You joined mastodon.social when you first tried Mastodon, but now the federated timeline feels too noisy and the moderation style does not match your preferences. Moving to a smaller instance gives you a closer community and a timeline that fits your interests. This article explains the complete process to transfer your profile, followers, and lists from mastodon.social to a new instance without losing your identity.
The move uses Mastodon’s built-in account migration feature. This feature copies your followers, follow requests, lists, and muted or blocked accounts. It does not move your posts or media. You must set up a new account on the smaller instance first, then initiate the migration from your old mastodon.social account. The entire process takes about 30 minutes and requires access to both accounts.
This guide covers the prerequisites, the step-by-step migration, and the common pitfalls that cause follower loss or failed redirects.
Key Takeaways: Moving From mastodon.social to a Smaller Instance
- Preferences > Account > Move from a different account: Initiates the follower migration handshake between your old and new Mastodon accounts.
- Preferences > Account > Account aliases: Links your old mastodon.social profile to your new instance so the old profile redirects visitors.
- Export and import CSV files: Backs up your following list and blocked accounts before you start the migration.
Why You Need to Create a New Account Before Migrating
Mastodon does not allow you to move an existing account between instances. You must create a brand new account on the smaller instance you chose. The migration process then copies your social graph to that new account and sets up a redirect from your old profile.
The smaller instance must run Mastodon version 3.5.0 or newer. Most active instances updated to this version by 2023. You can verify the version by visiting the instance’s about page at instance-url/about or checking the footer of the web interface.
Your mastodon.social account remains active after the migration. Your posts, media, and direct messages stay on mastodon.social. The migration only moves followers, follow requests, lists, and mute or block settings. If you want to delete your mastodon.social account later, you must do that manually after the migration completes.
Complete Steps to Move From mastodon.social to a Smaller Instance
- Create a new account on the smaller instance
Go to the smaller instance’s signup page and register a new account. Use the same display name and avatar you had on mastodon.social. Confirm the email address and log in to the new account at least once. - Export your data from mastodon.social
Log in to your mastodon.social account. Open Preferences > Import and export > Data export. Click the CSV export buttons for Following list, Blocked users, Muted users, and Domain blocks. Save each CSV file to your computer. - Import your data into the new instance
Log in to your new account. Open Preferences > Import and export > Import. For each CSV file, choose the matching import type and upload the file. Click Upload. This step restores your following list and block settings on the new instance. - Set an account alias on mastodon.social
On your mastodon.social account, open Preferences > Account. Scroll to the Moving from a different account section. Click the link labeled Add an alias for your old account. Enter the full handle of your new account, for example @username@newinstance.social. Click Save. This step tells mastodon.social that you own both accounts. - Start the follower migration from the new account
Log in to your new account. Open Preferences > Account. Scroll to the Moving from a different account section. Click the button labeled Move from a different account. Enter the full handle of your mastodon.social account, for example @username@mastodon.social. Click Proceed. Mastodon sends a migration request to your old instance. - Confirm the migration on mastodon.social
Check the email inbox for your mastodon.social account. You will receive a confirmation email from mastodon.social with the subject line Confirm account move. Open the email and click the confirmation link. This step authorizes the migration. - Wait for the migration to complete
After you confirm, the migration runs in the background. It usually finishes within 10 minutes. Your old mastodon.social profile now shows a banner that redirects visitors to your new account. Your followers on the old account receive a notification that you moved. They are automatically redirected to follow your new account. - Verify everything transferred correctly
Log in to your new account. Check your followers count. It should match the count you had on mastodon.social minus any accounts that were deleted or suspended. Check your following list and your lists to confirm they imported correctly.
What Happens to Your Posts and Media After Migration
Mastodon does not move posts, media files, or direct messages during an account migration. Your mastodon.social profile stays online with all your past content. The redirect banner tells visitors that you moved, but your old posts remain accessible.
If you want to preserve your posts, you have two options. First, you can export your archive from mastodon.social by going to Preferences > Import and export > Data export and clicking Request your archive. Mastodon will prepare a ZIP file containing all your posts in JSON format. Second, you can use a third-party tool like mastodon-archive to download your media files separately.
After you are satisfied with the migration, you can delete your mastodon.social account. Open Preferences > Account > Delete account. Enter your password and confirm. This action is permanent. Your old profile URL will become inaccessible, and your posts will disappear.
Common Migration Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Followers Not Showing Up on the New Account
If your followers do not appear on the new account, the most likely cause is that you skipped step 4 (setting the account alias) or step 6 (confirming the migration email). Go back and verify both steps. Also check that your new instance is running Mastodon 3.5.0 or newer. Older versions do not support the migration feature.
Lists and Mutes Did Not Transfer
Lists and mute settings only transfer if you used the CSV export and import steps. If you did not export the CSV files from mastodon.social, the migration alone does not copy these settings. Log in to your old account, export the CSV files, and import them into your new account. You can do this after the migration completes.
The Redirect Banner Is Not Showing on the Old Profile
The redirect banner appears only after you complete the account alias step and the migration confirmation. Visit your mastodon.social profile page in a private browser window. If the banner is missing, repeat steps 4 and 5. Make sure you entered the correct handle for your new account.
Mastodon.social vs Smaller Instance: Key Differences for Your Decision
| Item | mastodon.social | Smaller Instance |
|---|---|---|
| User count | Over 500,000 | Usually under 5,000 |
| Federated timeline activity | Posts every few seconds, high noise | Posts every few minutes, easier to follow |
| Moderation team size | Large, but slow response due to volume | Small, often faster personal responses |
| Server load and downtime | Occasional slowdowns during peak hours | Generally stable with lower load |
| Community atmosphere | Broad, impersonal | Focused, topic-specific |
Moving from mastodon.social to a smaller instance gives you more control over your Mastodon experience. The key is to follow the migration steps in order and verify each step before proceeding. Once the migration finishes, you can immediately start posting from your new account. Your followers will find you through the automatic redirect.
If you want to preserve the content of your old posts, export your archive before you delete the mastodon.social account. You can then import that archive into a Mastodon-compatible tool like Mastodon Archive Viewer for offline browsing. For daily use, the smaller instance will give you a quieter, more relevant timeline that matches your interests.