How to Migrate From One Mastodon Server to Another
Mastodon is an open-source, decentralized social networking platform that offers a decentralized alternative to centralized social media giants like Twitter and Facebook. It offers many benefits, including online privacy, data ownership, and network freedom. Mastodon servers are operated independently and communicate with one another via a protocol called ActivityPub.
If you are a Mastodon user and want to migrate from one server to another, it can seem like a daunting task. However, the process is relatively straightforward, and this guide provides a step-by-step process on how to migrate from one Mastodon server to another.
Step 1: Export Your Mastodon Data
The first step in migrating from one Mastodon server to another is to export your data. To export your Mastodon data, go to your Mastodon account settings and click on the export tab. Once you click on the export tab, a download link is generated, and the download process starts automatically. The file downloaded is a JSON file that contains all your Mastodon data, including posts, media, followers, and following.
Step 2: Sign Up to Your New Mastodon Account
Once you have exported your Mastodon data, the next step is to sign up for your new Mastodon account. To sign up for a new Mastodon account, you need to select a Mastodon server that you want to migrate to, sign up for an account, and verify your email address.
Step 3: Import Your Mastodon Data
After signing up for your new Mastodon account, the next step is to import your Mastodon data. To import your data, go to your account settings in your new Mastodon account, click on the import tab, and upload the JSON file that you downloaded in step 1.
Step 4: Notify Your Mastodon Followers
Migrating to a new Mastodon server means leaving your previous followers behind. To ensure your followers migrate with you, you need to notify them about your migration. You can do this by making a final post on your old Mastodon account notifying your followers about your migration and providing them with your new Mastodon handle.
Step 5: Follow New Users
One of the benefits of Mastodon is its decentralized nature, which means that users are spread across different servers. To connect with new users on your new Mastodon server, search for Mastodon users of interest, follow them and interact with their posts. You can also use the federated timeline to discover new users, hashtags, and conversations.