Technical considerations | Set up | Configuration | Migration | Post-migration | Passwords | Email | Calendar | Contacts | Interoperability | Folders and labels
Technical considerations
Can I run multiple instances of GWMME on a single client machine?No. There's a single location for configuration files. If you run multiple instances of Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange (GWMME) on a single client, those instances overwrite each other's configuration files. If you want to increase the number of users migrated by a client machine, increase the number of users processed. For details, go to the GWMME Admin Guide.
You can, but it isn't recommended. If the client machine can run multiple virtual machines, we recommend you take advantage of the machine. Run one instance of the client and increase the number of users that are processed simultaneously.
No. Each instance has to reference a unique list of users. If you reference the same list of users, the users' data can corrupt.
GWMME uses MAPI. For details, go to How a GWMME migration works.
No. You only need to open HTTPS and ensure Google IP addresses aren't blocked.
GWMME follows the proxy configuration defined in Microsoft Internet Explorer and uses those settings for all network connections to Google. GWMME doesn't support authenticated proxies.
Although GWMME supports proxy connections, you might need to turn on a direct connection to make sure the proxy server doesn't cause issues. Since the proxy configuration depends on your local setup, Google Cloud Support cannot assist you with this configuration. Contact your network administrator if you encounter proxy issues.
Set up
Before I use GWMME, do I need to create user accounts in Google Workspace?Yes. Create all user accounts in Google Workspace before running a migration. For details, go to:
No. You don't need to change your MX records.
No. Only include usernames. For details, go to Create a control CSV file for user accounts.
Yes. For details, go to Create a control CSV file for user accounts.
If the file meets the format requirements, you can use an automated CSV file. For details, go to Create a control CSV file for user accounts.
Configuration
Do I have to do anything in Google Workspace before I run GWMME?Yes. For details, go to Authorize GWMME for your account.
Yes.
In the GWMME product, on the Review GWMME Settings dialog, you can check the Estimate box. GWMME scans the data of all users on the source environment to determine the number of items to migrate.
Additionally:
- If you check both the Estimate and Migrate all data boxes, GWMME determines either the number of remaining items to migrate or items that were recently added (after a previous migration).
- If you check both the Estimate and Migrate boxes, GWMME determines the number of items to migrate and then automatically begins the migration after the estimation.
Migration
Are my users affected when I run a migration?A migration doesn't affect your users, other than now having their email, calendar, or contact data available in Google Workspace rather than your legacy server.
Yes. Use the command-line version of GWMME and run it as a Windows scheduled task. For details, go to Run GWMME from the command line.
Yes.
Yes. You can run PST file migrations using the GWMME interface or the command line. For details, go to Migrate data from PST files.
Yes. For details, go to Migrate mail from Google Accounts or IMAP.
Yes. For details, go to Migrate public folders.
Yes. GWMME is designed to migrate data for multiple users from an Exchange or IMAP-compatible server to Google Workspace. It's implemented from the server side. Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Outlook (GWMMO) migrates data for only a single user and is implemented from the client side.
Note: If you migrate data from both the server side and the client side, users could see duplicated data.
No. GWMME is designed to allow only one migration at a time to a specific user.
We don't recommend having multiple concurrent API requests migrating data into single account.
Yes. For details, go to the "Test" section in the Deploy chapter of the GWMME Admin Guide.
Post-migration
Can I continue to use Outlook as a client for Gmail after I migrate from Exchange?Yes. You can use Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GWSMO) for this purpose. Learn more
Yes. For details, go to the Learning Center.
Yes. After you migrate your data and set up your mail flow to Google Workspace, you can stop using your Exchange Server.
No. GWMME is designed to migrate data from Exchange to Google Workspace. It isn't designed for synchronization. Learn more
Yes. When they open the GWSMO product, they’ll create a profile that points their Outlook account to Gmail. No other configuration is necessary.
Yes. For details, go to Check Gmail through other email platforms.
Yes, but it isn't a supported client. For details, go to Check Gmail through other email platforms.
No. You can use a third-party gateway for email delivery.
Passwords
Does GWMME synchronize Active Directory passwords to Google Workspace?No. If you're using Microsoft Active Directory, you can use G Suite Password Sync (GSPS) to sync user passwords from Active Directory to your Google domain.
No, but administrators can. For details, go to the "Viewing migration reports" section in the Troubleshoot chapter of the GWMME Admin Guide.
Yes. The archived messages must be moved to Exchange first and then migrated.
Yes. In Gmail, the corresponding labels are separated by a slash character to indicate the folder hierarchy. For example, Receipts/2019 Q1.
If you choose the Migrate all data option, the message is migrated again. It's displayed in Gmail with a new label that corresponds to the new Exchange folder.
No. Any flags on an Exchange message are mapped as a single star in Gmail.
No, but your users can create rules in Gmail. For details, go to Create rules to filter your emails.
Yes. The limit for a message, including any attachments, is 25 MB. For details, go to Send attachments with your Gmail message.
No.
If you want to let individual users take control of their migrations, Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Outlook (GWMMO) lets users migrate email, calendar, or contact data from an Exchange account or local PST file into a Google Workspace account.
If your organization has switched to Google Workspace but you'd like to keep using Outlook, Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GWSMO) lets users synchronize mail, calendar events, contacts, notes, and tasks between Outlook and a Google Workspace account.
For more migration options, go to the Google Workspace migration product matrix.
Yes. Outlook can automatically send read receipts for the synchronized messages, which result in unnecessary non-delivery reports. Turning off read receipts in Outlook prevents them from being sent automatically.
Yes. Users can continue to work in Outlook when an internet connection is unavailable. Data is synced between Outlook and Google Workspace when the internet connection is restored.
Yes. You can use Google Vault, which includes email archiving.
Calendar
When a calendar event is migrated, is all the attendee information migrated? If so, does it migrate to the correct Google Workspace account?Yes.
Yes.
No.
No. You need to recreate them in Google Workspace.
Contacts
Is my Global Address List migrated?No. However, you can use Google Cloud Directory Sync (GCDS). If you’re using GWSMO, go to Manage your Global Address List.
The addresses should appear in Gmail when a contact name or email is entered in the To, Cc, or Bcc fields.
No. You can use GCDS to migrate mailing list memberships (not archives) to Google Groups. Learn more
Interoperability
Does GWMME migrate data from Exchange Online (Office 365)?Yes. For details, go to the GWMME Admin Guide or the Google Workspace migration product matrix.
No, but you can set up delivery so messages are sent to Google Workspace and Exchange.
Yes. You can use Google Groups to create a Collaborative Inbox, or by using shared files and folders in Google Drive. You can also create calendars to share with a group.
Maybe. You can route incoming messages to Gmail or another external server based on user settings. Then, you can use Calendar Interop to share free and busy information between Exchange and Google Workspace. Consult with your deployment specialist to find out if this is the best approach for your organization.
Yes.
Archiving data
GWMME allows you to add users’ migrated email messages to Google Vault, instead of storing them in their Gmail mailbox, using the Migrate to Google Vault feature. You can migrate email to Vault from PST files or any supported mail server, including Exchange, IMAP, and Gmail. Note that migrated messages are not visible in users’ Gmail inboxes.
For details, go to the "Add migrated email to Google Vault" section in the Migrate data chapter of the GWMME Admin Guide.
Setting a date range
If you want to migrate only a portion of email messages, you can specify a date range. For example, you can migrate all mail messages except for the past 2 weeks into Google Vault using the Migrate to Google Vault feature along with a date range.
For details, go to the "Select the data to migrate" section in the Migrate data chapter of the GWMME Admin Guide.
Folders and labels
Is folder-to-label conversion limited to 40 characters?No. We have successfully tested conversions with up to 226 characters.
No. Empty folders aren't migrated. And, the corresponding labels aren't created.
Yes. The corresponding labels in Gmail indicate the folder hierarchy by inserting slash characters in the label names. For example, Receipts/2019 Q1.
If you choose the Migrate all data option, the message is migrated again. It's displayed in Gmail with a new label that corresponds to the new Exchange folder.
Following a migration, you might notice that the number of email messages in the source environment exceeds the number of messages migrated to Gmail.
This discrepancy might be due to the difference between folders in Exchange and IMAP mail servers, and labels in Gmail. In Exchange and on IMAP mail servers, when you assign a message to more than one folder, the message is duplicated. Following a migration, the duplications are removed in Gmail and different labels are applied instead.
To verify all messages have been migrated, check the logs for errors. For details, go to the Migration reports chapter of the GWMME Admin Guide.
If you think you’re missing some messages, check whether:
- The message, including attachments, is not bigger than 25 MB. You can’t migrate messages bigger than 25 MB. For details, go to Send attachments with your Gmail message.
- Gmail is not blocking an attachment to the message. Gmail blocks certain types of attachments, such as executable files. For details, go to File types blocked in Gmail.
- The message is in a folder or within a date range that’s part of the migration.
Related topics
Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.
