Steps to Migrate Gmail to Microsoft 365 Account Without Losing Data

Shubham Dixit   
Published: Oct 3, 2023 • Migrate • 7 Min Read

Gmail is one of the most preferred email applications among users. It is due to its amazing set of features and user-friendly interface. Many early-stage startups first opt for Gmail as their email communication platform as it is completely free to use and fulfills many requirements.

However, as the company grows and the requirements increase, they look for a proper professional solution. In such cases, Microsoft 365 is the top name their crosses their mind. And whenever they plan to migrate Gmail to Office 365, choosing the right solution becomes critical. It is because any mishappening or error can result in data loss.

So, in this blog, we will be discussing a detailed explanation of how you can perform Gmail to Microsoft 365 migration.

Manual Procedure to Migrate Gmail to Office 365 – Detailed Explanation

The entire process to complete the migration is divided into 6 major steps. Please have a look at those steps in brief:

An Overview of steps involved in the process

• Domain Authentication
• Create and Add Users in Office 365
• Create a list of Gmail mailboxes for migration
• Now, create Migration Endpoints with Gmail IMAP
• Create Migration Batch for Mailbox Migration
• Finally, Update DNS Records

Step 1: Domain Authentication

You must first prove to Office 365 that you are the legitimate owner of the domain that you utilized for your Gmail account. The alternative is to utilize your Office 365 subscription rather than your custom domain. In this case, you may simply add users after they have been created in Office 365 to migrate Gmail to Office 365.

Step 2: Users Should be Created and Added to Office 365

• A valid license is necessary before the creation of any users. To make the email transfer process go more smoothly, each subscriber must be allotted an inbox.
• Next in “Admin Centre”, press on the “Users” >> Active Users >> More >> “Import Multiple Users” options for Gmail email to Office 365 migration.

  

• Now if you want to add individual users then click on the “Add a user” options and enter the details manually. And by choosing the “import multiple users” option and you can obtain an example excel sheet and utilize it as a guide to enter the information for your users.
• Now enter the complete details into some important fields like Username, First Name, Last Name, Mobile Number, Display Name, Age, etc., and in the “User name” field must add your email address.
• When your file is completed save the file, and then click on the “Browse” icon from the “Create and upload file” window and upload the file, press on the “Verify” and “Next” icon to migrate Gmail to Office 365.

  

Step 3: Select Gmail Mailbox to Migrate

Following that, create an Excel file with a selection of Gmail mailboxes to transfer to Office 365. To create the transfer file, you should know the password of every Gmail inbox. After migration, mail might be given temporary passwords. To change G Suite passwords, you should be an admin. Mailboxes can be transferred in batches at the user’s discretion for Gmail email to Office 365 migration.

1. First, login into your g suite admin console with your administrator login details.
2. Next select “Users”.
3. Choose the users list in the Google admin center.
4. Choose each user to determine each user’s email address. Make a note of the address.
5. Now login into your Office 365 account, and choose “users” >> “Active users”.
6. Open the excel sheet, now enter the details such as email address, username, and password for every inbox that you need to Migrate Gmail mailbox to Office 365.

   

7. Now save the file in CSV format to migrate Gmail to Office 365.

Step 4: Create Migration Targets with Gmail IMAP

A simpler communication channel with Gmail is developed for Gmail inbox transfer to Office 365. 365 utilizes a migration route for this. Migration endpoint is a phrase used to describe the settings used to create a connection for mailbox migration. Steps are given below:

1. Open Exchange admin center on your device.
2. Now press on the Recipients >> Migration and press >> Migration endpoints.

   

3. Press on the “New +”.
4. From the fresh page choose “IMAP”.
5. Now enter the IMAP details like IMAP server (imap.Gmail.com) and Settings (default) details.
6. Next. The migration service connects to Gmail using the settings. After connecting, the ‘Enter general info’ screen appears.
7. In the Enter general information tab, type the name of the migration endpoint.

Now press on the new to migrate Gmail to Office 365.

Step 5: Create a Migration Batch

1. Choose “Admin Centres” >> “Exchange” from the Office 365 admin center.

   

2. Next select Recipients >> Migration.
3. After that choose “Migrate to Exchange Online” >> “New (+)”.

   

4. Choose “IMAP Migration” >> “Next”.
5. From the “select the users” windows, press on the “Browse” and choose the previously created CSV file and the “Next”.
6. Now all the Gmail mailboxes will show on the screen and then “Next”.
7. Next, select the migration endpoint (previously created) in the “Set the migration endpoint” and then choose “Next” and again press the “Next” on “IMAP migration configuration”.
8. Now enter the complete details on the “Move configuration page” like enter the name of the migration batch and names of the folders. And press on the Add (+).
9. Lastly from the “batch page”, enter the required details and start the process to migrate Gmail to Office 365.

Step 6: Change DNS Records

The email systems use a DNS record that is also called an MX record that decides the exact address where the email should be delivered. Before the completion of the migration process, the MX record was pointing to your Gmail platform. But now, like your Gmail to Office 365 migration is completed, you have to change the MX record to O365. Once your MX record is changed, the emails sent to your Gmail ID will be delivered to Microsoft 365 mailboxes.

The steps to update DNS record are described below:

• Open “Admin Center” and go to “Settings” option.
• Select “Domains” option and choose your Domain name.
• Normally, you will see “Setup in Progress” message.
• If your domain name is DomainA.com, then you will see two options there:

DomainA.com (Default) – Setup in progress
DomainA.onmicrosoft.com – Setup completed

• Click on DomainA.com and you will see “Setup your online services” screen with two options:
• Add Records from me – Choosing this option will connect to your DNS domain and update MX records automatically.
• I’ll Manage my own DNS records – This option is for you if you need flexibility to insert a list of DNS records.

Best Alternative for Gmail to Microsoft 365 Migration Process

After going through the aforementioned solution, many users ask if there is an alternative and easy method to carry out migration. The best solution for those users is to go with 3Steps Software and make the entire process simple.

It is one of the most trusted and reliable utilities when it comes to moving data from Gmail to Office 365. You can also try this solution and get all your data migrated without losing a single bit of data. Additionally, The software is designed using efficient algorithms which makes the process effortless.

Conclusion

This article will guide users to migrate Gmail to Office 365 via two procedures. Firstly, we have explained the manual procedure that consists of 6 steps. It is a bit complex and requires proper technical expertise to perform. On the other hand, the automated tool described here is a better and simple option that provides error-free results.