Google Shared Drive File Migrations

How to Prepare Set up Microsoft TeamsAfter Migrationhelp

To adhere to the new Google storage quotas set due to the changes Google has made to its service offering to the academic community, non-Google format files in Shared Drives need to be moved to an alternate storage location like Microsoft Teams. Recognizing that the purpose of most Google Shared Drives is to store data and collaborate with all data in one location, OIT will allow Google Shared Drive owners to opt to also migrate native Google document types (docs, sheets, and slides).

How to prepare for a Google Shared Drive file migration

  • If the Google Shared Drive has multiple owners/managers, identify a single point of contact for the migration. This person will be the point of contact with the OIT Migration team, should fill out the Google Shared Drive Migration form and be responsible for communicating with the members of the Shared Drive.
  • Remove unneeded files from your Shared Drive to reduce the amount of time it takes for the migration to complete.
  • Decide if you want all data moved to Microsoft Teams or just non-Google format files. Moving all data would mean storing all of your department’s data in a single location. Keeping Google files in a Drive preserves convenience of using Google format files for collaboration, but means you'll have data spanning both Microsoft and Google.
  • If you own multiple Google Shared Drives, consider if you want them moved into different Microsoft Teams or to the same Microsoft Team but placed in different channels. Similar to how Google Shared Drives gives you the ability to grant access to a different group of people, having different Microsoft Teams or different channels allows you select which individuals have access to each Team or Channel.
  • Identify a Microsoft Team where you want your data migrated. If you need a new Microsoft Team, request a new team on the Messaging and Collaboration Request Portal.
  • If data is being shared with people outside of CU Boulder from the Shared Drive, it’s important to request that your Microsoft Team is configured to allow sharing outside of CU Boulder.
  • OIT’s primary goal is to reduce storage use on Google, so if you’d like OIT to migrate any additional Google Shared Drives that are beneath the 5 GB limit, fill out the Google Shared Drive Migration form.

Please note: If you are a manager/owner of a Google Shared Drive and the storage usage of that Shared Drive is over 5 GB, you should have received a communication from OIT asking you to provide information needed to complete the migration for the data in your Shared Drive.

Set up your Microsoft Team

What to expect after migration

  • Once your migration starts, data will begin to appear in the specified Microsoft Team.
  • Once the migration software has validated the file was successfully copied to Microsoft Teams, the file will be deleted from Google Shared Drive.
  • Because of transfer limitations imposed by Google, the migration can sometimes take weeks if the Shared Drive has a substantial amount of data. During this time, data can still be accessed in Google Shared Drive or in Microsoft Teams. You may have to work in both locations until the migration is complete.
  • If you have previously shared files with specific people outside of CU Boulder, those files will be automatically re-shared and those people will receive an email with the link to the location of the file in Microsoft Teams
  • If you have shared files with specific people in CU Boulder, those files will be automatically re-shared with those specific people. However, they will not receive an email with a link to the location of the file in Microsoft Teams. They can locate the new locations of the files by visiting their “Shared” section of OneDrive.
  • If you have shared files using an anonymous link from your Google Shared Drive, the file will need to be re-shared manually from Microsoft Teams once the migration is complete. This includes if you used those anonymous links in a website.
  • Microsoft Teams has a total folder and file name length limit. If the data and folder structure in your Google Shared Drive exceeds that limit the folders and file names may be shortened as part of the migration process. Learn more about Microsoft's file path length limitation.
  • Microsoft Teams does not support file names with leading and trailing spaces. If your Google Shared Drive has files or folders with spaces at the beginning or the end of the name, the spaces will be removed during the migration process.
  • Microsoft Teams has a number of Invalid Characters that are not permitted to be used in folder names. If your Google Shared Drive has files of folders using these invalid characters, they will be replaced with the underscore character during the migration process (e.g. Fall*2022 would become Fall_2022).
  • Microsoft Teams cannot store individual files larger than 250 GB. If you have any files that are above this limit, you will need to delete them or store them in another university approved location. Learn more about Microsoft's single file size limits.
  • If the combined storage quantity of any data failing to migrate to Microsoft Teams exceeds 5GB upon completion of the migration, your Google Shared Drive will be considered to be over quota and you will not be able to modify existing files or upload new files until you have reduced your usage.

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