Synology discontinued Mail Station and Synology Mail Server on January 28, 2026. Both packages stopped receiving security updates from that date and are not available in DSM versions above 7.3. MailPlus Server Synology’s current email server is not affected and continues to be maintained and updated. If you are still running Mail Station or Synology Mail Server, your options are to migrate email to MailPlus Server (requires per-user licences) or to export your email data and move to a cloud provider. Your existing email data is not automatically deleted it remains on the NAS until you act.
What Happened on January 28, 2026
Synology announced in October 2025 that two of its email packages Mail Station and Synology Mail Server would reach end of availability. The deadline was January 28, 2026.
From that date:
Both packages stopped receiving security updates, bug fixes and technical support from Synology
Neither package is available in DSM versions released after 7.3
Upgrading DSM above 7.3 requires uninstalling both packages before the upgrade the installer enforces this
Synology’s stated reason was to consolidate email functionality into MailPlus and MailPlus Server, which offer more features, better security and active development. Mail Station and Synology Mail Server had not received significant feature updates for several years before the announcement.
What Exactly Was Discontinued
| Package | What It Did | Status After Jan 28, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Synology Mail Server | The legacy email server SMTP/IMAP/POP3 handling for NAS-hosted email. Free, no per-user licences required. | No security updates. Not available in DSM above 7.3. Will be uninstalled if DSM is upgraded. |
| Mail Station | The webmail client for Synology Mail Server browser-based email interface based on RoundCube. | No security updates. Not available in DSM above 7.3. Removed with DSM upgrade. |
Still running Mail Station? Read this before upgrading DSM
If your NAS is still running DSM 7.3 or earlier with Mail Station or Synology Mail Server installed, do not upgrade DSM until you have migrated or exported your email data. Upgrading to any DSM version above 7.3 forcibly uninstalls both packages. Your email data (stored in the mail database on the NAS) is not automatically deleted but the mail server is no longer running, so email delivery stops and the data is no longer accessible through the normal mail interface. Export the data before upgrading.
Who Is Affected
You are affected if you are currently running either of these packages on your Synology NAS:
Synology Mail Server check Package Center then Installed. If you see “Mail Server” in your installed packages, you are running the legacy server.
Mail Station if your webmail interface looks like a customised RoundCube interface (older, simpler UI) rather than the modern three-column MailPlus interface, you are likely on Mail Station.
You are not affected if you are already running MailPlus Server and MailPlus. These are the current packages and they continue to be maintained and updated by Synology.
What Is NOT Affected: MailPlus Server Continues
This is worth stating clearly because the announcement created confusion for some MailPlus Server users who feared their email service was also being discontinued.
MailPlus Server is the current Synology email server product. It is actively maintained. MailPlus Server 4.0 was in beta as of early 2026. The January 2026 announcement had nothing to do with MailPlus or MailPlus Server it only affected the older Mail Station and Synology Mail Server packages.
If you are running MailPlus Server, your email service is not at risk from this announcement. See our guide on the difference between MailPlus and MailPlus Server for more context on the current product lineup.
The DSM 7.3 Upgrade Warning
The practical implication of the EOL for users still on Mail Station or Synology Mail Server is the DSM upgrade barrier.
Any NAS running DSM 7.3 or earlier that has Mail Station or Synology Mail Server installed will encounter a mandatory uninstall requirement when a DSM update above 7.3 becomes available. Synology described this as a “land mine” in its community forums the DSM upgrade appears routine but silently removes the mail server during the process.
What this means operationally:
Do not defer the migration planning. Each new DSM security update above 7.3 brings the forced uninstall closer. Running an unpatched DSM is itself a security risk. The window to migrate cleanly is now, while the mail server is still running.
Export email data before upgrading DSM. The email database remains on the NAS after the packages are removed, but it is in a Mail Server-specific format. Once the package is uninstalled, the data is stranded until you either reinstall on an older DSM (not recommended) or use a migration tool that can read the stored mailbox data directly.
The migration to MailPlus Server uses Synology’s built-in migration wizard. MailPlus Server includes a mail migration tool that can import from Synology Mail Server’s data directly. This is the supported path for keeping email on the NAS under the new system.
Migration Path: Mail Server to MailPlus Server
Synology provides two options for users migrating away from Synology Mail Server.
Option A: Migrate to MailPlus Server (Keep Email On-Premises)
Install MailPlus Server on the same NAS. Use the built-in mail migration tool in MailPlus Server to import existing Mail Server data. This is Synology’s recommended path for organisations that want to continue hosting email on the NAS. Requires purchasing MailPlus Server licences if you have more than 5 users. Historical email is preserved and accessible through the new MailPlus interface.
Option B: Move to Cloud Email (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace)
Export the Mail Server email data, convert it to PST or MBOX format and migrate to a cloud email provider. This is the right choice for organisations that no longer want to manage on-premises email. Historical email can be imported into Microsoft 365 mailboxes or Google Workspace. The NAS is freed from email hosting.
Choosing between the two options
The deciding factors are typically licensing cost and operational preference. Option A (MailPlus Server) keeps email private and on-premises but requires per-user licences (first 5 users are free on qualifying models). Option B (cloud) has a recurring subscription cost from the cloud provider but removes the responsibility of managing a mail server. For organisations with fewer than 5 users, Option A is free with no licensing overhead. For larger organisations evaluating cloud migration anyway, Option B may align with broader IT strategy.
What Happens to Your Existing Email Data
This is the question most users have and it deserves a direct answer.
Your email data is not automatically deleted when Mail Station or Mail Server is discontinued or uninstalled. The email messages, attachments and folder structure remain on the NAS storage in the mail database location.
What changes is access. With the mail server package uninstalled, there is no IMAP or webmail interface to access that data. The files exist but they are stranded readable only if the mail server is reinstalled or if the data is extracted using a migration tool.
The practical risk: if the NAS is powered off, replaced or reformatted before the data is migrated or exported, the email is permanently lost. Do not wait.
Archive Before Migrating
Regardless of whether you choose Option A (MailPlus Server) or Option B (cloud migration), exporting and archiving a copy of your email data before migration is strongly recommended.
The migration wizard in MailPlus Server is reliable for a clean, organised migration but a full export of the Mail Server data as MBOX files gives you a recoverable copy if anything goes wrong during migration. Convert those MBOX files to PST or PDF using Univik Synology MailPlus Converter as an offline archive that is accessible independently of any mail server or NAS.
For the full export procedure once you have moved to MailPlus Server, see our MailPlus Server email export guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Synology delete my email when Mail Station was discontinued?
No. The January 28, 2026 end of availability announcement discontinued software updates and support for the packages it did not delete email data stored on your NAS. Your email remains on the NAS storage until you migrate it, export it or the drive is reformatted. The risk to your data is not from the discontinuation itself but from the NAS being upgraded, replaced or powered off without first migrating or exporting the email.
Can I still use Mail Station after January 28, 2026?
Technically yes, on DSM 7.3 or earlier, if the packages were already installed before the deadline. The packages were not remotely disabled they simply stopped receiving updates. However, running unsupported software with no security patches on a device connected to the internet is a significant security risk. Synology will not patch any vulnerabilities found in these packages going forward. Migration or export is strongly advised.
What happens to Mail Station when I upgrade DSM above 7.3?
Mail Station and Synology Mail Server are automatically uninstalled when DSM is upgraded above version 7.3. The DSM installer requires you to uninstall them before proceeding. The email data stored on the NAS remains on disk, but it is no longer accessible through any mail interface. Export or migrate the data before upgrading DSM.
Is MailPlus Server also being discontinued?
No. MailPlus Server is the current Synology email server product and is actively maintained. MailPlus Server 4.0 was in development as of early 2026. The January 2026 discontinuation affected only the legacy Mail Station and Synology Mail Server packages not MailPlus or MailPlus Server.
How do I move email from Synology Mail Server to MailPlus Server?
Install MailPlus Server on the same NAS. During setup, the MailPlus Server installer includes a mail migration tool that detects the existing Synology Mail Server data and imports it. Synology’s own knowledge base provides a step-by-step migration guide for this process. Before starting the migration, back up your NAS and export a copy of the email data as a safety measure.
What should I do if my Mail Server data is stranded after an unplanned DSM upgrade?
The email data files remain on the NAS drive even after Mail Server is uninstalled. Do not reformat the drive. The mailbox data can potentially be extracted and converted using a specialist tool that reads the legacy mail database format or by temporarily reinstalling an older DSM version on a second NAS to access and export the data. Contact Univik support for guidance on stranded Mail Server data recovery scenarios.
Conclusion
The January 2026 Mail Station and Synology Mail Server EOL was Synology pushing users toward its current, better-maintained platform not a crisis. For users who migrated before the deadline, the transition is done. For users still running the legacy packages on DSM 7.3, the practical urgency is the DSM upgrade barrier: every security update above 7.3 forces an uninstall and running unpatched DSM is its own risk.
The safe path is the same regardless of which direction you go from here to MailPlus Server or to cloud. Export the email data first, while the mail server is still running and accessible. That export gives you a recoverable copy no matter what happens next.
Are you still on Mail Server and planning to upgrade DSM soon or has the upgrade already happened and left email data stranded? Those are two very different situations and the right next step depends on which one applies to you.