A practical, security-first guide to migrating users, data, and collaboration from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 — without chaos, downtime, or late‑night panic.
Switching from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 isn’t really about email or files. It’s about scale.
Google Workspace works great when teams are small, scrappy, and living their best startup life. As organizations grow, security, compliance, identity management, and governance stop being “future problems” and start showing up on your calendar. Microsoft 365 tends to win at that stage because it was built for enterprises that need control, visibility, and fewer unpleasant surprises.
This post walks through how to move from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 the right way. Securely, methodically, and without discovering new gray hairs mid-migration.
Thinking about moving from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365? Here’s the short version:
Before touching a migration tool, take an honest inventory of where you are today. This is the part everyone wants to skip. It’s also the part that saves you later.
Most failed migrations don’t fail during the move. They fail during planning. Or because someone said, “How hard could it be?”
A smooth migration isn’t magic. It’s preparation. And a healthy respect for how users actually work. At ProArch, we treat migration as a controlled transformation, not a data dump followed by hope. Here’s how that looks in the real world.
1. Decide What Should Migrate. And What Should Stay Behind.
Not everything deserves a boarding pass. We start by identifying active, relevant data and excluding stale, redundant, or archive-ready content. Less data means fewer problems, faster migrations, and fewer “why did this come over?” questions later.
Microsoft supports migration of:
Users are pre-provisioned in Microsoft 365, and migrations run in batches. Clean, predictable, and drama-free.
Important note - Google Workspace migrations are not supported for GCC High or DoD tenants. That conversation needs to happen early. Not on cutover day.
2. Choose the Right Migration Method
Microsoft gives you options. Which is both good and dangerous. Depending on how much control and automation you want, you can use:
There’s no universal best method. There is a best method for your environment.
3. Prepare the Microsoft 365 Environment Properly
This is where problems go to die. If you do it right. Before a single mailbox moves, we make sure the destination is ready.
That includes:
The goal is simple. Move what matters. Leave behind what slows things down or confuses users later.
Jim Spignardo
Director of Cloud Strategy and AI Enablement
4. Configure Temporary Mail Routing
In phased migrations, some users are still on Google while others have moved to Microsoft 365. Email, unfortunately, does not care about your project plan.
We configure temporary routing both ways:
No missed mail. No bounced messages. No executive asking if “email is down again.”
5. Migrate Mail, Calendars, and Contacts
Once the environment is ready, data migration begins.
Exchange Online handles:
We always start with a pilot group. Validate behavior. Confirm permissions. Fix the one thing nobody predicted. Then scale out in controlled waves.
Admins can fine-tune migrations using options like:
Every batch is validated before moving on. Trust, but verify.
6. Prepare Users Before Cutover
Tools matter. Timing matters more. Before users are cut over, Outlook, Teams, Microsoft 365 apps, and the OneDrive sync client are already installed. When their data appears, work continues without interruption.
No scramble. No panic. No “where did my email go?” tickets.
7. Complete the Email Domain Cutover
When most users have transitioned, it’s time to commit.
From this point forward, Microsoft 365 is the system of record. The safety net can come down.
8. Migrate Google Drive and Shared Drives
Email is only half the story. The other half lives in Drive.
Using Migration Manager:
Permissions are preserved. Collaboration patterns remain intact. Users don’t lose access to shared workspaces or shared sanity.
9. Retire Google Workspace Cleanly
Once everything is validated, Google Workspace can be retired. If your domain lives in Google Domains, it can stay there or move elsewhere. Either way, Microsoft 365 becomes the unified platform for identity, security, communication, and collaboration.
One platform. Fewer exceptions. Less duct tape.
How long does a Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration take?
It depends. Users, data volume, integrations, geography. All the usual suspects. Small environments can move in days. Larger or global environments may take weeks.
We migrate in waves. Pilot first. Validate. Scale. People keep working while the migration quietly does its thing.
Can we run Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 in parallel?
Yes. And many organizations do.
Mail routing keeps communication flowing while users transition in phases. Once everything is validated, a clean cutover happens. No cliff dives.
Will our emails, calendars, and files remain intact?
Yes. When done correctly.
Mailboxes, calendars, folder structures, metadata, and permissions are preserved. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, ProArch follows a proven methodology designed to minimize surprises. The good kind only.
How is data secured during migration?
Security doesn’t take a vacation during migration.
What does ProArch handle?
The technical heavy lifting. All of it.
We also guide Microsoft 365 licensing so teams get what they need. Not what looks good in a spreadsheet.
What makes ProArch’s approach different?
We start with why, not data volume. Before anything moves, we help determine what should migrate based on business goals, security posture, and adoption priorities.
Our approach includes:
Trusted Microsoft 365 Migration Support
ProArch helps enterprises move from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 with clarity, control, and security. We design the tenant correctly, secure identities upfront, and migrate in phases that reflect how people actually work.
This isn’t just a platform switch. It’s how organizations unlock the full value of Microsoft 365. Today, and as they scale.
Explore Microsoft 365 licensing and migration services