Migration software
ShareGate Migrate
Suggested in 9 of our migration playbooks, mainly for Microsoft 365 and Files and collaboration. Here is what it handles, how it treats key settings, and other tools for the same jobs.
What does ShareGate Migrate handle?
The limits of the built-in tools that ShareGate Migrate gets around, as covered in our playbooks.
Google shared drives to SharePoint and Teams
- Name site owners deliberatelyRecreates direct permissions with Manager to Full Control, Content Manager to Contribute and Viewer to Read, and maps users and groups through the SharePoint people picker. Google sharing links are not migrated.
- Migration Manager: Managers, Content managers and Contributors all become Can edit, so nobody becomes a site owner.Maps Manager to Full Control, Content Manager to Contribute and Viewer to Read. Google sharing links are not migrated, and you still add group owners for Teams.
Microsoft 365 Groups and Planner tenant-to-tenant migration
- Accept what Planner history you loseCopies Planner plans with the team when you migrate it to another tenant.
- With a script: original creators, created dates, completion history and comments do not carry over.Copies Planner plans with the team when you migrate it.
Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migration
- Confirm you can buy the migration licences before you set a dateMigrates site collections, sites, lists, libraries and OneDrive files with permissions and metadata between tenants, with incremental passes between waves.
- Set expectations on what users loseCopies a team with its channels, files, Planner plans and connected group to another tenant. The 50 most recent conversations land in Posts; older ones go to an HTML Message history tab. Shared channels are skipped.
- Built-in moves fail without their add-on licence. Mailbox and OneDrive moves need Cross Tenant User Data Migration, one per user, which resellers sell. Microsoft's built-in site move needs Cross-Tenant Shared Data Migration, sold only under an Enterprise Agreement.Copies sites, libraries and OneDrive files with permissions and metadata, with incremental passes between waves.
- Microsoft's built-in tools do not move Teams channel conversations, Planner or Forms.Copies a team with channels, files, Planner plans and its group. Shared channels are skipped.
Cross-tenant OneDrive migration
- Stop target OneDrives being created by accidentCopies content into the user's OneDrive in the destination, which must be provisioned before the copy starts. ShareGate recommends Copy content only for OneDrive.
- There is no second pass, so time it with the user's cutoverAfter the initial migration, copies only what has changed, so incremental passes can run between waves.
- Built-in move: if a user signs in to OneDrive in the new tenant early, their OneDrive is created and the move fails.Copies into a OneDrive that already exists in the destination, so an early sign-in does not break it.
- Built-in move: one-time with no top-up pass, so changes made after it are not picked up.Copies only what has changed after the first pass, so top-ups can run between waves.
Cross-tenant SharePoint migration
- Create target Microsoft 365 groups only the supported wayCopy teams brings the connected SharePoint site and Microsoft 365 group along automatically. Destination users must already exist.
- Treat Teams sites as two jobsCopies a team with its channels, files, Planner plans and connected group to another tenant. The 50 most recent conversations land in Posts; older ones go to an HTML Message history tab. Shared channels are skipped.
- Freeze editing during each site's windowCopy if newer (incremental) adds items missing from the destination and updates older ones. It does not delete destination items removed from the source or pick up permission changes.
- Freeze editing during each site's windowCopy teams incremental picks up new conversations, membership and changed files in team and private channel sites. Channels created after the first copy must be copied separately.
- Stop people creating sites at your target URLsWith Copy if newer, compares source content with the existing destination, copies missing items and updates older matches without overwriting newer destination files. Differing folder structures can cause duplicates.
- Built-in move: Teams sites move files only. Channels, conversations and the team itself must be rebuilt.Copies a team with channels, files, Planner plans and its group. Shared channels are skipped.
- Built-in move: target groups created any other way, or any site already at a target address, make the move fail.Copy teams creates the target group and connected site itself. Destination users must already exist.
- Built-in move: target groups created any other way, or any site already at a target address, make the move fail.Copy if newer copies into a site that already exists, adding missing items and updating older ones.
- Built-in move: there is no top-up pass, so changes saved after a site moves are not picked up. Microsoft asks users to close files and not edit during the move window.Copy if newer leaves the source writable and adds new and changed items in later passes.
- Built-in move: there is no top-up pass, so changes saved after a site moves are not picked up. Microsoft asks users to close files and not edit during the move window.Copy teams incremental picks up new conversations and changed files in team and private channel sites.
SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online migration guide
- Clean up unique permissions firstQuick actions include a Permissions matrix report across subsites, lists, libraries, folders and items, Remove Permissions for many users or groups at once, and Restore inheritance. ShareGate lists SharePoint 2010 to Subscription Edition as supported.
- Check how your source version is supported by SPMTLists SharePoint 2019 and SharePoint Subscription Edition (SE) among supported SharePoint versions.
- Microsoft's SPMT pages do not list Subscription Edition as a source.Lists SharePoint 2019 and Subscription Edition among supported versions.
- Items with unique permissions (set on the item instead of inherited) copy one by one, which slows the copy and carries the mess across.Gives a permissions matrix report, removes many users or groups at once and restores inheritance before the copy.
Teams tenant-to-tenant migration
- Agree how much channel history you really needCopies standard and private channel conversations: the 50 most recent are native posts, the rest go to a Message history tab as HTML. Shared channels are not supported.
- List tabs, apps, bots and Planner plans per teamCopies basic plans, buckets and tasks with assignments; comments arrive as emails in the team mailbox. Premium plans are not supported.
- Microsoft's tool: teams, channels and channel conversations do not move. They stay in the source tenant.Copies standard and private channel conversations. The 50 most recent are native posts, the rest go to an HTML history tab. Shared channels are not supported.
- Microsoft's tool and a rebuild by hand: tabs, apps, bots and Planner plans do not move.Copies basic plans, buckets and tasks with assignments. Premium plans are not supported.
How does ShareGate Migrate handle key settings?
From the settings checklists in our playbooks: what ShareGate Migrate carries across.
| Setting | How it handles it | Playbook |
|---|---|---|
| File versions | Supports Box through PowerShell only, and does not support Dropbox. | Dropbox, Box and Egnyte to SharePoint and OneDrive migration |
| Permissions (NTFS) | Keeps custom permission levels on files and folders. Only Full Control, Contribute, Read & execute, Read and Write migrate; special permission levels are ignored. | File server to SharePoint migration |
| User mapping | Maps accounts automatically through the SharePoint people picker. | File server to SharePoint migration |
| Created and modified dates and authors | Has a "Preserve authors and timestamps" copy option. ShareGate notes that when files are copied between Windows servers, Windows sets their Created date to the copy date. | File server to SharePoint migration |
| File versions | Can import several files from a file share as versions of one SharePoint file, using a Version column in an Excel or CSV import. | File server to SharePoint migration |
| Content types and metadata | Lets you export migration metadata to Excel or CSV, edit it and import it back with the files. | File server to SharePoint migration |
| Groups and membership | Maps Google users and groups to Microsoft 365 through the SharePoint people picker before migration. | Google shared drives to SharePoint and Teams |
| Roles and site owners | Recreates direct permissions: Manager to Full Control, Content Manager to Contribute, Viewer to Read. You still add group owners for Teams. | Google shared drives to SharePoint and Teams |
| File versions | Not stated in ShareGate's documentation: test it in your pilot. | Google shared drives to SharePoint and Teams |
| External members and sharing links | Google sharing links are not migrated; users reshare afterwards. | Google shared drives to SharePoint and Teams |
| Created and modified dates and authors | Not stated in ShareGate's documentation: test it in your pilot. | Google shared drives to SharePoint and Teams |
| Google file conversion | Uses Google's export to convert Docs, Sheets and Slides to Office formats, and warns that converted files may look slightly different. | Google shared drives to SharePoint and Teams |
| Top-up copies and a read-only source | Not stated in ShareGate's documentation: test it in your pilot. | Google shared drives to SharePoint and Teams |
| Group-connected SharePoint site | Copy teams creates the new group and its connected site itself. Destination users must already exist. | Microsoft 365 Groups and Planner tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Planner tasks, assignees and checklists | Copies Planner plans with the team when you migrate it. | Microsoft 365 Groups and Planner tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Teams on the group | Copies a team with its channels, files, Planner plans and connected group. Shared channels are skipped. | Microsoft 365 Groups and Planner tenant-to-tenant migration |
| User mapping | How you map users and groups changes how permissions land. Destination users must already exist. | Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Top-up copies (delta passes) | "Copy if newer (incremental)" adds missing items and replaces older ones in sites and OneDrive. It does not delete items removed from the source. | Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migration |
| File versions | "Limit to X latest versions" copies the number you set, keeping at least one major version. | Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Sharing links | Does not preserve sharing links. Users recreate them at the destination. | Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Teams channels, chats and meetings | Copies a team with its channels, files, Planner plans and connected group. Shared channels are skipped. | Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Microsoft 365 groups, Planner and Forms | Copies Planner plans with the team when you migrate it. | Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migration |
| File versions | The Version history option copies versions; "Limit to X latest versions" copies the number you set, keeping at least one major version. | Cross-tenant OneDrive migration |
| Size, item count and path length | Size and path limits: not stated in ShareGate's documentation: test it in your pilot. | Cross-tenant OneDrive migration |
| Permissions and user mapping | How you map users and groups changes how permissions land. Destination users must already exist. | Cross-tenant OneDrive migration |
| Sharing links | Does not preserve sharing links. Users recreate them at the destination. | Cross-tenant OneDrive migration |
| Created and modified dates and authors | "Preserve authors and timestamps" copies the Created By, Created, Modified By and Modified values. | Cross-tenant OneDrive migration |
| Recycle bin | Not stated in ShareGate's documentation: test it in your pilot. | Cross-tenant OneDrive migration |
| Target OneDrive: new or existing | Copies into the user's OneDrive in the destination, which must be provisioned before the copy starts. | Cross-tenant OneDrive migration |
| Top-up copies (delta passes) | After the first pass, copies only what has changed, so top-ups can run between waves. | Cross-tenant OneDrive migration |
| File versions | The Version history option copies versions if versioning is on in the destination library (only major versions copy if the destination allows only major versions). "Limit to X latest versions" copies the number you set, always keeping at least one major version. Source: https://help.sharegate.com/en/articles/10236132 | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Recycle bin content | Not stated in ShareGate's documentation: test it in your pilot. | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Created and modified dates and authors | "Preserve authors and timestamps" copies the Created By, Created, Modified By and Modified values. Source: https://help.sharegate.com/en/articles/10236132 | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Permissions and user mapping | The Permissions option reproduces permissions as closely as it can; turned off, items inherit their parent's permissions. How you map users and groups changes how permissions land. | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Sharing links | Does not preserve sharing links. Users recreate them at the destination. Source: https://help.sharegate.com/en/articles/10236544-internal-and-external-sharing-links | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Checked-out files | The "Check in as" option chooses whether files checked out at the source arrive as draft or published files. | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Site size and path length | Size and path limits: not stated in ShareGate's documentation: test it in your pilot. | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Target sites: new or existing | "Copy if newer" copies into a site that already exists. "Copy teams" creates the target group and connected site itself; destination users must already exist. | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Top-up copies (delta passes) | "Copy if newer (incremental)" adds missing items and replaces a destination item only if it is older than the source. It does not delete items removed from the source or pick up permission changes. | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Teams channels and conversations | Copies a team with its channels, files, Planner plans and connected group to another tenant. Shared channels are skipped. Source: https://sharegate.com/features/teams-migration | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Sensitivity labels | Has a setting for how labels are handled. The labels must already exist and be published in the destination tenant. | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Scheduling and throttling | Insane mode uploads through Azure storage and Microsoft's Migration API, which ShareGate says reduces throttling (Microsoft slowing down heavy traffic). Source: https://help.sharegate.com/en/articles/10236260 | Cross-tenant SharePoint migration |
| Source version support | Lists SharePoint 2019 and Subscription Edition among supported versions. | SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online migration guide |
| File versions | The Version history option copies versions if versioning is on in the destination library. "Limit to X latest versions" copies the number you set, always keeping at least one major version. | SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online migration guide |
| Permissions and inheritance | Gives a permissions matrix report, removes many users or groups at once, and restores inheritance before the copy. | SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online migration guide |
| User mapping | How you map users and groups changes how permissions land at the destination. | SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online migration guide |
| Created and modified dates and authors | "Preserve authors and timestamps" copies the Created By, Created, Modified By and Modified values. | SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online migration guide |
| Checked-out files | The "Check in as" option chooses whether files checked out at the source arrive as draft or published files. | SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online migration guide |
| Top-up copies (delta passes) | "Copy if newer (incremental)" adds missing items and replaces a destination item only if it is older than the source. It does not delete items removed from the source or pick up permission changes. | SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online migration guide |
| Throughput and throttling | Insane mode uploads through Azure storage and Microsoft's Migration API, which ShareGate says reduces throttling (Microsoft slowing down heavy traffic). | SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online migration guide |
| Which chats move, and what users see afterwards | Its Copy teams documentation covers channel posts only, not the Chat section of Teams. Moving 1:1 and group chats: not stated in ShareGate's Copy teams documentation: test it in your pilot. | Teams tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Channel conversations | The 50 most recent conversations become posts (raised to 500 with a PowerShell setting); older ones go to an HTML Message history tab. Several replies to one conversation are merged into one reply. | Teams tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Reactions and @mentions | Reactions are not migrated. @mentions become highlighted text with no link to the person. | Teams tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Private and shared channels | Copies standard and private channels. Shared channels are not supported. Channel members and owners are copied only for private channels. | Teams tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Channel files and file versions | Copies channel files with the team. Version handling in Copy teams: not stated in ShareGate's Copy teams documentation: test it in your pilot. | Teams tenant-to-tenant migration |
| User mapping, members, owners and guests | Members and owners can take up to 24 business hours to show in the target. Org-wide teams become Public teams. | Teams tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Tabs, apps and Planner plans | Copies basic Planner plans, buckets and tasks; premium plans are not supported. Only Teams store apps copy; custom apps and webhooks do not. Wiki and Flow tabs are not supported, and Forms, Power BI and Stream tabs need setting up again across tenants. | Teams tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Meetings and meeting recordings | Meet Now posts and the team calendar are not migrated. | Teams tenant-to-tenant migration |
| Batches, timing and top-up copies | Copy teams incremental picks up new conversations and changed files in team and private channel sites. | Teams tenant-to-tenant migration |
Which tools do the same jobs as ShareGate Migrate?
Other tools our playbooks suggest for the same migrations.
We write these notes from the vendor documentation cited in each playbook. Tools cannot pay to be included or to change them. Check the vendor's current documentation and terms before you buy.