How to Perform Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 Migration? Effortlessly

Summary: If you have already struggled a lot for how to perform Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration. Then you are at the right place. Here you wil get to know the different methods to  migrate from Google Apps to Office 365.

Switching from one platform to another is such a common task nowadays due to various reasons. Every user wants to access the data in the best email application, which is available in the online market. Inevitably, G Suite is a suite of productivity tools by Google that lets users perform common business tasks and cross-communication. However, OWA or Office 365 is a combination of Microsoft’s productivity and utility tools that brings forth various attractive features. This compels a user to perform Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration on PC.

Therefore, in the forthcoming section of the article, we are going to cover some possible methods for this platform migration. However, before that let us have a quick glance at some more reasons behind such migration.

Responsible Factors to Migrate Google Suite to Office 365

There are various reasons for influencing users that result in this conversion process. Some of these reasons are switching from one to another organization or due to the advanced features of Microsoft Office 365, etc. Let us go through some queries of the forum site for this migration-

“Previously I was working in a place where we all were using Google Apps for emailing, data management, or sharing any other information. However, I have recently shifted to another section of the same organization where Microsoft 365 is used for the same. Now, in my G Suite account, I have some important and crucial emails with attachments. Therefore, I need to migrate Google Workspace to O365, if possible. Please suggest to me any relevant and quick method.”

“I have already done great research on how to transfer the mailboxes of G Suite to M365 account, but nothing worked for me. I got a manual solution, but I found it very lengthy. Is there any a simplest and small way of doing this migration safely on Mac desktop?”

Manually Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 Migration

For migrating the mailboxes from G suite platform to Office 365 account using the Exchange Admin Center, you need to follow the below steps.

Step 1: Verify Your Domain in Office 365

Before beginning the this IMAP accounts migration, you will need to check and verify to Microsoft 365 that you are owning the domain that is being utilized for G Suite account. It is basically processing while setting up the M365.

Step 2: Add Single or Multiple Users to M365

Users either can add one user or multiple users at a time as per requirement. While adding users, one also adds the license to them. Users also require a license, which includes the Exchange Online plan for their mailbox. Every user must have a mailbox on Office 365 to execute the migration procedure. After verification, the domain and the created mailboxes in O365, close the wizard and do not proceed with the setup domain.

Step 3: Create Google Workspace Mailboxes Export List

Now, users need to create a migration file that contains a list of all the Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration. Using Excel is the simplest technique to create the migration file, thus we are using Excel in the below instructions. One can use Excel 2007, Excel 2010, or Excel 2013.

While creating the migration file, it is must to know the app password of every G Suite mailbox that you are planning to migrate. Users also can assign temporary passwords (via resetting the passwords) for all the mailboxes during the migration process. For resetting the passwords, a user must be an administrator in G Suite. However, you are allowed to add a maximum of 50,000 mailboxes in the migration file and the data file can of 10 MB.

• First, sign in to your IMAP Google Apps admin console via your administrator username and password
• After signing in, select the Users
• Choose each user for identifying the each user’s email address and write down the email address
• Sign in to Office 365 Admin Center and navigate to Users >> Active users. One has to utilize the information in the Username column later so, keep the Office 365 admin center wizard open, too
• Launch the Excel application and create a migration file in it that will start with the heading in the first row. The heading must be the following:
  • EmailAddress in the cell A1
  • UserName in the cell B1
  • Password in the cell C1
• After that, enter the email address, username, and the password for every mailbox that you need to move and enter one mailbox per row
  • A: Email address of Office 365 mailbox (Here, enter the Username that is displayed in Users >> Active users in Office 365 admin center)
  • B: Sign-in name for user’s G Suite mailbox (for instance, carl@contoso.com)
  • C: Enter the app password for the user’s Google Workspace mailbox

Step 4: Connect Office 365 and Google Workspace Mailboxes

For a safe migration of G Suite mailbox, there should be a requirement to connect Microsoft 365, and to do so O365 uses a migration endpoint. And for creating a migration endpoint in Classic Exchange admin center follow the steps-

• Open the Exchange Admin center and move to Recipients and then Migration >> More >> Migration endpoints
• To create a new migration point, click on the Add (+) icon
• Choose IMAP on Select the migration endpoint type window
• On the IMAP Migration Configuration wizard, set the IMAP Server to imap.gmail.com and keep the other default settings as it is
• Hit the Next button and the migration service utilizes the settings for testing the connection. If the connection works Enter general information page will open, here enter the Migration endpoint name i.e., Test7-endpoint

Step 5: Creation of a Migration Batch

Creation of a migration batch is needed for group Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration. However, it will include all the mailboxes of G Suite that we have created in the previous step

• In the Office 365 Admin Center, go to Admin centers >> Exchange
• In the Exchange admin center, navigate to Recipients >> Migration
• Click on Add (+) icon >> Migrate to Exchange Online
• Select the IMAP migration >> Next option
• Eventually, from Select the user’s wizard, go to the migration file that was created, then the Microsoft Office 365 validates it to prevent any error
• After validation of the exporting file, Microsoft Office 365 will display the total number of users available in the file to migrate email from Google Workspace to Office 365
• Click on the Next button
• Choose the migration endpoint that you have created earlier
• Accept the default values on the IMAP configuration wizard and click on Next
• Enter the name of the migration batch and in the Move configuration page, click on Next
• Provide the name of the migration batch and hit Next
• Now, on the Start the Batch page, select Browse for sending the migration reports to send a replica to other users
• Select automatically start the batch >> New option, and then, the migration will start immediately with syncing status.

Step 6: Route Google Workspace to O365 Directly by Updating DNS Records

• After the completion of the process of Google Apps to Office 365 migration,
• Sign in Office 365 / Microsoft 365 account and go to the Setup >> Domains page
• Choose a domain and click on Fix issues
• For every DNS record type, that you need to add, select what do I fix? Then, follow the instructions to add records for Office 365 services
• After adding all the records, a message will prompt about the domain is set up correctly.

However, all the clients may take up to 72 hours for recognizing the changed MX record. Therefore, it is necessary to wait before terminating the synchronization with Google Workspace.

Step 7: End up Synchronization with G Suite

In the last, the user can update the MX record for the required domain. Once the verification is done, the users can delete the migration batch and end the Synchronization between Google Workspace and Office 365

For deleting migration batch:

• In the EAC, go to Recipients and then Migration
• Open the migration dashboard and choose batch and mouse-click on the Delete button

Migration from G Suite to Office 365 Account : For Verification

• Open the Recipients >> Migration in EAC and verify that the migration batch is no longer listed in the dashboard.

Read More: Learn the tactic if the G Suite sync is not working somehow

Method 2. Migrate from Google Apps to Office 365 Using PowerShell Commands

Step 1. Setup a link to the PowerShell’s Exchange Online

Note:- Make sure you have the Google super admin details with you.

Step 2. Execute the below command.

Test-MigrationServerAvailability -Gmail -ServiceAccountKeyFileData $([System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes("C:\\filepath\\adminkeyfile.json")) -EmailAddress gsuiteadmin@domain.com

Step 3. Verify the connection and after the successful connection, go with the below command.

New-MigrationEndpoint -Gmail -ServiceAccountKeyFileData $([System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes("C:\\filepath\\adminkeyfile.json")) -EmailAddress gsuiteadmin@domain.com -Name gmailEndpoint

Step 4. Create a new migration batch in Microsoft 365 and connect again to the PowerShell Exchange Online version.

Step 5. Prepare a CSV consists of all users details in the row-wise format. 

Step 6. Now run the command:

New-MigrationBatch -SourceEndpoint gmailEndpoint -Name newGmailBatch -CSVData $([System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes("C:\\sourcepath\\gmaildata.csv")) -TargetDeliveryDomain "o365.domain.com"

Step 7. Initiate the current migration batch with the below command:

Start-MigrationBatch -Identity newGmailBatch

Step 8. Validate the status:-

Get-MigrationBatch -Identity newGmailBatch

Step 9. Finally end the migration.

Complete-MigrationBatch

Also Read: How to Perform AT&T to G Suite Migration?

Quick Solution to Migrate G Suite to Microsoft 365 Account

However, the above manual methods are good to perform, but the entire process is too long and tiring. Most of the time, users face issues while migrating emails. Therefore, to prevent such situations, we recommend you to choose the automated solution.. Hence, using the IMAP to IMAP Migration Tool you can easily perform a quick Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration.

This solution is compatible to work with Windows and Mac machines of different versions. So, all users can access of this tool and operate it to perform a bulk migration. It even provides a quick and easy GUI interface that influence novice users to do the task easily.

Step by Step Guide to Use G Suite to Office 365 Migration Tool

• Begin the process by downloading the utility on your Windows machine of supported versions. After that, pick for the Source a G Suite option and Destination as Office 365 platform

• From below, choose Email for migration and apply date-filters as per the need

• Thereafter, choose G Suite option, after providing credentials of the account just Validate at last.

• Then, pick the Office 365 option and enter the required M365 details and validate them

• After selection both accounts, just choose the users as required and validate the user using Source App password. At last, for initiating the Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration process, click the Start Migration button on Windows desktop.

Concluding Lines

Due to the amazing features and services, Office 365 is gaining more popularity among organizations. In this article, we have discussed how to migrate G Suite to Office 365 manually along with professional solutions. However, you can try any of the given method but we suggest you all to switch to the professional solution. Therefore, we highly recommend use a Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration tool for both Windows and Mac operating system. and just securely transfer bulk emails without any data modification from the selected G Suite source account.