How to Transfer a Mastodon Account Without Losing Followers

Moving your Mastodon account to a new instance or a new username often raises a single concern: losing the followers you spent time building. Mastodon includes a built-in migration tool that transfers your followers to the new account automatically, but only if you follow the correct order of steps. This article explains how the account migration feature works, what prerequisites you need, and the exact procedure to move your account without losing a single follower.

How Mastodon Account Migration Works

Mastodon does not physically move your posts, media, or direct messages to the new account. The migration feature transfers only your followers, follow requests, lists, and domain blocks from the old account to the new account. The old account becomes locked and displays a redirect notice pointing visitors to the new account. This redirect stays in place for 30 days to give remote servers time to process the migration request.

The migration is a one-way operation. You cannot undo it after you complete the process. The old account retains its original posts and media, but you will no longer be able to post from it or log into it after the migration finishes. Mastodon requires that the new account be at least 30 days old to prevent users from creating throwaway accounts to harvest followers.

What Gets Transferred

The migration moves the following data from the old account to the new account:

• All followers and follow requests
• All lists you created
• All domain blocks you configured
• Your profile redirect notice (visible on the old account profile page)

What Does NOT Get Transferred

The migration does not transfer the following items:

• Your posts and media attachments
• Direct messages and private mentions
• Your profile picture, header image, display name, and bio
• Your bookmarks and favorites
• Your mute and block lists

Prerequisites Before You Start the Migration

Before you begin the migration process, verify the following conditions:

• The new Mastodon account must be at least 30 days old.
• The new account must have a confirmed email address.
• You must have access to both the old account and the new account at the same time.
• The old account must not be suspended or disabled.
• You should export your old account data (posts, media, and settings) before starting the migration, because you will lose access to the old account after the migration completes.

Steps to Transfer Your Mastodon Account Without Losing Followers

Follow these steps in the exact order shown. Do not skip any step.

1. Export your data from the old account
   Log into your old Mastodon account. Go to Preferences > Import and Export > Export. Click the buttons to download your archive, your following list, and your block list. Save these files to your computer. This step is optional but recommended because you cannot access the old account after migration.
2. Update your new account profile
   Log into your new Mastodon account. Go to Preferences > Profile. Set your display name, bio, profile picture, and header image to match your old account. This helps your followers recognize you after the migration.
3. Set up the redirect on the old account
   Log into your old Mastodon account. Go to Preferences > Account. Scroll down to the section labeled Moving from a different account. Click the link or button that says Move to a different account.
4. Enter the new account handle
   In the form that appears, enter the full handle of your new account. The handle must include the username and the instance domain, for example @username@newinstance.com. Do not include the leading @ symbol in the handle field.
5. Generate and enter the confirmation code
   Mastodon displays a confirmation code on the old account page. Copy this code. Switch to your new Mastodon account. Go to Preferences > Account > Move from a different account. Paste the confirmation code into the field and click Submit or Confirm. This step proves you control both accounts.
6. Wait for the migration to process
   After you confirm the code, the old account initiates the migration. The process can take a few minutes to several hours, depending on the size of your follower list and the load on the remote servers. Your followers will see a notification from the old account pointing them to your new account. They do not need to take any action unless they want to unfollow you.
7. Verify the migration completed
   Log into your new account. Go to your profile page and check your follower count. It should match or be very close to the follower count from your old account. Also check the old account profile page. It should display a redirect notice with a link to your new account.

Common Issues and How to Handle Them

Followers Lost After Account Migration Between Instances

If some followers do not appear on the new account after the migration, the remote servers hosting those followers may not have processed the migration request yet. Mastodon sends the migration notification to each remote server, but some servers process these requests slowly. Wait 24 to 48 hours. If followers still do not appear, ask those followers to unfollow and refollow your new account manually.

Migration Code Not Accepted on the New Account

The confirmation code expires after a short time. If you get an error when pasting the code, generate a new code from the old account and try again. Also verify that the new account handle you entered on the old account exactly matches the handle of the new account, including the correct instance domain.

Old Account Still Shows as Active After Migration

The old account remains visible for 30 days but becomes locked. You cannot post from it or log into it after the migration completes. This is by design. The old account stays online so remote servers can verify the redirect and update their local records. After 30 days, the old account becomes fully inactive.

Mastodon Account Migration vs Manual Move

Item	Migration Tool	Manual Move
Follower transfer	Automatic, server-driven	You must ask each follower to refollow
Post transfer	Not transferred	Not transferred
Profile data	Not transferred	You copy it manually
Time required	Minutes to hours	Days to weeks
Old account status	Locked with redirect for 30 days	Remains active or gets deleted
Follower notification	Automatic	You send individual messages

You can now transfer your Mastodon account to a new instance or username without losing your follower base. The migration tool handles the heavy lifting by sending a handshake request to every remote server that follows you. After the migration completes, update your profile on the new account and consider posting a toot to announce the move. For advanced users, consider using the Mastodon API to automate the export of your lists and blocks before migration.