How to Migrate Mastodon Account Across Multiple Aliases Step by Step

You want to move your Mastodon account to a new server but keep your followers, lists, and profile intact. Mastodon allows you to migrate from one account to another, but the process becomes more complex when you manage multiple aliases or want to consolidate several accounts into one. The built-in migration tools handle only a single source account at a time, so moving across multiple aliases requires careful sequencing and manual steps. This article explains how to prepare multiple accounts, run the migration process for each alias, and verify that all followers and data transfer successfully.

Understanding Mastodon Migration and Multiple Aliases

Mastodon account migration moves your followers, follow requests, and muted/blocked lists from one account to another. It does not move your posts, media, or direct messages. When you migrate, the old account is redirected to the new account, and followers see a notice that you have moved. The process relies on a cryptographic handshake between the two accounts. The old account must confirm that it authorizes the move, and the new account must accept the incoming followers.

If you have multiple aliases, you cannot migrate them all at once. Mastodon supports only one incoming migration per new account at a time. You must migrate each alias sequentially, waiting for each migration to complete before starting the next. The new account can accept migrations from as many old accounts as you need, but each migration requires a separate authorization step.

Before you begin, you need access to the email and password for every alias you plan to migrate. You also need the new account ready on your target server. The new account must have the same email address as the old account only if you want to merge the accounts; otherwise, you can use a different email. The new account must have at least one post and its profile set to public to allow follower migration.

Steps to Migrate Multiple Mastodon Aliases to a New Account

1. Prepare the new account on the target server
   Create a new Mastodon account on the server where you want to consolidate your aliases. Complete the profile: add a display name, bio, avatar, and header image. Publish at least one public post. Confirm the email address. Set the account to public visibility so followers can see your new profile.
2. Export follow lists from each alias
   Log into the first alias account. Go to Preferences > Import and export > Export. Download the CSV file for your follows list. Repeat this for every alias you plan to migrate. Save each CSV file with a distinct name, such as alias1-follows.csv, alias2-follows.csv. You will need these files to re-follow accounts after migration.
3. Log into the new account and start the first migration
   Log into the new account on the target server. Go to Preferences > Account > Move from a different account. Enter the username and domain of the first alias you want to migrate. Click Continue. Mastodon sends a confirmation request to the alias account.
4. Approve the migration on the alias account
   Log out of the new account. Log into the first alias account. You should see a notification or a banner at the top of the screen asking you to confirm the move. Click the confirmation link. Alternatively, go to Preferences > Account > Account settings and look for the Move to a different account section. Confirm the move. The alias account now redirects to your new account.
5. Wait for follower transfer to complete
   After confirmation, the follower migration begins. This process can take a few minutes to several hours depending on the number of followers and the server load. Do not start the next migration until the first one finishes. Check the new account to see if follower counts have increased.
6. Repeat the migration process for each alias
   Log into the new account again. Go to Preferences > Account > Move from a different account. Enter the username and domain of the next alias. Follow the same steps: confirm from the alias account, wait for transfer, and verify. Continue this sequence until all aliases have been migrated.
7. Import the follow lists from each alias
   After all migrations are complete, log into the new account. Go to Preferences > Import and export > Import. Select the CSV file for the first alias. Choose Follows as the import type. Click Upload. Repeat for each alias follow list. This step ensures you follow all the accounts you previously followed on each alias.
8. Set up redirects for each alias profile
   For each alias, the migration automatically sets a redirect notice on the profile page. Confirm this by visiting the alias profile URL in a browser. It should display a banner saying the account has moved and link to your new account. If the redirect is missing, go to the alias account settings and manually set the Redirect to a different account option.

Common Mistakes and Limitations When Migrating Multiple Aliases

Followers Not Transferring After Migration

If followers do not appear on the new account, check that the alias account was not deleted before the migration completed. Do not delete the alias account until all followers have transferred. Also verify that the new account has at least one public post. Mastodon requires the new account to be active before it accepts incoming followers. If followers still do not transfer, wait 24 hours and check again. If the issue persists, contact the server administrator of the alias account.

Unable to Start a Second Migration on the New Account

The new account may show an error when you try to initiate a second migration. This happens if the first migration is still processing. Wait until the follower count stabilizes on the new account. Then try again. If the error persists, log out of the new account, clear your browser cache, and log back in. Then attempt the second migration.

Follow Lists Import Overwrites Existing Follows

When you import a follow list CSV, Mastodon adds those accounts to your existing follows. It does not remove any follows you already have. However, if you import the same CSV multiple times, you may see duplicate follow requests that are silently ignored. To avoid confusion, import each alias CSV only once.

Posts and Media Do Not Transfer

Mastodon migration does not move your posts, media files, or direct messages. If you want to preserve your posts, use the export feature to download your archive. Go to Preferences > Import and export > Export and download the archive. You can then manually repost important content on the new account. Direct messages are not exportable; they stay on the old server.

Item	Single Account Migration	Multiple Alias Migration
Number of migrations needed	One	One per alias
Follower transfer	Automatic	Automatic per migration
Follow list export needed	Optional	Required for each alias
Post transfer	Not supported	Not supported
Profile redirect	Automatic	Automatic per alias
Time to complete	Minutes to hours	Hours to days

After completing all migrations, you can safely delete the alias accounts if you no longer need them. To delete an alias, go to Preferences > Account > Delete account. Deleting an alias removes its profile and redirect notice. Your new account retains all followers and follows that were transferred.

Consider setting up a bookmark or note listing all your aliases and their migration status. This helps you track which accounts have been migrated and which still need processing. If you manage a large number of aliases, schedule the migrations over several days to avoid server rate limits.

For advanced users, you can use the Mastodon API to automate the migration process. The API endpoints for migration are documented in the Mastodon developer guide. Automating the process can reduce manual steps but requires programming knowledge and careful error handling.