G Suite to Office 365 migration, done for you
The EpiFive team moves your organisation from Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) to Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365): email, calendars, contacts, Google Drive and shared drives, then the DNS cutover and help for your staff on day one. Planned in writing, piloted first, and done remotely for organisations anywhere.
What the migration includes
Every Gmail mailbox copied to Exchange Online, with Gmail filters brought across as Outlook rules. Google stays live while mail syncs, so nobody stops working.
Calendars and contacts
Calendar events and contacts moved with each mailbox. Shared calendars and room bookings, which the native tools do not move, are recreated as Outlook shared calendars and room mailboxes.
Google Drive
My Drive copied to each person’s OneDrive with Microsoft’s Migration Manager. Docs, Sheets and Slides arrive as Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
Shared drives
Shared drives mapped to SharePoint sites or Teams, with a permissions plan agreed with you before anything is copied.
Groups and shared addresses
Google Groups and shared inboxes (sales@, support@) rebuilt as distribution lists, Microsoft 365 groups or shared mailboxes, whichever fits how each address is used.
DNS and MX cutover
TTLs lowered in advance, MX, Autodiscover, SPF, DKIM and DMARC switched to Microsoft 365, and a final sync for mail that arrives while DNS changes spread.
User training and day one
A short guide for staff on Outlook, OneDrive and Teams for Gmail users, a phone and desktop set-up checklist, and support for the first days after the switch.
Clean-up and handover
Google Workspace licences closed only once everything is confirmed, and handover notes so your team can run the new tenant.
How the project runs
The timeline depends on your users and data volumes, and you get it in writing before work starts. Most of the work happens in the background; the moment users notice is the cutover, which is scheduled with you.
- Discovery. Users, mailbox and Drive sizes, shared drives, groups, domains and deadlines. You get a list of what moves, what needs rebuilding and what cannot move.
- Written plan and quote. The migration approach, a timeline built from your data volumes, what users will notice and when, and a fixed scope.
- Prepare both tenants. Microsoft 365 licences and users, the Google service account and routing for coexistence, and OneDrive pre-provisioning.
- Pilot. A few users move first, check their mail, calendar and files, and confirm the plan works before the main move.
- Main migration. Mail in batches and Drive content in waves, with incremental syncs so recent changes are not missed.
- Cutover. The MX switch at a time agreed with you, a final sync, then users sign in to Outlook.
- After the move. Checks on mail flow and authentication, help for users, then the Google subscription is closed and the work is documented.
What we need from you
- A Google Workspace super administrator who can approve the migration access (we guide you through it)
- Microsoft 365 licences that include Exchange Online for every mailbox, or advice from us on which plan to buy
- Access to your domain’s DNS at the registrar or DNS host
- A list of users, shared addresses and shared drives, or admin access so we can build it
- A cutover window that suits your business, often an evening or weekend
Still deciding between the two platforms? Compare them first in Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 for small business.
The EpiFive team
An IT team covering support to software
- 10+ yearscombined team experience
- About 10,000IT set-ups and support cases, combined across the team
- About 100migrations worked on: Google to Microsoft 365, tenant to tenant
- End to endsupport, infra, cloud, security, software
- Microsoft certifiedteam members hold M365 Administrator Expert and SC-300
Talk to the teamRemote, worldwide. We usually reply within 1 business day.
Figures are approximate and combined across the team's careers, including work for earlier employers and clients. Articles are published by the EpiFive Editorial Team; see the editorial policy for how they are researched and checked.
Request a migration quote
Tell us roughly how many users you have, how much is in Gmail and Drive, and when you would like to switch. You get a written scope and quote; no prices are listed because every environment is different.
Questions about G Suite to Office 365 migration
Will we lose email during a G Suite to Office 365 migration?
No mail is deleted from Google during the move: mailboxes are copied while Google Workspace keeps running, incremental syncs pick up new mail, and a final sync after the MX change catches anything delivered to Google while DNS updates. Google Workspace is cancelled only after you have confirmed that everything arrived.
How long does the migration take?
It depends on the number of users, mailbox sizes and how much is in Drive and shared drives. Small offices are often done in one to two weeks from planning to cutover; larger organisations take several weeks. Your written plan gives a timeline based on your own data volumes.
Can people keep working while the data moves?
Yes. Users keep using Gmail and Google Drive until the cutover. The switch itself is a DNS change made at a time you choose, and after it people sign in to Outlook, OneDrive and Teams with their data already there.
What does not move with Microsoft’s tools?
Shared calendars, room bookings, Google Groups, Google Sites, Chat and Keep are not moved by Microsoft’s native tools. We list them during discovery and agree how each one is rebuilt, exported or retired, so nothing is a surprise on cutover day.
Do you use third-party migration tools?
Usually not: Microsoft’s own Google Workspace migration and Migration Manager cover mail, calendars, contacts and Drive. If your project needs something they skip, we explain the options and any licence cost before anything is bought.
We use G Suite. Is that the same as Google Workspace?
Yes. Google renamed G Suite to Google Workspace, and Microsoft renamed most Office 365 business plans to Microsoft 365. The migration is the same whichever names you use.
What access do you need, and for how long?
Admin roles in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 for the duration of the project, and access to DNS for the cutover. Access is requested only for agreed work, an NDA is available on request, and access can be removed as soon as the work is done.
How much does it cost?
There is no fixed price list, because the work depends on the number of users, the data volume and what needs rebuilding. Request a quote and you get a written scope and price before any work starts. Microsoft 365 licences are billed by Microsoft or your reseller, separately.
Doing it yourself? Free guides
- G Suite to Office 365 migration: step-by-step guide
- Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration checklist
- Migration cost and timeline for small businesses
- Move Google Drive to OneDrive and SharePoint with Migration Manager
- Email cutover checklist: DNS TTLs, MX switch and day one
- Printable migration checklist (PDF)