More and more SMEs reach out to us with the same situation: they've been on Google Workspace for years and, for some specific reason, need to switch to Microsoft 365. Maybe their corporate clients require them to work in a Microsoft environment, maybe they need Azure Active Directory for centralised identity management, maybe the accounting team insists on native Excel, or maybe the costs have simply become more favourable with the Microsoft ecosystem.
Whatever the reason, migrating from Google to Microsoft is perfectly viable and, well planned, can be done without data loss and with minimal disruption. This guide walks through the entire process: from the decision through to team training.
When does the migration make sense?
Not everyone should migrate. Google Workspace is an excellent platform for many SMEs. These are the scenarios where migrating to Microsoft 365 makes the most sense:
- Need for Azure AD / Entra ID integration: If you already use or plan to use Microsoft Azure for infrastructure, identity management is greatly simplified with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID in the same ecosystem.
- Clients or partners working in a Microsoft environment: Sharing native Office documents (without conversions), accessing client SharePoint, participating in external Teams channels.
- Compliance requirements: Certain regulations in financial, healthcare or public administration sectors require tools with specific certifications that Microsoft covers better in some cases.
- Heavy use of advanced Excel: VBA macros, Power Query data models and Power BI add-ins work natively only in desktop Excel.
- Consolidated cost: Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes Windows, Office, Defender for Business and Intune. If a company already pays for Windows separately, the consolidated cost may be lower.
Before you start: the pre-migration inventory
The biggest mistake in a migration is diving in without mapping what needs to be moved. Before touching anything, you need to build a complete inventory:
Users and licences
How many active accounts exist, what Google plan they're on, who actually uses the corporate email and who has an account out of inertia. This inventory also serves to clean up: some companies have been paying for former employees' accounts for years.
Data volume
Emails in Gmail (including folders and labels), files in Google Drive (distinguishing personal from shared with third parties), Google Calendar with all events and recurrences, contacts in Google Contacts, and Google Chat data if used. Use the Google Takeout export tool to get an approximate volume before planning.
Applications connected to Google
This point is almost always overlooked and is a major source of problems. Which business applications use "Sign in with Google"? Does the CRM authenticate against Google? Are there Google Forms embedded in the website? Are there Apps Scripts automating processes? All of this needs to be assessed and planned separately.
Migration tools: available options
There are three main paths for the technical migration:
GAMME (Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange)
Microsoft's official tool for migrating from Google. It's free and migrates email, calendar and contacts. Its main limitation is that it doesn't migrate Google Drive to OneDrive/SharePoint; a separate tool is needed for that. Works well for small companies with fewer than 25 users and moderate email volumes.
BitTitan MigrationWiz
The most widely used paid tool on the market for migrations between collaboration platforms. Migrates email, Drive to OneDrive/SharePoint, calendars and contacts in one platform with a centralised dashboard. The cost is around €15-25 per user for a complete migration process. For companies with more than 20 users, the savings in technical time more than justify the cost.
SkyKick Migration Suite
An alternative to BitTitan aimed at Microsoft partners. Includes automated planning, batch migration and integrated support. Usually the option of MSPs (managed service providers) that regularly carry out these migrations.
Need help with your Microsoft 365 migration?
We manage the entire process: inventory, data migration, configuration and team training. No business disruption.
The process step by step
Step 1: Set up the Microsoft 365 tenant
Create the Microsoft 365 tenant, add and verify the corporate domain (the same one already in Google), configure licence plans and activate basic security policies before creating any users.
Step 2: Provision users
Create all user accounts in Microsoft 365 with the same email aliases. At this point users have accounts on both platforms; email still arrives in Gmail because the domain's MX records haven't changed yet.
Step 3: Migrate email (Gmail to Exchange Online)
Using GAMME or MigrationWiz, start the historical email migration silently while users continue working normally in Gmail. This phase can take hours or days depending on volume. It's best to do a full first pass and then an incremental sync just before the cutover.
Step 4: Migrate Google Drive to SharePoint / OneDrive
This is the most delicate phase. You need to decide the destination structure before migrating: which Drive folders go to each user's personal OneDrive and what goes to SharePoint (team shared drives). Poor planning here generates weeks of post-migration confusion.
Step 5: Migrate Calendar and Contacts
Google Calendar to Outlook Calendar. Recurring events and external invitations are the elements most prone to conversion issues. Shared team calendars should be reviewed manually after migration.
Step 6: DNS cutover (MX record change)
The "go live" moment: changing the domain's MX records so new email arrives at Exchange Online instead of Gmail. This change propagates in between 15 minutes and 48 hours depending on the configured TTL. It's recommended to lower the TTL to 300 seconds a few hours before to speed up propagation.
Step 7: Post-migration monitoring
During the first 5-7 days, actively monitor: emails not arriving, missing files, problems with the Outlook client, authentication failures. This is the most critical period and where most incidents are concentrated.
Common mistakes to avoid
Mistake 1: Changing DNS before completing the email migration. Many companies are in a rush to "be on Microsoft" and change the MX records when there is still historical email not yet migrated. The result is users seeing an empty inbox in Outlook.
Mistake 2: Not mapping the shared Drive folders. "My Drive" files are easy. Files in "Shared Drives" (formerly "Team Drives") require an explicit mapping to SharePoint sites. Without that mapping, files migrate to a generic location that nobody can find.
Mistake 3: Ignoring applications that use Google as their IDP. If your CRM, billing software or HR tool uses "Sign in with Google," those integrations stop working on cutover day. They need to be migrated to Microsoft SSO or direct username/password before the cutover.
Mistake 4: Not training the team before the cutover. Outlook is not Gmail. SharePoint is not Drive. Teams is not Meet. Users need prior training, even if just one hour, so they don't flood support with basic usage questions on day one.
Realistic timelines and costs
| Company size | Estimated timeline | Complexity |
|---|---|---|
| 1-10 users | 3-5 business days | Low: GAMME is sufficient |
| 10-25 users | 1-2 weeks | Medium: MigrationWiz recommended |
| 25-50 users | 3-4 weeks | High: requires detailed planning and pilot phase |
| 50+ users | 4-8 weeks | Very high: phased migration, change management |
As for licence costs, Microsoft 365 Business Standard (the closest equivalent to Google Workspace Business Starter) costs €12.50/user/month at official price. Microsoft 365 Business Premium, which includes advanced security (Defender for Business, Intune, Azure AD P1), costs €22/user/month. For companies already evaluating additional security tools, Business Premium often works out the same or cheaper than Business Standard plus separate security tools.
Team training: the underestimated key
The technology rarely fails. Adoption fails a lot. In every migration we have managed, technical incidents are resolved in hours; resistance to change can last weeks if not managed well.
The minimum to cover before cutover day:
- How to access and configure Outlook (web and desktop)
- Difference between personal OneDrive and team SharePoint
- How to install and activate Microsoft 365 applications on devices
- How to use Teams for meetings and team channels
- What to do if something isn't working (who to call)
A 90-minute training session before cutover, plus a Teams channel or WhatsApp support group for the first week, makes an enormous difference in the migration experience.
Need help with your Microsoft 365 migration?
At EstructuraBit we manage Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migrations from start to finish: planning, data migration, configuration and team training.