Leaving Google
Google Drive to OneDrive migration
A Google Drive to OneDrive migration moves individually-owned My Drive content into each user's OneDrive. Native Google formats convert to Office formats, orphaned files owned by departed users need an owner assigned first, and volumes above roughly 5TB are staged. The source set is read-only only during the final delta pass.
| Destination | OneDrive for Business, per user |
|---|---|
| Shared drives | Go to SharePoint sites instead, not OneDrive |
| Docs, Sheets, Slides | Converted to Word, Excel, PowerPoint |
| Orphaned files | Ownership reassigned before migration |
| External shares | Reported and reviewed, not auto-recreated |
| Final sync | Source set read-only during the last pass |
My Drive and shared drives go to different places
OneDrive is personal storage; SharePoint is shared storage. My Drive content belongs in OneDrive, and shared drives belong in SharePoint sites. Putting a shared drive into one person's OneDrive is a decision you will regret the first time that person leaves, because the content leaves with their account.
This split has to be decided per drive before anything moves, with a named owner for each destination site. It is the same conversation as the SharePoint side of a full estate move, and it is worth having once for both.
Format conversion and what it costs you
Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are not files in the ordinary sense; they are database entries that Google renders. Moving them means converting to Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Straightforward documents convert cleanly. Complex spreadsheets with Apps Script, custom functions or heavy conditional formatting do not, and the failure is often silent — the file opens, and a formula returns the wrong thing.
We report every file containing Apps Script or non-standard functions before conversion so those can be reviewed by whoever owns them. A conversion report that nobody reads is worth nothing, so it is scoped to the files that actually need attention rather than the whole estate.
- Docs, Sheets and Slides convert to Office formats
- Apps Script, custom functions and add-ons do not convert
- Forms and Sites are exported, not migrated
- Files over the destination size limit are reported before the run
Orphaned and externally-shared files
Every estate of any age holds files owned by people who left. In Google they remain accessible through sharing while the owning account is suspended, which conceals the problem. On migration they have no owner in the destination, so they do not arrive. We enumerate them and reassign ownership before the run, which is usually a short conversation with each department head.
External shares are handled deliberately rather than recreated. A link set to anyone-with-the-link three years ago should not be silently reproduced on a new platform. We report every external share and let you decide, which for most organisations is the first full picture of their external exposure they have ever had.
The final pass and read-only window
Content is copied in a full pass while everyone keeps working, then a final delta pass runs with the source set read-only so nothing changes mid-copy. That read-only window is the only user-visible disruption, and for most estates it is a few hours over a weekend.
After the final pass we produce a reconciliation report: file counts and total volume at source and destination, with every discrepancy itemised and explained. A migration without that report is a migration you are taking on trust.
What we see that others don't say
Files owned by users who have already left are the most common blocker: in Google they persist under a suspended or deleted account, and unless ownership is transferred before the migration runs, they are simply absent from the destination and nobody notices until the file is needed.
What this doesn't cover
- Apps Script, custom Sheets functions and Workspace add-ons do not convert and are rebuilt if needed.
- Google Forms and Sites are exported as archives rather than migrated.
- We do not silently recreate external shares; every one is reported for a decision.
- Drive volumes above roughly 5TB are staged and quoted by volume.
Get a fixed price for this
Send your seat count, current platform and deadline. You get a fixed price and an available cutover date, usually within one working day, from the engineer who would run the work.
Prefer to talk? Call +44 20 7183 3436 (Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00 GMT), or message WhatsApp +44 7403 423563.
Questions we get asked
- Do Google Docs convert to Word during a OneDrive migration?
- Yes. Docs, Sheets and Slides convert to Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Apps Script, custom functions and add-ons do not convert and are reported before the run so owners can review them.
- What happens to files owned by employees who left?
- They need ownership reassigned before the migration runs. Otherwise they have no owner at the destination and simply do not arrive, which is usually discovered months later.
- Should shared drives go to OneDrive?
- No. Shared drives belong in SharePoint sites with a named owner. OneDrive is personal storage, so shared content placed there disappears with the account it was attached to.
How this page is verified
Reviewed by Workspace Migration Services migrations desk, Google Workspace migration engineers. Last checked .
- Format conversion behaviour reflects Microsoft's migration tooling documentation as of 2026-08-12.
- Google's handling of files owned by suspended accounts follows Workspace Admin Help as of 2026-08-12.
Sources you can check
Related pages
Want the Drive half handled by someone who has done it?
Send your user count and total Drive volume. We come back with a conversion risk report, a fixed price and a read-only window.