You want to move your Mastodon account to a different instance but keep your old posts and follower list intact. Mastodon provides a built-in migration feature that transfers followers automatically, but it does not move your existing toots to the new server. This article explains how to set up a redirect from your old profile so followers find you on the new instance while your old toots remain visible and searchable on the original server.
Mastodon’s account migration tool lets you move your followers and follow lists to a new account without deleting your old profile. Your old toots stay on the old instance as a public archive. This is different from a full data export, which copies your posts but does not preserve follower relationships. By combining a profile redirect with a data export, you can keep your content accessible and guide your audience to your new home.
This article covers the prerequisites for migration, the step-by-step process to move followers, how to set up an automatic redirect from your old profile, and what happens to your old posts after the move.
Key Takeaways: Migrating Followers Without Losing Old Toots
- Preferences > Account > Move from a different account: Initiates the follower migration handshake to a new Mastodon account.
- Old profile redirect setting: Automatically sends visitors from your old profile URL to your new account page.
- Data export via Preferences > Import and Export > Export: Downloads your full archive including toots, media, and lists for offline storage.
How Mastodon Account Migration Preserves Your Old Toots
Mastodon treats account migration as a follower transfer, not a content move. When you initiate a migration, your old account sends a request to the new account. After you confirm the move on the new account, the old account is marked as moved. Your followers on the old instance receive a notification and are asked if they want to follow the new account. Your old toots remain on the old instance’s database and are still accessible at their original URLs.
The migration does not delete your old account or its content. The old profile stays online as a read-only archive unless you choose to delete it later. This means your old posts continue to appear in search results, federated timelines, and other instances. The only change is that the old profile displays a banner linking to your new account.
To keep your old toots permanently, you must set the old account to redirect visitors to your new profile. This redirect is a separate setting from the migration itself. If you delete the old account, all its toots are removed from the server. If you want to keep them visible indefinitely, do not delete the old account.
Steps to Migrate Followers and Set Up a Profile Redirect
Before starting, create your new Mastodon account on the target instance. Do not post anything on the new account yet. The migration process requires access to both accounts. You need the email address and password for the old account and the login credentials for the new account.
- Export data from your old account
On your old account, go to Preferences > Import and Export > Export. Click the Export button to download a CSV file containing your following list and a JSON file with your account data. Store these files locally. They serve as a backup in case you need to re-import your follows later. - Generate an account alias on the new account
Log in to your new account. Navigate to Preferences > Account > Move from a different account. In the field labeled Old account handle, enter your old account’s full handle including the instance domain. For example,@username@oldinstance.social. Click Save. This creates an alias that links the two accounts. - Initiate the migration from the old account
Log back into your old account. Go to Preferences > Account > Move to a different account. In the New account handle field, enter your new account’s full handle. You also need to enter the password for your old account to confirm the action. Click Move Followers. The old account sends a request to the new account. - Confirm the migration on the new account
Switch to your new account. You should see a notification asking you to confirm the follower migration. Click Confirm. The new account now processes the follower transfer. This can take a few minutes depending on the number of followers. Your followers on the old instance will receive a notification and can choose to follow you on the new account. - Set up the profile redirect on the old account
On your old account, go to Preferences > Account. Under the Account settings section, find the option labeled Redirect to a different account. Enter your new account’s full handle and save. Now when anyone visits your old profile URL, they are automatically redirected to your new profile. This redirect works for both web browsers and federated lookups from other instances. - Post an announcement on your new account
After the migration completes, create a pinned post on your new account stating that you have moved. Include the URL of your old account so followers who missed the migration notice can verify the move. This also helps search engines associate the two profiles.
What Happens to Your Old Toots After Migration
Your old toots remain on the old instance exactly as they were. They are still visible to anyone who has the direct URL. The old profile shows a notice that the account has moved to the new handle. Visitors who arrive at your old profile are redirected to your new account, but they can still navigate back to view individual posts.
If you delete the old account at any point, all its toots are permanently removed from the server. This includes replies, media attachments, and poll results. There is no way to recover them after deletion. If you want to keep the old toots accessible as an archive, leave the old account active with the redirect enabled.
The migration does not transfer your old toots to the new account. Mastodon is designed as a federated network where each instance hosts its own content. Moving toots between instances would require server-level cooperation that is not part of the standard migration protocol. The only way to have your old toots appear on the new account is to manually repost them or use a third-party tool to import them, which may break federation rules on some instances.
Common Mistakes That Put Old Toots at Risk
Deleting the old account before migration completes
If you delete your old account while the migration is still processing, the follower transfer fails. Your old toots are also deleted immediately. Wait at least 24 hours after the migration confirmation before considering any account deletion. Verify that followers have arrived on the new account by checking your follower count.
Not setting the redirect before posting on the new account
Without the redirect, visitors who reach your old profile see no link to your new account. They may assume you left the platform entirely. Set the redirect immediately after confirming the migration. The redirect also helps Mastodon’s federation layer resolve mentions and boosts that reference the old handle.
Exporting data after the migration instead of before
The data export includes your current following list. If you export after the migration, you get an empty list because the old account no longer follows anyone. Always export before starting the migration process.
Mastodon Follower Migration vs Full Account Deletion
| Item | Follower Migration With Redirect | Full Account Deletion |
|---|---|---|
| Followers transferred | Yes | No |
| Old toots preserved | Yes, on old instance | No, permanently deleted |
| Profile redirect from old URL | Yes, configurable | Not possible |
| Data export available | Yes, before migration | Yes, before deletion |
| Follower notification | Sent automatically | Not sent |
You can now migrate your Mastodon followers to a new instance while keeping your old toots accessible as a public archive. The key steps are exporting data first, creating an alias on the new account, initiating the move from the old account, and enabling the profile redirect. Do not delete the old account if you want to preserve your posts. As an advanced tip, consider setting up a custom domain redirect from your old profile URL to your new one using the instance’s redirect setting combined with a pinned post that lists your new handle.