In this article, you will find details on creating a connection to your SharePoint and Microsoft 365 environment.
Note: We do not recommend using an App password. For more information, see App password.
Prerequisites
You need the correct administrative rights to connect.
Establish a connection
From the Explorer
Select Explorer from the sidebar menu.
Click the All connections dropdown at the left of the search bar.
Click +Add connection.
Enter your connection information. See Connection screen overview below for more details.
Click Connect.
From Copy
Select Copy from the sidebar menu.
Select the action you want to perform.
Enter your connection information. See Connection screen overview below for more details.
Click Connect.
Select your target. For example, you can select a list or library when using Copy content.
Click Next.
If applicable, repeat steps (1) to (6) for the destination.
Site address
You can connect using one of the following address types:
SharePoint admin center address (Microsoft 365)
Central administration address (SharePoint on-premise)
SharePoint site address
For more information about site address types, see Site address connection types overview.
Note: Custom domains are not currently supported. For more information, see Custom domain connection.
Authentication methods (dropdown in the connection panel)
ShareGate Migrate has the following 4 authentication methods to connect to your environments:
Current Windows user
Connect using your existing Windows session credentials. ShareGate Migrate preserves your authentication cookies locally, but it does not save your username and password.
Manual (On-premise only)
Connect by manually entering a username and password. An encrypted version of your credentials is stored when using this type of authentication. This connection method does not work on Microsoft 365 environments.
Tip: If your organization requires you to change your passwords regularly, ensure you update your information when authenticating with this method.
Browser
Opens a browser authentication window for your connection. The app preserves a FedAuth cookie locally but does not preserve your username and password. The browser authentication method supports Multifactor Authentication (MFA).
Modern
Opens a Modern authentication browser window for your connection in-app. The app preserves an OAuth2 Bearer token locally but does not preserve your username and password. The Modern authentication method supports MFA.
Modern authentication is currently available only for migrations to SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business.
Note: While this method has limitations over Browser authentication, it is considered a more secure method, it does not expire for at least 90 days, and it is the only authentication method you can use to connect to Microsoft 365 in a PowerShell script without having to enter your user name and password in a browser prompt, as long as MFA is not enforced.
Single sign-on
Your workstation may use the SharePoint single sign-on (SSO) feature, which automatically logs in to each session without prompting for credentials.
Turning off single sign-on will require you to log in each time you connect via browser authentication.
Tip: If you notice any unexpected behavior associated with your connected account, turn off single sign-on to ensure you are logging in with the correct account. Turning off single sign-on will force the app to prompt for user credentials during authentication.
Connect using a proxy
For more information on connecting via a proxy, see Use a proxy.
Add connection to Explorer
If this connection has not yet been added to the connections list in Explorer, you can add it now. Add a check mark in the box to the left of Add connection to explorer.
Troubleshoot connection issues
If you are having issues with your connection, see Troubleshoot Microsoft 365 connection issues or Troubleshoot SharePoint on-premises connection issues.