How a Google Drive estate lands in SharePoint and OneDrive
A Google Drive estate has two shapes: personal drives that belong to one person and shared drives that belong to a team. Microsoft 365 has matching destinations, OneDrive for the first and SharePoint sites or Teams channels for the second, and Migration Manager is the tool that moves content between them. Microsoft describes a six-step workflow: connect to Google and install the Microsoft 365 migration app from Google Workspace Marketplace, scan and assess, copy scanned drives to the migrations list, review destination paths, map identities, then migrate and monitor (Microsoft Learn, Migrate Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 with Migration Manager, accessed 2026-10-20). Microsoft also notes that Migration Manager is currently the tool to use for migrating Google content (Microsoft Learn, Frequently Asked Questions: Migration Manager Google, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group's SharePoint migration practice spends most of the project on the three decisions the tool cannot make: where each drive goes, who keeps access, and which converted files need a human review.
Mapping shared drives to sites
In Migration Manager each Google Drive, personal or shared, is one task, and a task cannot run without a destination. The destination is a OneDrive URL or email address plus an optional folder, a SharePoint site URL plus library and folder, or a Teams team and channel. Destinations are edited one at a time in the details pane or uploaded in bulk from a CSV template that Migration Manager validates, and once content starts copying to a destination it can no longer be changed (Microsoft Learn, Step 4: Review destination paths for Google migrations, accessed 2026-10-20). Two details from the same page shape EPC Group's design. If a SharePoint library root is the destination, the source root-folder permissions are not migrated, so EPC Group creates a folder in the library and targets that folder. And every OneDrive destination must already exist, so personal drives are pre-provisioned before the first run.
Size drives the split. A single Google Drive task should not exceed 100,000 items or 1 TB, larger drives are divided into tasks by root folder through a CSV, and the scan list cannot exceed 50,000 rows (Microsoft Learn, Step 2: Scan and assess Google Drives, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group's mapping rule is one shared drive to one team site or Teams channel, with very large shared drives split by root folder only when each subfolder has a distinct audience. The resulting map, source path to destination path, is the CSV that Migration Manager ingests and the document the business signs off.
Translating Google permissions
Permissions depend on identity mapping. Migration Manager automaps domains, users and groups whose names match exactly, accepts single edits or a batch CSV for the rest, and does not validate that CSV, so mappings must be checked before upload (Microsoft Learn, Step 5: Map identities of Google Drive to Microsoft 365 accounts, accessed 2026-10-20). Microsoft is explicit that identity mapping alone does not enable file-level permission migration. Folder permissions migrate by default; file permissions migrate only when enabled in Project settings, and enabling them can slow the migration. The role translation is fixed: a personal drive Owner stays Owner, Editor becomes Can edit, and Commenter or Viewer becomes Can view; a shared drive Manager, Content Manager or Contributor becomes Can edit, and Commenter or Viewer becomes Can view (Microsoft Learn, Permission settings in Migration Manager, accessed 2026-10-20).
For shared drives, Microsoft recommends recreating a Microsoft 365 group with the same membership as the Google group, or editing the group behind the destination team site, and mapping one to the other (same source). EPC Group follows that pattern so that access to each new site is governed by its Microsoft 365 group rather than by item-level grants. Permission changes also need care after the first run: in a delta sync, permissions are only migrated when the corresponding files are transferred, so a permission-only change on the source can be missed in the default mode (Microsoft Learn, Step 6: Migrate and monitor your Google migration, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group freezes sharing changes on the source between the final delta run and cutover for that reason.
Docs, Sheets and Slides, versions and the files that stay behind
During migration the Google Export API converts .gdoc files to .docx, .gsheet to .xlsx and .gslide to .pptx, leaving the originals in Google Drive untouched. Google Drawings migrate as PNG files by default, Google Forms migrate when a Forms destination is designated, shortcut files are skipped, and Google Sites and Google Maps are not migrated. Unorganized or orphaned files are not scanned, so they appear in no report (Microsoft Learn, Unsupported files in Migration Manager, accessed 2026-10-20). Files with the same name in the same folder are renamed with suffixes such as (1) and (2) (Microsoft Learn, Frequently Asked Questions: Migration Manager Google, accessed 2026-10-20).
Version history is a setting, not a default. Migration Manager migrates only the most recent version unless the project is set to migrate a specific number of versions or all versions, up to 50,000 per file; Microsoft recommends no more than 10 versions for performance and notes that native Google format files can be throttled above that (Microsoft Learn, File Versions, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group sets a version count with the records owner, enables versioning on every destination library first, and opens a sample of converted spreadsheets that rely on formulas, named ranges or Apps Script, since those are the files most likely to need rework after conversion.
Validating the migration
Migration Manager generates four reports for cloud migrations: scan summary, scan detailed, migration summary and migration detailed. Summary reports carry a status code per task, detailed reports carry a failure code per file, and the reports expire in 90 days because Microsoft does not retain the log files (Microsoft Learn, Reports and codes for cloud migrations, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group downloads and archives every report the day it is produced. Microsoft's own sign-off guidance is the part most projects skip: a Completed task can contain unsupported-item failures, orphaned Google files are not scanned or reported, and the required source inventory should be reconciled with the destination before the source is retired (Microsoft Learn, Step 6: Migrate and monitor your Google migration, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group's validation therefore runs three checks independent of the tool: item counts and total size per drive from a Google-side inventory against the destination, a hash comparison on a sample of files downloaded from both sides, and spot checks in which named users from each team open their files and confirm access.
Training users on the differences
Users notice the differences before they notice the content. Microsoft frames end-user adoption around stakeholders, scenarios, awareness, training, and planning and managing change (Microsoft Learn, Microsoft 365 End User Adoption Guide, accessed 2026-10-20), and for OneDrive moves lists end-user training, help desk training before cutover, communication of timing and impact, a public timeline and reassurance that existing content is safe (Microsoft Learn, My Sites to OneDrive migration guide, accessed 2026-10-20). Champions carry much of the load: Microsoft recommends that they be formally trained and empowered to guide, teach and train their peers (Microsoft Learn, Create your champions program for Microsoft Teams, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group's adoption and change management team trains the specific differences: OneDrive sync in place of Google Drive for desktop, Share links and Can edit or Can view in place of Google sharing, co-authoring in Word and Excel, and where a team's files now live in Teams.
Documented work
ANON-CASES: EPC Group engagement data for Google Drive migration covers mid-size commercial and nonprofit organizations moving personal drives to OneDrive and shared drives to SharePoint team sites and Teams channels, with group-based permissions and converted Office files, delivered by the firm's SharePoint consulting and SharePoint migration practices. Client names are not published here. Engagements are described by industry and organization size only, and no outcome figures are quoted that cannot be traced to a signed deliverable. EPC Group is a Microsoft Solutions Partner with all six Solutions Partner Designations as of October 2026.
Primary sources
- Migrate Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 with Migration Manager — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Step 2: Scan and assess Google Drives — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Step 4: Review destination paths for Google migrations — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Step 5: Map identities of Google Drive to Microsoft 365 accounts — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Step 6: Migrate and monitor your Google migration — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Permission settings in Migration Manager — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Unsupported files in Migration Manager — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- File Versions — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Reports and codes for cloud migrations — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Frequently Asked Questions: Migration Manager Google — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Microsoft 365 End User Adoption Guide — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Create your champions program for Microsoft Teams — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- My Sites to OneDrive migration guide — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
Frequently Asked Questions
How do shared drives map to SharePoint sites?
Each Google Drive, personal or shared, is one Migration Manager task, and every task needs a destination: a OneDrive URL or email address, a SharePoint site URL and library, or a Teams team and channel. Destinations can be edited one at a time or uploaded in bulk with a CSV, and they cannot be changed once migration starts (Microsoft Learn, Step 4: Review destination paths for Google migrations, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group maps each shared drive to its own team site or Teams channel, points the task at a folder inside the library rather than the library root, and pre-provisions OneDrive for every personal drive.
How are Google permissions translated?
Identity mapping matches Google domains, users and groups to Microsoft 365 identities; Migration Manager automaps exact name matches and accepts manual edits or a CSV (Microsoft Learn, Step 5: Map identities of Google Drive to Microsoft 365 accounts, accessed 2026-10-20). Folder permissions migrate by default; file permissions are off until enabled in Project settings. A shared drive Manager, Content Manager or Contributor becomes Can edit, Commenter and Viewer become Can view, and a personal drive Owner stays Owner (Microsoft Learn, Permission settings in Migration Manager, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group recreates each shared drive group as a Microsoft 365 group and validates access with representative users.
What happens to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides?
The Google Export API converts .gdoc files to .docx, .gsheet to .xlsx and .gslide to .pptx during migration, and the originals in Google Drive are not affected. Google Drawings arrive as PNG files by default, Google Forms need a Forms destination, and Google Sites and Google Maps are not migrated (Microsoft Learn, Unsupported files in Migration Manager, accessed 2026-10-20). Only the latest version migrates unless version settings say otherwise, and Microsoft recommends no more than 10 versions per file for performance (Microsoft Learn, File Versions, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group opens a sample of converted spreadsheets with formulas or scripts before cutover.
How is a migration validated (counts, hashes, spot checks)?
Migration Manager produces scan summary, scan detailed, migration summary and migration detailed reports, with status codes per task and failure codes per file; the reports expire in 90 days (Microsoft Learn, Reports and codes for cloud migrations, accessed 2026-10-20). Microsoft cautions that a Completed task can still contain unsupported-item failures and that orphaned files are not reported, so the source inventory must be reconciled before the source is retired (Microsoft Learn, Step 6: Migrate and monitor your Google migration, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group compares item counts and sizes per drive, hashes a sample of downloaded files on both sides, and spot checks access with named users.
How are users trained on the differences?
Microsoft structures end-user adoption around stakeholders, scenarios, awareness, training and managing change (Microsoft Learn, Microsoft 365 End User Adoption Guide, accessed 2026-10-20), and recommends formally trained champions who guide and teach their peers (Microsoft Learn, Create your champions program for Microsoft Teams, accessed 2026-10-20). For OneDrive moves, Microsoft lists end-user training, help desk training before cutover, a published timeline and reassurance that existing content is safe (Microsoft Learn, My Sites to OneDrive migration guide, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group trains the specific differences: sync instead of Drive for desktop, Share links instead of Google sharing, and co-authoring in Word and Excel.
Talk to a senior architect
If your organization is moving Google Drive to Microsoft 365, a 30-minute discovery call with a senior EPC Group architect covers the drive-to-site map, the identity and permission settings, and the validation plan. See the SharePoint consulting service hub for engagement structures.
Email contact@epcgroup.net or call 888-381-9725.
a Microsoft Gold Partner (2000 until Microsoft retired the program in 2022) — today holding all six Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations.
Documented engagements
Each record publishes a redacted primary-source document — a client purchase order, executed agreement or payment record — with a SHA-256 hash you can recompute, and states what the document does not establish.
- Prairie View A&M University — Contracted — public procurement record