Plenty of businesses start on Google Workspace because it is quick to set up. As the team grows, many find they are working in Word and Excel files every day, sending them to clients who use Microsoft 365, and paying for two sets of tools. Moving the whole business across to Microsoft 365 puts email, files, meetings and security in one place.
This guide explains what moves across, what does not, and the steps involved, so you know what to expect before you start.
Is Microsoft 365 better than Google Workspace?
Both are good platforms, and the right one depends on how your business works. Microsoft 365 tends to suit businesses that:
- Use the desktop versions of Word, Excel and Outlook, or receive Office files from clients and suppliers
- Want Teams for chat, meetings and calls
- Run Windows computers and want them managed and secured from one place
- Use accounting, practice or industry software that works best with Microsoft 365
If your team works mostly in a web browser and none of that applies, Google Workspace may still be the simpler choice. The move is worth making when the business is already leaning on Microsoft tools.
What moves across, and what does not
Email, calendars and contacts
Microsoft provides a migration tool in the Exchange admin centre that copies Gmail email, calendars, contacts and mail rules into Microsoft 365. Users are moved in batches, and the copying happens in the background while your team keeps using Gmail.
Files in Google Drive
Files in My Drive and shared drives can be moved into OneDrive and SharePoint with Microsoft’s Migration Manager. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are converted to Word, Excel and PowerPoint files as they move, and folder permissions can be carried across.
What needs to be rebuilt or reconnected
Some things do not move automatically. Google Sites, Google Maps and shortcut files are not migrated, and anything built on Google, such as scripts or add-ons, needs to be rebuilt in Microsoft 365 or replaced. Any software that signs in with your Google account, or sends email through Gmail, also needs to be reconnected after the move.
How the move works, step by step
- Take stock of what you have. List every user, shared inbox, group email address, shared drive and calendar, plus any software that signs in with Google. Make sure someone has access to your domain’s DNS settings.
- Choose your Microsoft 365 plan. Most businesses need Business Standard or Business Premium. The main difference between them is the security and device management included.
- Set up Microsoft 365 and verify your domain. Your business domain is added to Microsoft 365 and checked, so email can later be delivered there.
- Create accounts and assign licences. Every person gets their Microsoft 365 account before any email is copied, with multi-factor authentication turned on from the start.
- Copy email, calendars and contacts. Mailboxes are copied in batches while Gmail is still in use, so nobody stops working.
- Move your files. Drive files are moved into OneDrive and SharePoint, and the folder structure and sharing are checked against the original.
- Switch email delivery. At a quiet time, your domain’s mail records are pointed at Microsoft 365 and a final sync picks up any email that arrived during the change.
- Set up devices and help your team settle in. Outlook, Teams and OneDrive are set up on computers and phones, and staff are shown where everything now lives. Google Workspace is kept for a short overlap before it is cancelled.
How long does the move take?
It depends on the number of users, how much email and how many files you have, and how your Drive is organised. For most small businesses, the planning and copying happen in the background over a week or two, and the email switch itself is planned for a quiet time, such as a Friday evening, so the team starts the next week in Microsoft 365.
Things that are easy to miss
- Email records for SPF, DKIM and DMARC. These need updating for Microsoft 365, or your emails may land in spam. See our page on email security and DMARC.
- Shared calendars and delegate access. Check who can see and manage each calendar after the move.
- Group addresses such as info@ and accounts@. Decide whether each becomes a shared mailbox or a group in Microsoft 365.
- Email on phones. Staff need to add their new Microsoft 365 account and remove the old Gmail account.
- Email signatures, forwarding rules and auto-replies. Recreate them before the switch so clients notice nothing.
- Very large mailboxes or drives. These take longer to copy, so start them first.
Set up security from the first day
A move is the best time to set Microsoft 365 up properly, rather than fixing it later. That means multi-factor authentication on every account, email filtering, sign-in rules and, on Business Premium, device management and protection. It is also worth backing up your Microsoft 365 email and files offsite, which our backup and disaster recovery service covers.
How Digitek helps
Digitek IT is a Microsoft partner. We plan the move with you, copy your email, calendars and files, switch email delivery at a quiet time and set up every device, so your team can keep working throughout. Once you are on Microsoft 365, we look after it as part of your IT support.
Find out more about our Microsoft 365 setup, migration and support, or call 02 4504 8643 to talk about moving from Google Workspace.
