Move from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace
Move Exchange mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams and sign-ins from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace in a safe order, without bouncing mail or stranding devices.
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Your plan so far
26things this change touches
- critical8
- high11
- moderate5
- low2
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical microsoft 365 to google workspace plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Keep Microsoft 365 fully active until the move is confirmed
Critical · Business operations
Cancelling, downgrading or deleting accounts early can cut the migration short and delete data you haven't copied yet.
Verify your domain in Google Workspace (TXT record only)
Critical · Website & DNS
Changing MX records during setup sends all new mail to empty mailboxes before the migration is ready.
Set up and enforce 2-Step Verification in Google Workspace
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
An account taken over during the move gives an attacker your company's mail and files.
Copy mail, calendars and contacts with Google's data import
Critical · Data & files
Started late or set up wrongly, people arrive in Google Workspace with missing mail, events or contacts.
Copy OneDrive files with Google's data import
Critical · Data & files
Files arrive without the versions or links people expect, or some files are skipped.
Move Sign in with Microsoft and single sign-on apps to Google
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
Everyone loses access to connected apps at once when the old platform's accounts or settings are removed.
Change MX records to Google Workspace
Critical · Email delivery
A wrong or partial change can bounce mail or split it between two systems.
Test incoming and outgoing mail from outside your organization
Critical · Email delivery
Customer emails bounce or your replies land in spam, and nobody notices for days.
Export a final copy of your Microsoft 365 data
Critical · Data & files
Once the old subscription is cancelled, anything not exported may be unrecoverable.
Cancel Microsoft 365 only after everything is validated
Critical · Subscriptions & billing
Anything you forgot to move or export is lost.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Keep Microsoft 365 fully active until the move is confirmed
- Inventory Microsoft 365 users, mailboxes, groups and sites
- Mailboxes and OneDrive files of former staff
- Choose Google Workspace editions and buy licences
- Tell staff the cutover date and what they'll need to do
- Create Google Workspace users with matching addresses
- Set up two protected Google Workspace super admin accounts
- Verify your domain in Google Workspace (TXT record only)
- Add Microsoft 365 aliases as alternate addresses in Google Workspace
- Re-create distribution lists and group addresses as Google Groups
- Turn shared mailboxes into collaborative inboxes or delegated accounts
- Set up and enforce 2-Step Verification in Google Workspace
After the change
- Change MX records to Google Workspace
- Update SPF to include Google Workspace (one record only)
- Generate a Google DKIM key and start authentication
- Verify DMARC alignment for mail sent from Gmail
- Services that send email as your domain
- Set up Gmail, Calendar and Drive on every computer
- Add Google Workspace to phones and tablets
- Replace Teams links in recurring meetings
- Update links to OneDrive and SharePoint files
- Give people a short orientation on Gmail, Drive and Meet
- Test incoming and outgoing mail from outside your organization
- Send a test to every alias, group and shared address
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Inventory what you have and plan the move
List users, mailboxes, sites and holds, buy licences and tell staff the plan. Microsoft 365 stays fully active throughout.
- Keep Microsoft 365 fully active until the move is confirmed (critical risk)
- Inventory Microsoft 365 users, mailboxes, groups and sites (high risk)
- Mailboxes and OneDrive files of former staff (high risk)
- Choose Google Workspace editions and buy licences (moderate risk)
- and 1 more
Step 2: Create Google Workspace users
Matching addresses, licences and two protected super admins.
- Create Google Workspace users with matching addresses (high risk)
- Set up two protected Google Workspace super admin accounts (high risk)
Step 3: Verify your domain in Google Workspace
TXT record only. Mail keeps flowing to Microsoft 365 until the MX step.
- Verify your domain in Google Workspace (TXT record only) (critical risk)
Step 4: Create aliases, groups, shared inboxes and rooms
Every address that receives mail today needs a home in Google Workspace before MX changes.
- Add Microsoft 365 aliases as alternate addresses in Google Workspace (high risk)
- Re-create distribution lists and group addresses as Google Groups (high risk)
- Turn shared mailboxes into collaborative inboxes or delegated accounts (high risk)
Step 5: Configure security before anyone moves
2-Step Verification, security keys and mail filtering, before any data is imported.
- Set up and enforce 2-Step Verification in Google Workspace (critical risk)
- Set up Gmail spam, phishing and quarantine settings (moderate risk)
Step 6: Begin the mail and data import
Pilot first, then import mail, calendars, contacts and files while Microsoft 365 stays live.
- Run a pilot with a few users first (moderate risk)
- Copy mail, calendars and contacts with Google's data import (critical risk)
- Copy OneDrive files with Google's data import (critical risk)
- Map SharePoint sites and team files to shared drives (high risk)
- and 1 more
Step 7: Export or rebuild what doesn't move
Teams, phone numbers, forms, plans, automations, notes and personal items.
- Ask users to save browser data, notes and to-do lists (high risk)
- Teams chats and channels: decide what to import (moderate risk)
- Microsoft Forms: export responses and rebuild forms (moderate risk)
Step 8: Inventory everything that depends on Microsoft sign-in
Apps, single sign-on, integrations, devices that send mail and other services in your tenant.
- Move Sign in with Microsoft and single sign-on apps to Google (critical risk)
- Integrations connected to Outlook, OneDrive or SharePoint (high risk)
- Printers, scanners and apps that send mail through Microsoft 365 (high risk)
Step 9: Prepare DNS for cutover
Move DNS hosting if needed, save your records and lower TTLs ahead of time.
- Save your current DNS records and confirm you can edit them (high risk)
- Lower the TTL on your MX records ahead of cutover (moderate risk)
During the change
Step 10: Change MX records
The moment new mail starts arriving in Gmail.
- Change MX records to Google Workspace (critical risk)
Step 11: Change SPF
One SPF record that includes Google and every other sender.
- Update SPF to include Google Workspace (one record only) (high risk)
Step 12: Configure DKIM
Generate Google's key, publish it and start authentication.
- Generate a Google DKIM key and start authentication (high risk)
Step 13: Verify DMARC alignment
Make sure mail from Gmail and your other senders still passes.
- Verify DMARC alignment for mail sent from Gmail (high risk)
- Services that send email as your domain (moderate risk)
Immediately after
Step 14: Switch computers, phones and people over
Desktop setup, phones, device management, Windows sign-in, meeting links and orientation.
- Set up Gmail, Calendar and Drive on every computer (high risk)
- Add Google Workspace to phones and tablets (high risk)
- Replace Teams links in recurring meetings (moderate risk)
- Update links to OneDrive and SharePoint files (moderate risk)
- and 1 more
Verify
Step 15: Validate incoming and outgoing mail
Test from outside your organization, not just between colleagues.
- Test incoming and outgoing mail from outside your organization (critical risk)
Step 16: Validate aliases, groups and shared inboxes
Every address on your inventory gets a test message.
- Send a test to every alias, group and shared address (high risk)
Step 17: Validate mobile and desktop clients
Phones, computers, calendar invites and app sign-ins.
- Check phones, computers and calendar invites (high risk)
- Sign in to every business app with the new method (high risk)
Step 18: Confirm the migration is complete
Delta import, reports reviewed and every user signed off.
- Confirm the migration is complete before anything is removed (high risk)
Clean up
Step 19: Archive and export old Microsoft 365 data
While the subscription is still fully active.
- Export a final copy of your Microsoft 365 data (critical risk)
Step 20: Remove Microsoft 365 only after validation
DNS cleanup, removing your domain, and finally the subscription.
- Remove Microsoft 365 records, including Autodiscover (moderate risk)
- Remove your domain from Microsoft 365 (high risk)
- Cancel Microsoft 365 only after everything is validated (critical risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Leaving Microsoft 365 touches more than email. Exchange mailboxes, shared and room mailboxes, OneDrive and SharePoint files, Teams chats, and the Microsoft Entra ID accounts people use to sign in to apps and sometimes Windows itself all need a plan.
Google's data import tool can copy email, calendars and contacts from Exchange Online, files and permissions from OneDrive and SharePoint, and chat messages from Teams. Its documentation is clear that some things need the advanced method and some don't move at all, such as Planner tasks, Teams file attachments and older file versions.
The safe pattern is to build Google Workspace alongside Microsoft 365, import data while Exchange keeps receiving mail, switch DNS in a quiet window and validate from outside your organization. Only then export a final copy, remove your domain from Microsoft 365 and cancel. Provider tools and names change, so check the linked official documentation before each step.
Why it matters
Customers and suppliers reach you by email, staff depend on shared files and Teams, and Microsoft accounts often sign people in to other apps and even their own computers. A rushed move can bounce mail, lose files or lock people out of their PCs.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when MX records change before Google mailboxes and groups exist, when SPF, DKIM and DMARC aren't updated, when Windows computers or apps sign in with Microsoft accounts, and when Microsoft 365 is cancelled or deleted before a final export. Teams Phone numbers, DNS hosted inside Microsoft 365 and other services in the same tenant add more risk.
Common mistakes
- Changing MX records before users, groups and shared inboxes exist in Google Workspace.
- Running the same full import twice and ending up with duplicate contacts and calendars.
- Assuming Outlook rules, archive mailboxes and calendar permissions come across with the default import method.
- Forgetting Teams Phone numbers until the Microsoft subscription has already ended.
- Removing Microsoft 365 users while Windows computers still sign in with those accounts.
- Leaving the Autodiscover record pointing at Microsoft 365, so Outlook keeps trying to connect there.
- Deleting users or the tenant while Azure, Power BI or other apps still depend on it.
- Cancelling Microsoft 365 while the domain's DNS is still hosted inside it.
Frequently asked questions
What does Google's data import copy from Microsoft 365?
Google's documentation describes importing email, calendars and contacts (and Microsoft To Do tasks) from Exchange Online, files, folders and permissions from OneDrive and SharePoint Online, and chat messages from Teams. Some items need the advanced method, and others, such as Planner tasks and Teams file attachments, aren't imported. Product names and options change, so check Google's migration product matrix.
Will our Word and Excel files be converted to Google formats?
Google's OneDrive import documentation says files keep their existing format, and only the latest version of each file is imported. Many teams leave archives as Office files and convert only the documents people co-edit, after checking macros and complex spreadsheets.
What happens to our shared mailboxes?
Google's documentation says a shared mailbox mapped to a Google Group imports as a collaborative inbox, though read and unread status doesn't come across. Create the groups first and give the right people access before cutover.
Can we move Teams chats to Google Chat?
Partly. Google's data import can copy channels into Google Chat spaces and chats into group chats, but its documentation says file attachments, custom emojis and reactions aren't imported, and imported spaces must be rolled out within a set period or they're deleted.
Can people keep using Outlook?
Yes, with Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GWSMO), a Google plugin that keeps email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks in step between Outlook and Google Workspace. Check its current system requirements first.
When should we change the MX records?
After Google users, groups and shared inboxes exist and most mail has been imported. Lower the TTL a day or two ahead, change MX in a quiet window, then run a delta import to copy mail that reached Exchange Online during the switch.
What happens to Windows computers that sign in with Microsoft 365 accounts?
They depend on those accounts. Before removing Microsoft users, make sure every computer has a working local administrator account, back up files stored only on the device, and decide how people will sign in afterwards.
When can we cancel Microsoft 365?
After users have signed off, a final export is saved and your domain is removed from Microsoft 365. Microsoft's documentation describes users losing access when a cancellation takes effect and data being deleted after a set period, and deleting a subscription outright removes SharePoint and OneDrive data immediately. Verify Microsoft's current policy before cancelling.