Migrate from public folders

As an administrator, you can use Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange (GWMME), to migrate the content from public folders on your Exchange server to Google Groups. 

What are public folders?

Public folders in Exchange are common folders for sharing information with all authorized users, or groups of users, in your organization. Public folders are used to post and archive messages. Users post messages to the public folder and other users can view the message when navigating to the folder.

What's migrated?

GWMME migrates posted messages from public folders to Google Groups. It migrates the following message classes:

• IPM
• IPM.Note
• IPM.Post
• IPM.Schedule.Meeting.Request
• IPM.Schedule.Meeting.Canceled
• IPM.Schedule.Meeting.Resp

For details about message classes, refer to your Microsoft documentation. 

Migrated posts are inserted into the group archive. GWMME migrates attachments to posts, provided the file types aren’t blocked by Gmail. For details, go to File types blocked in Gmail.

GWMME does not migrate calendar events, contacts, or notes in public folders. It also doesn’t migrate user-level metadata, such as read status.

Before you begin

• Run a separate migration for user data—You can't migrate user data and public folders at the same time. Migrate your users' mail, calendar, and contacts data first. 
• Locate your public folder names—To do so, open Exchange Management Shell and enter the Get-PublicFolder -Recurse command.
• Create your groups—You need to set up your groups and group memberships in Google Workspace before running the migration. Groups can't be arranged into a hierarchy like Exchange subfolders, so consider creating separate groups for each subfolder. For details, go to Create a group.

Step 1: Authorize GWMME

Before you can install GWMME, you must Authorize GWMME for your account.

Step 2: Download & install GWMME

1. Go to the GWMME download page.
2. Click Download GWMME.
3. Open the installer and follow the instructions to install GWMME.

Step 3: Create a mapping file

If you're migrating public folders in default mode using the command line, you can skip this step.

Create a comma-separated values (.csv) or text (.txt) file for the mapping. Save the file to a folder that's easily located. In the mapping:

• Specify the public folder name and the corresponding group email address, separated by a comma.
• Ensure the public folder's name exactly matches how it appears in Microsoft Outlook. 
• List any nested public folders separately. 

Example: All Public Folders/Offshore/accounts, [e-mail]

Step 4: Migrate data

You can migrate data by running GWMME: 

• On a Microsoft Windows computer, using the GWMME interface—Follow the instructions below, in this section. 
• From the command line (better suited to experienced administrators)—Go to Migrate data using the command line.

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1. Enter Exchange server details

1. Click StartGoogle Workspace MigrationGoogle Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange.
2. For Server Type, select Exchange.
3. Select Specify a profile to use for migration, and, for Outlook Admin Profile, select the Outlook profile of the Exchange administrator you want to use to sign in to your Exchange server.

   To create an Outlook profile for the Exchange administrator, go to Verify your settings.

4. Click Next.

2. Enter user & domain information

1. For Google Workspace domain name, enter the new primary Google Workspace domain where the data will be migrated.
2. For Service account credentials file, enter the path to the JSON credentials file created as part of the authorization process.
3. For Google Workspace admin user, specify the full email address of your Google Workspace super administrator.
4. Click Next.

3. Review migration settings

1. Check the Public Folders box.
2. For File of folders to migrate, click More  and navigate to the mapping file created above, then click Open.
3. Click Next.
4. Review the migration settings and check the box next to each optional setting that you want to use:
   • Migrate all data—Overwrites existing data during migration (duplicate messages skipped when unchecked)
   • Save settings—Retains the current configuration for future use
   • Run Diagnostics—Verifies the configuration before running the migration
   • Estimate—Estimates the message count for the source users
   • Migrate—Performs the migration
5. Click NextStart.

Related topics

• GWMME Admin Guide

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