SharePoint Online Migration Guide
This guide is aimed at experienced system administrators who are capable of connecting to remote systems and using a variety of administration tools.
Overview
This SharePoint Online Migration Guide shows you how to migrate your SharePoint sites between Microsoft 365 tenants. Cloudiway's SharePoint Online Sites Migration Product enables you to migrate site collections, subsites, document libraries, lists, and associated metadata between SharePoint environments.
Cloudiway uses Microsoft Graph API and SharePoint CSOM to migrate SharePoint content. The migration preserves your site hierarchy and most content types while automatically creating target structures as needed. All network operations are performed over TLS 1.2.
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View Solution PagePrerequisites
To perform the SharePoint Online Migration, you need to configure your Microsoft 365 tenants with the appropriate permissions.
Service Account Requirements
We recommend you create a unique service account especially for migration. After all migrations are complete, simply delete this account.
SharePoint Administrator Account
Required for both source and target tenants with Site Collection Administrator permissions
Cloudiway License
Required for each site being migrated
Enable Custom Scripts
Custom scripts must be enabled on target site collections for certain features. Learn how to enable custom scripts
What is Migrated
The following items are migrated during a SharePoint Online migration:
Site Structure
Document Libraries
Lists and List Types
The following SharePoint list types are supported:
Web Parts
Web parts on pages are migrated with their content and configurations preserved:
- Content Editor Web Parts
- Script Editor Web Parts
- List View Web Parts
- Image Web Parts
- Media Web Parts
- Embedded content
Permissions
Supported Site Types
Team Sites
Standard collaboration sites
Wiki Sites
Enterprise wiki sites
Communication Sites
Publishing and intranet sites
Publishing Sites
Content publishing sites
Project Sites
Project management sites
Document Centers
Document management sites
Limitations
The following items are NOT migrated:
- Workflows
SharePoint workflows are not migrated. Recreate them in Power Automate or SharePoint Designer.
- Solutions (.wsp files)
Solution packages cannot be migrated. Deploy separately in the target environment.
- InfoPath Forms
InfoPath form templates and data connections are not migrated.
- Custom Solutions and Apps
Custom-developed apps and solutions need manual deployment.
- External Sharing Links
Anonymous sharing links are not migrated.
- Recycle Bin Content
Deleted items in the recycle bin are not migrated.
Migration Process
The SharePoint Online migration is a five-step process:
Step 1: Create Connectors
For Cloudiway to migrate your SharePoint sites, it needs to be able to communicate with both your source and target Microsoft 365 tenants. To do this, Cloudiway uses connectors.
You will need to set up a connector for each source tenant you wish to migrate and each target tenant that content should be migrated to.
Navigate to Connectors
Click on Connectors > New in the Cloudiway platform.
Select Connector Type
Select Connector Type: Microsoft 365 and set a Connector Name with Site selected.
Enter Admin Credentials
Provide your SharePoint Administrator account credentials for the tenant.
Configure Entra ID Application
Cloudiway requires an Entra ID (Azure AD) application to access SharePoint. You have two options:
- Automatic Creation: Let Cloudiway create the application automatically by clicking the "Create App" button. This is the recommended approach.
- Manual Creation: Create the Entra ID application manually in your Azure portal and enter the Client ID and Client Secret. Learn how to create it manually
Test Connection
Click Test to verify the connection is working properly.
Step 2: Configure Global Settings
After setting up source and target connectors, configure global settings to control how SharePoint content is migrated. Navigate to Sites > Global Settings.
Migration of Permissions
Enable this option to migrate site, list, and item-level permissions from the source to the target. All permission inheritance and unique permissions will be preserved.
Migration of TermStore
Enable this option to migrate the SharePoint TermStore (Managed Metadata Service). This includes term groups, term sets, and terms used in your SharePoint sites.
Migrate Version History
This setting is only used for Google Sites to SharePoint/OneDrive migrations. For SharePoint to SharePoint migrations, this option is not applicable and can be ignored.
Duplicates Management
Configure how the platform handles files that already exist in the target:
- Ignore: Skip files that already exist in the target (recommended for delta passes)
- Overwrite: Replace existing files with the source version
- Copy: Create a copy of the file with a different name
Save Your Settings
Click on the Save button at the bottom of the screen to update your global settings.
Step 3: Fill Site List
The Site List contains all SharePoint sites to be migrated. Navigate to Sites > Site List.
There are three ways to populate the site list:
Option 1: Discovery (Get List)
Click on Site List > Get List to automatically discover all SharePoint sites from the source tenant.
Then specify the following parameters:
Target Site Type
Select SharePoint Site as the Target Site Type.
URL Matching Rule
Choose how source site URLs should be mapped to target URLs.
Target SharePoint URL
Specify the target SharePoint URL prefix (e.g., https://contoso.sharepoint.com).
Assign Target Sites
After discovery, you can assign or modify target sites directly in the Site List. Select the sites you want to modify and use the Assign Target feature.
Option 2: Import Site List
Click on Site List > Import to upload a CSV file containing the sites to migrate.
Prepare your CSV file
Create a CSV file with the source and target site URLs. For more details on the syntax of the CSV file, read our guide: How to Fill the Users/Groups CSV File
Click on Browse
Click on the BROWSE button to open the file selector.
Select your CSV file
Locate your CSV file on your computer and select it.
Select Connectors
Select the appropriate connectors in the Source and Target fields.
Option 3: Create Manual Entry
Click on Site List > Create to manually add individual sites. Enter the source site URL and the target site URL for each site.
Step 4: Verify Mapping Table
The mapping table is crucial for proper migration of permissions and metadata. It maps source user email addresses to target user email addresses.
Review Auto-Generated Mapping
Cloudiway automatically creates mappings when you run discovery.
Add Missing Mappings
Ensure all users who have permissions on sites are included in the mapping table.
Verify Accuracy
Double-check that source and target email addresses are correctly matched.
Step 5: Run Migration
Once your sites are imported and mapping is verified, you can start the migration process.
Preprocessing
Before running the actual migration, you must run the Preprocessing task. This essential step prepares the target environment for migration.
- Creates target site collections and subsites if they don't exist
- Validates connectivity to both source and target SharePoint
- Verifies permissions and access rights
- Prepares the migration environment for optimal performance
Run Audit (Optional)
Run an audit to verify connectivity and gather site statistics before migration.
Select Sites
Select the sites you want to process from the Site List.
Run Preprocessing
Click Actions > Preprocessing to create target sites and validate the environment. Wait for preprocessing to complete before starting migration.
Start Migration
Once preprocessing is complete, click Actions > Start Migration to begin the data transfer.
Monitor Progress
Track migration progress with real-time statistics and logs.
Delta Pass
Delta migration is a Cloudiway functionality that allows you to migrate incrementally. After the initial migration, you can run additional passes to catch any changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why are some sites not migrating?
Check that custom scripts are enabled on target site collections. Also verify the migration account has Site Collection Administrator permissions on both source and target.
Q: Why are permissions not preserved?
Ensure all users with permissions are included in the mapping table. Any missing email addresses will not have their permissions converted.
Q: How do I handle large site migrations?
Use batch processing and delta migration. Run initial migration during off-peak hours, then use delta passes to catch changes before cutover.
Q: Are workflows migrated?
No, SharePoint workflows are not migrated. You'll need to recreate them in Power Automate or SharePoint Designer in the target environment.
Q: What happens if migration fails?
Check the migration logs for error details. Common issues include permission errors, throttling (429 errors), or custom script restrictions. You can retry failed items after resolving the issue.
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