HostEurope Pauses Microsoft 365 Migration Amidst Customer Backlash

HostEurope, a GoDaddy subsidiary and one of Germany’s largest hosting providers, has paused its forced migration of customer email accounts to Microsoft 365, effective February 19, 2026. This reversal comes after significant customer backlash, rising cancellation rates, and ongoing concerns regarding technical issues and data protection [1].

What Happened in 2025?

Early in 2025, HostEurope announced plans to migrate all customer email accounts to Microsoft Exchange Online, mirroring a similar move by its sister brand, DomainFactory. This transition sparked considerable friction among customers, with concerns raised about accounts being moved without explicit consent, changes to login procedures, shifts in data protection frameworks, and increased costs [1], [2].

For customers operating under EU regulations, the move to Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure raised questions about General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance and data storage locations [1].

The February 2026 Reversal

On February 19, 2026, HostEurope informed affected customers via email that the migration was suspended. The company stated it had made good progress with the migrations throughout 2025, consistently focused on customer experience, and listened to customer feedback. HostEurope acknowledged that some products and customer environments required further consideration [2].

Specifically, any products not yet migrated will remain on the Classic Hosting platform, and the previously communicated shutdown date of April 30, 2026, is no longer valid [2]. HostEurope has stated that no action is currently required from customers [2].

Is This a Permanent Fix?

While HostEurope has paused the migration, the situation may not be permanent. Some observers believe the company may revisit the plan at a later date [2]. One reader advised migrating data from HostEurope as soon as possible, suggesting the overall plan hasn’t been abandoned [2].

Microsoft 365 Outages

On February 19, 2026, the same day HostEurope paused its migration, Microsoft 365 and Power Apps experienced an outage affecting hundreds of users [4]. Reports of issues surged around 9:02 AM Eastern Time, with users taking to social media to report problems with the platform [4].

Recent indications suggest Host Europe may be reconsidering the planned forced migrations, with both the mail migration to Microsoft 365 and the hosting migration to cPanel being “paused” or “stopped” [3].