How to Migrate Your Files from Microsoft OneDrive to Google Drive
For businesses committed to Google Workspace, unifying all collaboration tools is the final step to creating a truly streamlined IT environment. Migrating your organization's files from Microsoft OneDrive to Google Drive consolidates your data, simplifies vendor management, and empowers your team with Google's powerful, cloud-native collaboration features.
To facilitate this move, Google provides a robust, cloud-based tool within the Admin console designed to copy files, folders, and permissions securely and efficiently.
Organizations choose to migrate from OneDrive to Google Drive for several compelling reasons:
Company-Wide Adoption: To fully embrace the Google Workspace ecosystem.
Simplified Infrastructure: To reduce the complexity and cost of managing multiple vendors and subscriptions.
Superior Collaboration: To leverage the real-time, seamless collaboration of Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
Centralized Data: To have a single source of truth for all company data across email, calendar, and files.
A smooth migration is essential to ensure your team can hit the ground running without disruption.
What's Migrated (and What's Not)?
Understanding the scope of the migration is crucial for setting the right expectations.
What Is Migrated:
Files and Folders:
Files are copied in their existing format, and the folder hierarchy is preserved.
OneNote notebooks are migrated as folders.
Permissions and Links:
Specific user and group permissions are mapped from OneDrive roles (Writer, Reader) to Google Workspace roles (Editor, Viewer).
"Anyone" and "People in your organization" links are migrated, with the most restrictive permission being applied if multiple links exist for the same file.
"People you choose" links are converted to direct user permissions.
Permissions for external users are maintained, and they receive an email notification. They don't need to be in the identity map.
Document links inside documents: Unchanged.
What Is NOT Migrated:
File Versions and Metadata: Only the latest version of a file is migrated; previous versions are not. Files created or last modified by external users are also not migrated.
Unsupported Permissions: Files with "Restricted" permissions or "Blocked Download" policies will not be migrated. Custom permission roles are converted to standard roles. Permissions for internal users and groups not present in your Identity map.
OneDrive-Specific Features: Personal Vault files, Favorites, folder colors, and document expiration dates are not supported.
Unsupported Destinations: The tool does not support migrating files to a shared drive.
Prerequisites Checklist
Before you begin, ensure you meet the following requirements.
For Google Workspace:
The migration must be run by a super administrator.
Every user receiving data must have an existing Google Workspace account with a valid license and Google Drive turned on.
For Microsoft OneDrive:
The connection must be authorized by a Microsoft Global Administrator.
You must have the email address of every user whose files you intend to migrate.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Google Workspace File Migration Tool
To migrate your files, follow these steps in your Google Admin console, ensuring you are signed in as a super administrator:
Step 1: Connect to your Microsoft account
Sign in to the Google Admin console as a super administrator.
Navigate to Menu> Data> Data import & export> Data Migration (New).
Scroll down to the "Migrate Data from Microsoft" section, and under OneDrive, click Migrate.
You will be prompted to sign in with your Microsoft Global Administrator account to authorize the connection.
Step 2: Set Migration Scope (Upload User List)
This first CSV file tells the migration service which OneDrive accounts to copy data from.
You must create and upload a CSV file with a single column header: Source OneDrive User.
Under this header, list the email addresses of the Microsoft OneDrive users you want to migrate.
You can migrate up to 1,000 users at a time in a single migration job.
Upload this CSV file in the Admin console to define the scope of your migration.
Step 3: Map User Identities (Optional)
This second, optional CSV file tells the service where to put the data if the destination email address is different from the source.
This step is optional if your users' email addresses are identical in both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, as the service can map them automatically by default.
If you need to map users to different email addresses (e.g., j.doe@company.com to jane.doe@company.com), create a CSV file with two columns: Source Email and Destination Email.
Upload this "identity map" CSV to define your custom user mappings.
Step 4: Configure Migration Settings
Fine-tune the migration to include only the data you need. The service offers several filters:
Unmapped Users: By default, the service will attempt to copy accounts that aren't in your identity map by keeping the same email address. You can disable this if you only want to migrate users specified in your identity map.
Date Range Filter: You can choose to migrate only files created or last modified after a specific date. Note that this applies only to files; all folders will still be created.
File Format Filter: Exclude specific file types by entering their extensions (e.g., tmp, bak, log).
File Size Filter: Exclude files that are larger than a specified size in MB or GB.
Step 5: Start and Monitor the Migration
Once everything is configured, click Start migration. The Admin console provides a detailed dashboard to monitor the progress in real-time with metrics such as:
Users processed: The number of users whose migration has been completed.
Files discovered: The total number of files identified for migration.
Files migrated: The number of files successfully copied to Google Drive.
Files skipped: Files that were skipped, often because they were already migrated in a previous run or excluded by a filter.
Files failed: Files that could not be migrated due to an error.
Overall status counts: Totals for all tasks (discovering, creating, updating) that are successful, skipped, or have failed.
You can click Stop migration if needed. Stopping a migration does not roll back the process; any files migrated before stopping will remain in Google Drive.
Step 6: Run a Delta Migration
After the initial migration finishes, it's best practice to run a delta migration. This process recaps the source accounts for any new or modified files that were added since the first migration started, ensuring that all recent work is also transferred.
Step 7: Exit the Migration
When you have confirmed that all data is migrated and you've saved any necessary reports, you must formally exit the migration.
Important: Once you exit, you can no longer run delta migrations or access the migration's reports.
You must exit a completed migration before you can start a new one from Microsoft OneDrive. Clicking Exit migration finalizes the process.
Best Practices for a Smooth Migration
To ensure a successful and efficient migration:
Audit files and user accounts thoroughly before starting.
Organize your Google Drive structure ahead of time.
Communicate changes to your team early to minimize disruption.
Set appropriate sharing permissions post-migration.
Test with a small batch of users/files before a full rollout.
Consider compliance needs and data retention policies, as file migration is a productivity feature, not designed for legal compliance. If legal compliance is a concern, consider backing up files in OneDrive before migration.
Get Expert Help with Your File Migration
Moving files out of Microsoft OneDrive, especially when you're adopting Google Workspace, can be a complex project without the right support. That’s where Cloudasta comes in.
We help businesses of all sizes:
Plan and execute smooth OneDrive-to-Google Drive migrations
Preserve file permissions, folder structures, and access history
Avoid downtime and user disruption
Stay compliant with data security and retention policies
Contact Cloudasta today to start your Microsoft OneDrive migration with confidence and move your business toward a simpler, more collaborative cloud environment.
Cloudasta, Google Workspace Productivity & Migration Experts
Your one-stop partner for seamless migrations, expert advisory, support, and training.
