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Copy OneDrive for Business Overview

Updated over a month ago

OneDrive for Business is a simplified SharePoint structure with a Library to store and share files.

With ShareGate Migrate, you can copy your OneDrive for Business content to and from a SharePoint or OneDrive library.

You can also import content to your OneDrive from these sources:

  • File Share

  • Google Drive

  • Box.com

Prerequisites

  • You must provision your OneDrive at the destination before starting the copy.

  • You must have the URL of the source and destination OneDrive for Business. The URL has the following structure: https://tenant_name.sharepoint.com/personal/user_principal_name.
    For the user principal name (UPN), any special characters such as a period, comma, space, and the at sign ("@") are converted to underscores ("_"). For example, [email protected] becomes user_example_com.

Note: The URL isn't created until users access their OneDrive for the first time.
Also, the OneDrive URL will automatically change if the user's UPN changes. For example, if the user changes their name or the domain name changes.

Considerations

Do not use Copy structure and content

Avoid copying OneDrive's structure with ShareGate Migrate. Because OneDrive sites are tied to user accounts, the app does not support copying that structure, which will cause unexpected problems at the destination.

You can only migrate one OneDrive at a time in ShareGate Migrate's user interface (UI)

The connection can only be entered for one OneDrive at a time in ShareGate Migrate's UI, making it less ideal if you plan to migrate many of them.

Run large-scale OneDrive migrations with PowerShell

To migrate the contents of multiple OneDrives for Business or other types of OneDrive migrations, we suggest using PowerShell.

To find scripts and all the information you need to run bulk OneDrive migrations, see our OneDrive migrations with PowerShell section.

How-to

  1. Click Copy in the sidebar.

  2. Select Copy content only.

  3. In Site address, enter the URL of the source OneDrive for Business.

  4. Enter your Authentication details.

  5. Click Connect and, if prompted, enter your account credentials.

  6. Select the source OneDrive for Business Documents library, then click Next.

  7. Add your destination details using the same format as the source.

  8. Click Connect.

  9. Select the destination OneDrive for Business Documents library, then click Next.

  10. Select the documents you want to copy from the source Documents library.

  11. Click Options and Mappings on the top right to apply specific parameters.

  12. Drag and drop the content into the destination, or click Start copy.

When the copy is complete, the migration report shows the results, including any warnings or errors. For more information, see Migration report overview.

Best Practices for OneDrive Migrations

  • Always select 'Copy content only' for OneDrive migrations to avoid errors

  • For large-scale migrations involving multiple OneDrives, consider using ShareGate PowerShell scripts

  • Consult the ShareGate Help Center for up-to-date examples and documentation on PowerShell migration scripts

  • Ensure both source and destination OneDrives are properly provisioned before migration

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