Import files from a OneDrive account

Supported editions for this feature: Business Starter, Business Standard, and Business Plus; Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus; Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, and Education Plus; Essentials Starter, Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, and Enterprise Essentials Plus; Nonprofits; G Suite Basic and G Suite Business. Compare your edition

Use the data import tool to copy files from Microsoft OneDrive to your users' Google Workspace accounts. Except where indicated, you complete these steps in the Google Admin console for the Workspace account you're importing to.

Workspace requirements

  • Make sure a super administrator sets up and runs the data import. Resellers can't import data for their customer accounts.
  • Turn on Google Drive for all the users that you're importing to Workspace. For details, go to Turn Google Drive and Docs on or off for users .
  • You need a Workspace user account and license for each user that you're importing. For details, go to Options for adding users .
  • You can import data for up to 500 OneDrive users at a time. If you need to import more users, you must start an additional data import.

OneDrive requirements

Before you begin: Avoid duplicate files

If you exit a data import and then start a new import for the same data set, the second import might create duplicate files in Workspace. To prevent duplication, avoid creating 2 separate imports for the same data set.

Run a data import

Step 2: Create a file of OneDrive users to import

The data import tool copies files, folders, and permissions from OneDrive users to Workspace users. Create a comma-separated values (CSV) file that lists the OneDrive users that you want to import. You can create a new CSV file. Or, download a sample file and add information. The completed CSV file must be smaller than 10 MB.

To create the CSV file:

  1. Using your Workspace administrator account, open a spreadsheet program. Or, in the Admin console, click Download a sample CSV file .
  2. Add the column header Source OneDrive User and enter an email address for each OneDrive user that you want to import. Use a separate row for each email address.

    Example:

    Source OneDrive User
    charliecruz@example.com
    kailee@example.com
  3. Save the spreadsheet as a CSV file.
  4. Upload the file to the Google Admin console:
    1. In your Admin console, click Upload CSV .
    2. Select your CSV mapping fileand thenclick Open .
    3. Click Tasksto confirm that the mapping file is successfully uploaded.
  5. If the CSV file doesn't successfully upload:
    1. Select the file and click Deleteand then Yes to confirm.
    2. Create a new file and try to upload it again.

    If you encounter this issue more than once, contact Google Workspace support .

Step 3: Create & upload an identity map

Create a second CSV file (separate from the file of OneDrive users) to map OneDrive users to Workspace users. You can create a new CSV file. Or, download a sample file and add rows. You don't need to add external users. Their permissions import by default. The completed CSV file must be smaller than 10 MB.

To create the identity map:

  1. Using your Workspace administrator account, open a spreadsheet program. Or, in the Admin console, click Download a sample CSV file .
  2. In the first column, add the header Source Email and enter an email address for each OneDrive user that you want to import. Use a separate row for each user.
  3. In the second column, add the header Destination Email and enter a Workspace email address for each user. Use a separate row for each user.

    Example:

    Source Email Destination Email
    charliecruz@example.com ccruz@other-company.com
    kailee@example.com klee@other-company.com
  4. Save the spreadsheet as a CSV file.
  5. Upload the file to the Google Admin console:
    1. In your Admin console, click Upload CSV .
    2. Select your CSV mapping fileand thenclick Open .
    3. Click Tasksto confirm that the mapping file is successfully uploaded.
  6. If the CSV file doesn't successfully upload:
    1. Select the file and click Deleteand then Yes to confirm.
    2. Create a new file and try to upload it again.

    If you encounter this issue more than once, contact Google Workspace support .

Step 4: Select data import settings

Use any of the following settings to specify which data to copy from OneDrive:

  1. To import all OneDrive users, including those not found in the identity map, ensure that the Copy accounts that aren't included in the map that are discovered during the data import box is checked and choose an option:
    • If the user's email address in OneDrive is the same as their address in Workspace, select Keep their original email address .
    • If the domain name for all imported users is changing, select Use a different email address domain for these accounts and then select a domain.
  2. To copy files by date, check the Only include files created or modified after the following date box and choose an option:
    • To copy files created after a certain date, select Created by and then select a date.
    • To copy files modified after a certain date, select Modified by and then enter a date.

    Note: Date settings are based on your local time zone and apply only to individual files, not folders. All folders import, regardless of the date you select.

  3. If you don't want to import all file types, check the Exclude specific file formats box and enter the file extensions to exclude. Separate different file extensions with a comma (for example, tmp, log, bak, and so on).
  4. If you don't want to import larger files, check the Exclude files larger than the following size box, enter a maximum size, and then select Mb or Gb .
  5. Click Save .

Step 5: Start a data import

Starting a data import grants domain-wide delegation and creates a client ID for Data import in Workspace. For more information, go to Control API access with domain-wide delegation .

  1. Click Start import.
  2. You can see updates on the following information in real time while the data import is in process:
    • Discovered tasks —Number of tasks that were successfully completed
    • Warning —Number of tasks that were completed but failed to complete as expected
    • Failed —Number of tasks that failed to import due to an error
    • Skipped —Number of tasks that were skipped because of certain data import settings, or because they were completed in a previous import
    • Successful —Number of tasks that were successfully completed
    • Users processed —Number of users that were completely imported
    • Time elapsed —Time elapsed since the data import started
    • Files discovered —Number of files detected during the data import
    • Folders imported —Number of folders that were successfully imported
    • Files imported —Number of files that were successfully imported
    • Files skipped —Number of previously imported files that were skipped
    • Files failed —Number of files that failed to import to Drive
    • Discovery issues —Number of folders from the source account that couldn't be crawled
  3. Click View data import logs . You can export the report at any time once the data import starts.
  4. If the Tasks list doesn't automatically open with the exported report, click Tasksand thenthe report link.
  5. (Optional) Click Open in Google Sheets to open the report in Google Sheets.
When the data import is complete, you get an email with import statistics. Any reports are attached.

(Optional) Step 6: Stop a running data import

If you need to stop a data import while it's in progress, click Stop import .

Stopping a data import might take a few minutes, and it doesn't roll back the import process. Any files that imported before the stop aren't deleted from Drive.

Step 7: Exit a completed data import

You can run delta imports and review information about a completed data import in the Admin console until you exit the import. If you need to start a new data import from OneDrive, you must exit the existing import.

  1. If you want to import any new or updated files before you exit, follow the steps in Run a delta import for OneDrive .
  2. (Optional) To save logs and reports from a data import, click View data import logs and Export user report .
  3. Click Exit import and then Exit and delete import .

Avoid duplicate files

If you exit a data import and then start a new import for the same data set, the second import might create duplicate files in Workspace. To prevent duplication, avoid creating 2 separate imports for the same data set.

Data import is intended as a productivity feature and is not designed to assist with legal compliance matters. You and your organization are responsible for assessing and meeting your organization's legal compliance needs. If you require files and folders for legal compliance purposes, consider backing up the files in OneDrive prior to importing data to Google Workspace.


Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

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