP):
Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail, mobile apps — all of them. If you're using JustBrowser for client isolation, update the mail profiles there too.
This part is tedious. I'm not going to pretend it's fun. Budget 10 minutes per person for the non-technical ones who need screenshots. Budget extra patience for the person who somehow has three different mail apps on their phone and "doesn't remember which one they actually use."
imapsync fails with "NO Authenticate"
Your MXroute password is wrong. Reset it in DirectAdmin. Make sure you're using the mailbox password, not your DirectAdmin login.
Can't find MXroute IMAP server
The hostname varies by account. Check DirectAdmin → E-mail Manager → E-mail Accounts → click any mailbox → look for connection info. Don't guess. Common patterns include echo.mxrouting.net, arrow.mxrouting.net, and imappro.mail.mxrouting.net.
Mail still arriving at MXroute after cutover
DNS propagation isn't complete. If your old TTL was high, some servers are still caching. Keep your MXroute account active and run delta syncs daily until traffic stops.
DKIM fails validation
Wait 15-60 minutes for CNAME propagation. If it still fails, check the record names — it's je1._domainkey.yourcompany.com, not je1.domainkey.yourcompany.com. That underscore matters.
Mail-tester score is low
Usually SPF or DKIM misconfiguration. Verify you have only ONE SPF record. Verify both DKIM CNAMEs are published. MXToolbox will tell you exactly what's wrong. For a deeper dive, see our email deliverability troubleshooting guide.
Real talk: not everyone should migrate.
Stay on MXroute if:
Consider JustEmails if:
There's no shame in staying on MXroute. Jarland built a good service. (Genuinely — I've recommended MXroute to people who didn't need what we offer.) We're offering a different tradeoff — modern UX and faster support in exchange for annual pricing instead of lifetime deals. Pick what fits.
Don't cancel MXroute immediately. Some mail servers cache aggressively. Keep the account active and run imapsync every few days for two weeks. Once you verify no new mail is arriving at MXroute, you're safe to let it go.
If you're managing multiple client domains, JustAnalytics gives you a unified dashboard for tracking engagement across all of them — one place instead of scattered reports. And for click fraud on paid campaigns across those domains, ClickzProtect handles detection automatically.
That depends on what's driving the move. If it's price — stay on MXroute. Your lifetime deal already paid for itself, and JustEmails at $49/year will never beat $0/year ongoing. But if you're frustrated with DirectAdmin's interface, want faster support response, or need the bundled transactional email API, the $49/year might be worth reclaiming your time. We've seen operators switch because they got tired of explaining Roundcube to clients. Only you know if that friction costs more than $49.
Plan for 3-4 days. Day 1 is account setup and initial imapsync. Day 2 is TTL lowering. Day 3 is the MX cutover and DNS updates. Day 4 is delta sync and verification. Hands-on work is 2-3 hours total — the rest is waiting for DNS propagation. Smaller mailboxes can finish faster, but don't rush the TTL window or you'll catch mail in the wrong place.
Yes. MXroute exposes standard IMAP on imappro.mail.mxrouting.net (or your assigned server — check DirectAdmin). imapsync connects to any IMAP server regardless of control panel. The --automap flag handles folder mapping automatically. MXroute uses standard IMAP folder names, so you won't hit the weird mapping issues you get with Gmail's labels.
Catch-all behavior lives in your mail server configuration, not your mail archive. When you switch MX records to JustEmails, configure catch-all in the JustEmails dashboard — it's a toggle per domain. Your historical catch-all mail syncs over with imapsync like any other folder. The catch-all rule itself doesn't migrate; you're just recreating the same behavior on the new server.
Yes, but we recommend staggering them. Do one domain first as a proof run, verify everything works, then batch the rest. JustEmails supports unlimited domains on the $49/year plan, so add them all upfront. For the imapsync step, use the CSV batch script from Step 3 — just add all mailboxes across all domains to one CSV. The MX and DNS changes need to happen per-domain, so that's where staggering helps. One domain per day keeps the chaos manageable.
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