What does not migrate to Google Workspace automatically?
The items that do not migrate automatically are mostly settings, integrations, and data stored outside your main mail and file systems. Migration tools are built to move content: messages, contacts, calendar events, and files. They are less dependable with personal settings, permissions, and anything that lives on a laptop or in a third-party app. Exactly what carries over depends on the tool and the source system, so treat the list below as items to check, not a fixed rule.
Find these during discovery and add each one to your migration checklist with an owner.
Which email settings need to be rebuilt?
Email settings that usually need to be rebuilt include mail rules, signatures, auto-replies, and delegate access. Outlook rules work differently from Gmail filters, and most tools do not convert them. Ask people to write down or screenshot their important rules and signatures before the switch.
Shared mailboxes and distribution lists also need a decision. In Google Workspace, they are often rebuilt as Google Groups or delegated mailboxes. Our guide to migrating shared mailboxes and distribution lists explains the options. Email aliases need to be added to each user in the Admin console.
Local archives are another gap. PST files stored on a laptop are not part of the server mailbox, so a server-to-server migration will not see them. They need a separate import, covered in our guide to migrating PST archives into Gmail.
What about chat, meetings, and calendars?
Chat history and meeting links need the most planning, because they do not map cleanly. Microsoft Teams chat history does not map directly into Google Chat. Decide whether people need that history, and if so, how they will keep access to it. Our guide to moving from Microsoft Teams to Google Chat and Meet covers the options.
Calendar events usually migrate, but recurring meetings created with Teams or another meeting service keep their original meeting links. Organizers may need to recreate important recurring meetings with Google Meet links. Room and equipment calendars need to be set up as resources in Google Workspace.
What file features change in Drive?
Files move, but some features inside them and around them change. Excel files with VBA macros can be stored in Drive and opened in desktop Excel, but Google Sheets does not run VBA. If you convert those spreadsheets, the macros need to be rebuilt, often in Apps Script. Links inside documents that point to old SharePoint or file server paths will not update on their own.
Sharing permissions also deserve a check. Depending on the tool and how users are matched, permissions may carry over, partly carry over, or need to be reapplied. Our guide to working with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in Google Drive covers the day-to-day side.
What about devices, apps, and integrations?
Devices and apps that connect to your old system need to be reconfigured by hand. Common examples include:
- Phones and tablets set up with the old mail account.
- Scanners and copiers that send scans by email through your old server.
- Websites, CRMs, and billing systems that send mail as your domain.
- Single sign-on connections to other business apps.
- Backup and archiving tools pointed at the old system.
Make a list during discovery and test each one after the cutover. For how these fit into the overall project, read how to plan a Google Workspace migration.
Next step
Review our migration plans and process to see what each plan covers, or contact us with your list and we will tell you how we would handle each item.
Frequently asked questions
How do we find everything that will not migrate before we start?
A discovery review of users, shared resources, devices, and connected apps finds most of it. Ask each department which tools send email or store files, and check your DNS records and old admin console for integrations. A pilot group catches most of the rest before the full cutover.
Can people still reach their old Teams chats after the move?
That depends on how long you keep the Microsoft licenses active and which export options you use. A common approach is to keep the old system available for a short, set period so people can save what they need. Decide this before you cancel anything.
