Amazon WorkMail end of support: dates and what to do
Updated · Rotomal
AWS ends support for Amazon WorkMail on 31 March 2027. After that date you can no longer use WorkMail, open its console or reach WorkMail resources, and new customers have not been accepted since 30 April 2026. Move your mailboxes to another provider and switch your domain's DNS before then; AWS's own export covers email and calendar items but not contacts.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 30 April 2026 | Amazon WorkMail stops accepting new customers. Accounts that signed up before this date keep working. |
| Now to 31 March 2027 | Existing customers can keep using WorkMail features while they migrate. |
| 31 March 2027 | End of support. No more access to the WorkMail console or WorkMail resources. |
What AWS recommends
AWS recommends moving to third-party providers such as Kopano Cloud, Zoho Mail and Zoom Mail, which it says offer comparable capabilities and migration tooling, and says other providers in the market work too. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are the usual choices for businesses that already use Office or Google apps.
What AWS's mailbox export does and does not do
- It uses the StartMailboxExportJob API to export a mailbox to a .zip file in an S3 bucket, in MIME format.
- It exports email messages and calendar items. Contacts and tasks are not exported.
- It needs an S3 bucket that blocks public access, a symmetric KMS key, an IAM role, and, in AWS's own words, the ability to program.
- You can run up to 10 export jobs at a time per organization, and each mailbox once every 24 hours.
- The export is an archive, not a migration: it does not put mail into a new provider or switch your domain.
The DNS records that move with you
| Record | What it does today | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| MX | Delivers incoming mail to WorkMail | Point it at the new provider at the switch |
| AutoDiscover CNAME | Lets Outlook and phones find WorkMail settings | Replace with the new provider's record |
| SPF TXT | Authorizes Amazon SES to send for your domain | Add the new provider, remove SES once WorkMail sending stops |
| DKIM CNAMEs | Sign mail sent through SES | Add the new provider's DKIM keys before the switch |
| DMARC TXT | Tells receivers what to do with mail that fails checks | Keep it; check reports after the switch |
| MAIL FROM TXT and MX | Custom MAIL FROM domain for SES | Remove after the move if nothing else on SES uses it |
AWS recommends an MX and AutoDiscover TTL of 3600 seconds and notes that DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to process, so lower the TTLs a day or two before the switch.
A move plan that works for a small office
- List every user, group, alias and resource mailbox in the WorkMail console.
- Sign up with the new provider and verify your domain there, without touching MX yet.
- Copy mail, calendars and contacts while WorkMail keeps running.
- Lower TTLs, then switch MX, AutoDiscover, SPF and DKIM in one window.
- Run a final copy for anything that arrived during the switch, set up phones and Outlook, and take a final export archive before 31 March 2027.
If you want it done for you
WorkMail Exit does exactly this: a check of your domain's DNS first, then mail, calendars and contacts copied to the provider you choose, the DNS switched in one planned window, and a final copy and archive. $75 for up to 5 mailboxes, paid once, with no setup fee.
Questions
Is Amazon WorkMail being discontinued?
Yes. AWS ends support for Amazon WorkMail on 31 March 2027 and stopped accepting new customers on 30 April 2026.
What happens to my WorkMail mail after 31 March 2027?
AWS says you will no longer be able to access the WorkMail console or WorkMail resources after that date. Move or export everything you want to keep before then.
Can I still sign up for WorkMail?
No. WorkMail has not accepted new customers since 30 April 2026.
Does the WorkMail export include contacts?
No. AWS's mailbox export covers email messages and calendar items; contacts and tasks are not exported. Move contacts through an email client or the new provider's migration tool.
What does AWS recommend instead of WorkMail?
AWS names Kopano Cloud, Zoho Mail and Zoom Mail as alternatives and says other third-party providers work as well.
Do I lose my domain when WorkMail ends?
No. Your domain and its DNS, including a Route 53 hosted zone, are separate from WorkMail. Only the mail records need new values.
Sources
- AWS: Amazon WorkMail end of support Source: docs.aws.amazon.com
- AWS: Exporting mailbox content Source: docs.aws.amazon.com
- AWS: Adding a domain to Amazon WorkMail (DNS records) Source: docs.aws.amazon.com
- AWS: Setting up email clients for Amazon WorkMail Source: docs.aws.amazon.com