Migrate from Hiver | Unifiedesk

Why Migrate from Hiver?

You’re using Hiver to manage team email—but what if you couldn’t access your inbox tomorrow? No recovery. No export. No control.

Hiver stores your entire mailbox in its cloud. That means your team’s emails, attachments, and metadata aren’t yours—they’re Hiver’s. You don’t own the data. You can’t verify how it’s stored, where it’s backed up, or how long it sticks around.

When you export, it’s only to a PDF or basic CSV—no full message bodies, no email threads, no attachments in context. You’re not saving your inbox. You’re saving a facsimile.

Want to keep emails for compliance? Enforce retention? Audit access? Hiver makes those decisions for you. You’re not in charge.

With Unifiedesk, your data stays under your control. Your keys. Your policies. Your recovery. Every message is encrypted at rest, in native format, and exportable anytime—no PDFs, no loss of context.

Key takeaways

Hiver stores your team email content in its cloud, meaning you don’t own it.
Data exports from Hiver are limited to PDFs and CSVs—no full mailbox recovery.
Unifiedesk gives you real ownership: your data is encrypted at rest under your keys and fully exportable in native format.

What You Can’t Do in Hiver That Unifiedesk Lets You Do

You can’t self-host Hiver, control your data’s residency, or use it with any domain beyond Gmail. Hiver encrypts nothing at rest, offers no calendar or video meetings, and doesn’t support document collaboration. Unifiedesk lets you run your own server, use any domain with full DNS control, keeps your mail end-to-end encrypted, and bundles email, calendar, Meet, Drive, Docs, and contacts—all in one place with strict privacy controls.

Full Control Over Your Data and Infrastructure

Hiver runs entirely on Google’s infrastructure. You can’t move your data, even if you want to. That means your emails, contacts, and threads live in Google’s data centers, and you cannot enforce data residency policies. Unifiedesk changes that: both the hosted and self-hosted versions give you full control, with your data stored exactly where you choose. You can deploy Unifiedesk on your own servers, in your own cloud, or via a private data center. This is how industry-standard privacy works: you own the key, not a third party.

For teams needing compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or internal governance policies, self-hosting is not a luxury—it’s required. The Electronic Frontier Foundation notes that data sovereignty is a baseline concern for digital privacy, especially in regulated sectors. Unifiedesk’s self-hosted option makes this possible without vendor lock-in.

Beyond Email: The Full Workspace You’ve Been Missing

Hiver is email-focused, and that’s it. No calendar, no video meetings, no shared documents. You’re forced to juggle multiple apps—Google Calendar, Google Meet, Google Drive—and your inbox becomes a coordination bottleneck. Unifiedesk solves this with built-in tools that work together seamlessly.

Send a calendar invite from an email? Done. Start a meeting from a task? Instant. Edit a document with a teammate in real time? Yes—supporting .docx, .xlsx, and ODF files in your browser. Share a file with a link that expires? Built-in. Every component uses end-to-end encryption in the hosted version, so your data is safe when stored.

Check your inbox, schedule a meeting, review a document—all from one place, with no third-party logins or app switching. You’re not tied to Google, and you don’t have to buy a bundle from another provider. Email, calendar, Meet, Drive, Docs, contacts, and AI—all native, all secure.

Can You Actually Migrate from Hiver?

You can’t migrate your full Hiver inbox cleanly — Hiver exports only shared folders, not individual mailboxes, and often loses attachments or embeds them in PDFs. Contact exports are basic CSVs without ownership context. But you can import what’s left into Unifiedesk using standard protocols like IMAP or JMAP, even if it comes as a placeholder export.

What Hiver Actually Lets You Export

Hiver’s export feature is limited: it can only extract shared folders, not individual user inboxes. If you’re a team member, your personal mail isn’t included — just what’s been shared or copied into a team folder. This means your personal correspondence, folders not shared, or private drafts are effectively locked in Hiver’s system.

Attachments? Often embedded into PDFs or stripped during export. Even when files are preserved, they’re not reliably mapped to their original messages. This breaks message context and makes searching or reusing old files nearly impossible. The result is not a full migration — it’s a partial snapshot.

How Unifiedesk Makes It Possible

Unlike Hiver, Unifiedesk supports full mailbox imports via IMAP or JMAP, even from incomplete or imperfect exports. If Hiver hands you a folder export that’s not a real mailbox, Unifiedesk doesn’t reject it — it processes it properly. This means you can import your exported data, even if it’s not a complete mailbox dump.

Why? Because JMAP and IMAP are standard protocols that work across providers. You can use tools like IETF JMAP to move data reliably, and Unifiedesk’s engine supports them natively. This isn’t a workaround — it’s how email interoperability is designed to work.

Once imported, your full mailbox — including drafts, sent items, and original message structure — is restored with all attachments intact. Contacts export cleanly, and you can rebuild team ownership later using Unifiedesk’s group and team features. With Unifiedesk’s mail and contacts, you’re not just moving data — you’re rebuilding your workflow with control and clarity.

And if you’re ready for full ownership, Unifiedesk’s self-hosted option lets you keep every message, file, and calendar entry on your own servers — with zero third-party access, ever.

How to Export What Hiver Lets You Export

You can export shared folder contents as PDFs and contact groups as CSVs from Hiver’s Settings. Use these files to preserve team mail metadata and relationships. Do this before switching providers to avoid losing shared context or team member data. Always verify the export completeness and store files offline—never rely on cloud storage for migration data.

Step-by-Step Export Process

Go to Hiver Settings > Export > Shared Folder or Contact Groups. This is where Hiver stores team-wide access rules and shared email structures.
Download the generated CSV file (for contacts) and PDF export (for folder content). The CSV will list emails, names, and roles; the PDF preserves folder structure and associated messages.
Open the CSV in a plain text editor—avoid spreadsheets that auto-correct email formats. Check for malformed fields like missing @ signs, extra spaces, or improperly formatted domains (e.g., [email protected]).
Confirm every team member appears in the export, especially those in shared teams or with special roles (like reviewers or managers). Missing users can break workflows post-migration.
Store the exported files in a local, encrypted folder—preferably on a device you control. Avoid storing them in public cloud folders like Google Drive or Dropbox. This preserves data control and avoids leaks during migration.

Why This Matters for Privacy and Control

Exporting this data manually puts you in charge, not Hiver. Your data shouldn’t be tied to a platform that may change policies or delete archives. Email format standards require proper syntax—malformed entries break delivery and access. A single incorrectly formatted email can cause a contact to disappear in your new system.

You’re not just moving data—you’re preserving team context, shared access, and workflow integrity. With Hiver’s exports, you have a snapshot of who had access to what. Use this to rebuild equivalents in a new workspace. Consider setting up a new contact system with your team in Unifiedesk, where all data stays under your control—from storage to access.

Once your exports are verified and secure, you can move to importing them into a new platform. The next step? Set up your new domain with a private email system. Join Unifiedesk and import your contacts safely, with end-to-end encryption built in from day one.

Set Up Your Domain with Unifiedesk

You can migrate from Hiver quickly by adding your domain in Unifiedesk’s dashboard, where it generates all required DNS records—MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC—so you can point your domain to Unifiedesk and start receiving emails securely in minutes. No guesswork, no delays.

Go to the Unifiedesk dashboard and sign up or log in. Click Add Domain under the Mail section. Enter your exact domain name (e.g., yourcompany.com).
Copy the DNS records that Unifiedesk generates: MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These ensure your domain is recognized, authenticated, and protected against spoofing. The SPF and DKIM records are especially vital for inbox delivery—without them, emails may end up in spam.
Paste these records into your domain registrar’s DNS settings—usually in the control panel for your domain (e.g., Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy). Make sure the record types match exactly. For example, a DKIM record is a TXT record; an MX record should point to mx.unifiedesk.com.
Wait 10–30 minutes for DNS propagation. DNS changes do not take effect instantly across the internet. You can verify everything is live using MxToolbox, which checks whether your records are visible worldwide.
Confirm the domain is active in Unifiedesk. Once DNS is ready, return to the dashboard and click Verify Domain. If all records match, Unifiedesk enables your team inbox. Your team can now send and receive mail securely, with end-to-end encryption and a private workspace.

Why This Works

Unifiedesk handles the complex part: generating valid, industry-standard records. This follows best practices outlined in [RFC 5321](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5321) (SMTP) and [RFC 7660](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7660) (SPF). You’re not relying on memory or guesswork—every step is designed to avoid common migration failures.

Next Steps

Your inbox is live. Now set up your team, organize shared mailboxes, and sync calendars. With Unifiedesk, you get more than email: calendar, video meetings, Drive, Documents, contacts, and an AI assistant, all under your control. If you’d rather manage everything on your own servers, self-hosting is available.

Migrate Email from Hiver to Unifiedesk Using IMAP

You can migrate your Hiver email to Unifiedesk using IMAP by first enabling IMAP in Unifiedesk, then connecting a mail client or script to imap.hiver.com (port 993, SSL) to sync your Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Archive, and any custom folders. Once the transfer completes — which may take hours depending on message volume and attachment size — verify mail flow by sending and receiving test messages with a teammate.

Set up IMAP Sync from Hiver to Unifiedesk

Enable IMAP in Unifiedesk: Go to Mail > Settings > Account Sync and turn on IMAP. This allows Unifiedesk to receive and store messages from external IMAP servers.
Connect a mail client: Use Thunderbird, Mailsmith, or a custom script to connect to Hiver’s IMAP server at imap.hiver.com using port 993 with SSL. This is the standard way to access Hiver’s mailbox remotely.
Map folders: Configure the client to sync folders like Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Archive, and any custom folders used in Hiver. Most email clients support folder mapping during migration.
Start the sync: Begin the transfer from Hiver (source) to Unifiedesk (destination). Use the client’s built-in sync or a script to copy messages and attachments over IMAP.
Wait for completion: Transfer time varies based on message count and attachment size. For large mailboxes, expect several hours. Use a reliable, non-browser client to avoid interruptions.
Verify mail flow: Send a test email to a teammate and confirm receipt in Unifiedesk. Also check that sent messages appear in your Sent folder. RFC 3501 defines the IMAP protocol, ensuring compatibility across compliant systems.

Check and finalize

After the sync finishes, verify all important folders are complete. Check attachments and message threads in the Inbox and Sent. If anything’s missing, restart the sync with the same client or try a different tool like Mailspring or a script using libimobiledevice or Python’s imaplib. Some clients preserve timestamps and flags, which helps maintain mail history.

Once your data is safely in Unifiedesk, consider setting up automatic sync or forwarding to avoid future data silos. Unifiedesk supports full email management, shared calendars, and Meet video calls — all within your own control.

What Happens to Your Data on Unifiedesk?

You keep full control of your data on Unifiedesk. All messages and files are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM under per-account keys, and TLS safeguards every transfer—meaning your data is inaccessible even if someone gains backend access. You can export everything in .mbox or .pst format anytime, and with self-hosting, your data never leaves your chosen jurisdiction. Shared mailboxes are managed securely via Unifiedesk admin controls, with no third parties involved.

End-to-End Protection, From Inbox to Archive

On Unifiedesk, your data is protected at every stage. Messages and files are encrypted at rest using industry-standard AES-256-GCM, and each account uses its own unique key—so even Unifiedesk’s own backend can’t read your data. This means your emails, calendar entries, documents, and Drive files stay private by design. For inbound mail, we enforce SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to stop spoofing; outbound mail is signed with DKIM to verify authenticity. If you’re using our self-hosted option, all encryption and control stays within your infrastructure.

TLS is always on—during transmission, whether you’re syncing from a mobile device or uploading a file. This isn’t optional; it’s enforced across all connections, just as recommended by RFC 8467. As security experts note, “Transport layer security is a baseline requirement for modern email services” — the same standard adopted by Proton Mail and Fastmail, and a core principle in Open Standards like JMAP.

Export, Control, Stay in Your Zone

You’re not locked in. If you ever need to move your data elsewhere, Unifiedesk lets you export your entire mailbox in standard formats like .mbox or .pst—perfect for migration or backup. We don’t store metadata in a way that ties it to you personally, and you can delete data anytime, with zero trace. With a custom domain, your email lives in your ecosystem, not a server farm managed by a cloud giant.

Shared mailboxes are fully managed through Unifiedesk’s admin controls. No third-party apps, no external API access. It’s your team, your rules. And if you choose self-hosting, your data never leaves your data center, your country, or your network—perfect for complying with strict data residency laws like GDPR or local sovereignty policies.

To explore how Unifiedesk handles privacy and control by default, see how our security practices are built into the core system. Try a free mailbox in minutes, or deploy with on-premise self-hosting for maximum control.

Unifiedesk vs Hiver: Clear Differences

You’re switching from Hiver because it locks you into Google’s ecosystem, offers no self-hosting, and lacks end-to-end encryption. Unifiedesk gives you full control: run it yourself, secure every email and file with AES-256-GCM, export everything, and use any domain with full DNS access. Unlike Hiver’s Gmail-only model, Unifiedesk works with any email provider. You get calendar, meetings with screen-share, and online docs—not just email. Let’s break it down.

Self-Hosting, Encryption & Control

Hiver is cloud-only—no self-hosting, no way to move your data elsewhere. If you leave, you lose access.
Unifiedesk offers full self-hosting. You control your infrastructure, your data, your backups. Run it on your own server or colocation.
Hosted Unifiedesk users get end-to-end encryption. Your messages and files are encrypted on your device before leaving, decrypted only on your trusted devices. No one—not even Unifiedesk—can read your content.
Self-hosted deployments use AES-256-GCM encryption at rest with per-account keys. Data is protected even if the server is compromised.
Hiver provides no export tools. Migrating your data to another platform is nearly impossible.
Unifiedesk supports full exports: emails, calendars, contacts, documents, and files. Use standard formats like .mbox, .ics, .csv. You own your data.

Flexibility, Features & Ecosystem

Hiver only works with Gmail and Google Workspace. You can’t use it with Outlook, Yahoo, or any other provider.
Unifiedesk works with any custom domain. Set up your own MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records through our dashboard, or manually via your DNS provider.
Hiver has no native calendar, video meetings, or document support. You're forced to use Google Calendar and Google Meet, dragging users out of your workflow.
Unifiedesk includes a full calendar with shared calendars, event invites, time zone handling, and recurring events. Access it in the web, desktop, or mobile app.
You get real video meetings with screen-share and recording. No third-party tools. Host meetings in your own workspace.
Unifiedesk Docs supports .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, and ODF files directly in the browser—no need for Google Docs. Edit collaboratively, with version history and sharing controls.
Unifiedesk is open-source. You can inspect the code, audit it, or even contribute. Transparency is not a marketing tactic—it’s how we build trust.
Unlike email clients that hide behind proprietary stacks, Unifiedesk uses standard protocols: JMAP (modern), IMAP, SMTP, and TLS. Your data flows freely between clients.

Privacy isn’t just a policy—it’s the architecture.

With Unifiedesk, you’re not just changing email apps. You’re taking back control of your workspace. No locked-in ecosystems, no third-party dependencies, no data sold. Just your data, your rules.

Synchronize Contacts and Calendars Post-Migration

You can import your Hiver contacts via CSV, ensure email and role fields are preserved, then share team calendars using expiring links or sync them via CalDAV—verified with a test meeting. This ensures your team stays aligned with accurate, real-time data across devices and workflows, just like on Hiver.

Import Contacts from Hiver

Export your Hiver contacts as a CSV file. Make sure the file includes columns for email, name, and role (e.g., [email protected], manager, admin).
Log into Unifiedesk and go to Contacts. Click "Import" and upload your CSV.
Map the email and role fields during import. The role field helps identify team members in shared calendars and group workflows.
Verify all contacts appear correctly. If any have missing or blank roles, re-upload after fixing the CSV source—this ensures consistency in team visibility.

Enable calendar sharing in Unifiedesk by selecting a calendar and choosing "Share with links."
Create an expiring link for team access—set expiry to 7 or 14 days for security. This keeps shared access time-limited, a best practice in CalDAV specifications.
For native sync, use CalDAV access. Unifiedesk supports CalDAV clients like Apple Calendar, Thunderbird, and Outlook.
Set up WebCal feeds for public or read-only sharing (e.g., for company events or holidays).
Create a test meeting in a shared calendar and invite yourself. Ensure the invite appears and the event is visible in all synced clients—including mobile apps and desktops.

Even small mismatches in time zone or visibility settings can break trust in shared calendars. Always test after setup.

Why Unifiedesk is the Only True Alternative to Hiver

You can migrate from Hiver without losing data or control. Unlike Hiver, which locks you into Gmail and treats your data as a product, Unifiedesk gives you full ownership of your domain, your data, and your workflow — with open-source software, end-to-end encryption, and native tools for calendar, drive, docs, video meetings, and AI, all deployable on your own server. You’re not just switching apps; you’re reclaiming sovereignty.

Break Free from Gmail Dependency

Hiver doesn’t just run on Gmail — it’s built around it. You can’t use your own domain without a Gmail account, which means your inbox lives in someone else’s ecosystem. Unifiedesk flips that: you own your domain from day one. Whether you use your own DNS or connect it via a registrar, your email never leaves your control.

And if you’ve ever tried to extract data from Gmail at scale, you know how awkward it gets. Hiver doesn’t give you clean export paths. Unifiedesk does — and with real encryption. Your data stays encrypted at rest, using AES-256-GCM under per-account keys, even if you self-host. No third-party access. No backdoor.

No More Vendor Lock-In

Let’s be honest: Hiver’s ecosystem doesn’t let you leave cleanly. Your calendars, documents, contacts — all tied to a platform that doesn’t export in standard formats. Unifiedesk does. Your emails, calendar events, Drive files, and documents can be exported in open standards — whether you use the hosted service or deploy on-premise.

And unlike Hiver, which runs only in the cloud, Unifiedesk is open-source and fully self-hostable. Use it on your own servers, behind your firewall, with full control over infrastructure and data residency. The self-hosted version is designed for teams that need complete autonomy, whether for legal compliance or peace of mind.

Even the tools you need are built-in: no more juggling separate apps for calendars, video calls, or document collaboration. Unifiedesk includes calendar, video meetings, Drive, Docs, contacts, and an AI assistant that respects your privacy — all under one roof.

You can leave Hiver today, and not look back. No data loss, no hidden fees. Just ownership. You’re not locked in because Unifiedesk isn’t built to keep you in — it’s built to serve you. And that’s the real difference.

What to Do After You’ve Left Hiver

Your migration isn’t complete until you remove Hiver from your workflow. Delete your Hiver account entirely—keeping it active means lingering data risks and potential access leaks.

Verify and Secure Your Domain

Monitor your domain’s email routing to confirm all inbound mail now reaches Unifiedesk. Use tools like MXToolbox to validate DNS records and ensure no old Hiver routes are still active.

Finalize Team Transition

Revoke Hiver access for every team member—no exceptions.
Share your new Unifiedesk credentials securely: use encrypted messaging or a password manager.
Set up team-wide defaults: filters, vacation auto-replies, undo-send, and meeting policies—all accessible from the admin panel.

Keep reading

Ready to put this into practice? Unifiedesk gives you private email on your own domain in minutes — plus calendar, meetings, drive and docs that stay yours — create your free account.

Frequently asked questions

Can I migrate my entire Hiver mailbox to Unifiedesk?

Hiver doesn’t support full mailbox exports, so you’ll need to use IMAP to sync your data. Unifiedesk supports this via JMAP and IMAP for inbound mail migration.

Does Unifiedesk support Gmail-based Hiver mailboxes?

Yes. Unifiedesk supports any domain with SMTP/IMAP access, including those used in Hiver’s Gmail-based setup.

Is my data encrypted in Unifiedesk?

Yes. The hosted Unifiedesk platform is end-to-end encrypted. Self-hosted deployments use AES-256-GCM with per-account keys.

Can I keep using my custom domain after leaving Hiver?

Yes. Unifiedesk allows unlimited domains with MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records generated in minutes.

Do I need technical skills to self-host Unifiedesk?

Self-hosting requires Docker or server setup skills. The open-source engine runs on Linux, with documentation for setup and backups.

Can I import my Hiver contacts and calendar events?

Yes. Hiver exports contacts as CSV and events in PDF. Reimport them into Unifiedesk as structured data.

Does Unifiedesk support team workspaces?

Yes — Unifiedesk provides shared mailboxes, admin controls, Drive, Docs, calendar, Meet, and AI assistant in one system.

Can I export my data from Unifiedesk?

Yes. Unifiedesk allows full exports in .mbox, .pst, or ZIP formats. Your data is always under your control.

Yes, Unifiedesk supports GDPR principles like data export, deletion, and access. Use self-hosting for complete data residency control.

How do I set up Unifiedesk for my team?

Add your domain, generate the required DNS records, and onboard team members via the admin panel.

Does Unifiedesk work with Office 365 or Google Workspace?

Unifiedesk supports any domain, including those used with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. You can leave either and migrate without data loss.

Can I use the Unifiedesk AI assistant with my own model?

Yes. The AI assistant supports any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, including self-hosted models, with your data never used for training.