Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange (GWMME) is a utility that migrates email, calendar, or contact data from Microsoft Exchange, an IMAP server, or a PST file to your Google Workspace domain.
You can also migrate data into Google Groups from Public Folders only. This migration must be done separately and cannot be combined with a migration of email, calendar, or contact data.
Consider the following data, and whether it's migrated, when you're setting up a migration to Google Workspace with GWMME.
Email| Source data | Migrated to Google Workspace | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Email messages | ✔ | All email in top-level folders is migrated. A top-level folder is any folder that is at the same level as your Inbox folder.
You can exclude specific top-level folders from a migration. |
| Email state such as read and unread | ✔ | |
| Deleted items | ✔ | Migration is optional. Deleted items are labeled Trash in Gmail. |
| Folders | ✔ | Folders map to labels in Gmail. You can exclude specific top-level folders from a migration by individually selecting them. If you exclude a folder, its subfolders are also excluded.
There’s a 225 character limit per label. Folder titles over 225 characters are not migrated. Mail messages contained in those folders also do not migrate. A 400 error (invalid label name) is reported in the migration logs. For details on GWMME logs, go to Troubleshoot GWMME. |
| Junk email | ✔ | Migration is optional. Junk email is labeled Junk email in Gmail. |
| Public Folders | ✔ | You can migrate content from Public Folders on your Exchange server to Google Groups. For details, go to Migrate public folders. |
| Attachments | ✔ | Most attachments are migrated, except when the message plus attachment is larger than 25 MB, or when there’s an executable file in the attachment. |
| Message flags | ✔ | Flags appear as stars in Gmail. |
| Subfolders |
Your Exchange inbox includes default email folders such as Inbox, Drafts, or Deleted Items. Subfolders under these default folders don't migrate as nested labels. Instead, they’re nested under the same default folder name preceded by an underscore. For example, _Inbox > 2019. Your Exchange inbox might also have personal folders created by you. These top-level folders exist at the same hierarchy level as your default email folders. Subfolders under personal folders migrate in a nested state. For example, Financial > Q1 Invoices. |
|
| Large messages and attachments | The maximum size limit for messages (message plus attachments) you can migrate to Gmail or a Google Group is 25 MB. | |
| Executable files in compressed attachments | These types of attachments aren’t allowed in Gmail. For details, go to File types blocked in Gmail. | |
| Posts in mailbox folders | Not available in Gmail. | |
| Importance levels of messages | Not imported into Gmail. | |
| Rules | Rules (both server and client) aren’t migrated but you can create equivalent filters in Gmail. | |
| Signatures | Not migrated but can be re-created in Gmail. | |
| Category definitions or assignments | Categories are not available in Gmail. |
| Microsoft Exchange data | Migrated to Google Workspace | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Default calendar | ✔ | Includes all events, descriptions, attendees, and locations.
If you’re using an exported or archived PST file, it's not possible to identify the primary root folder for Google Calendar and Contacts. Therefore, all calendars are migrated as “additional calendars” into Calendar, instead of any default calendar. You can avoid this by using a PST file migration for mail only and use an Exchange server migration for migrating calendars. For more details, go to Migrate data from PST files. |
| Additional calendars | ✔ | Shared calendars are migrated for the owner, but not for other users who have access. |
| Event reminders | ✔ | |
| Free or busy status | ✔ | Only other Google Workspace users can view the availability status in Google Calendar. You can use the Calendar Interop product to allow Exchange users to view the availability status of users. Learn more about Calendar Interop. |
| Calendar resources | ✔ | Use a comma-separated value (CSV) file to migrate calendar resources (such as meeting rooms) to Google Workspace. You can also change event attendees from email addresses in Exchange to Google Workspace email addresses. For details, go to Create a mapping CSV file. |
| Neither original organizer nor initial attendee | ✔ | A warning message appears in the log file when you import events for users who are not an original organizer or initial attendee for the event. However, the event successfully migrates into Google Workspace and the target user is shown as an attendee of the event in Google Calendar. |
| Rich content in event descriptions | Descriptions created in Microsoft Outlook 2016 are converted to plain text. | |
| Tentative or Out of Office status | Any special status for calendar data is not migrated. | |
| Calendar attachments | Not migrated. | |
| Category definitions or assignments | Categories are not available in Google Calendar. |
| Microsoft Exchange data | Migrated to Google Workspace | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| All personal contacts | ✔ | Includes all fields (File As, images, notes, and so on). |
| Multiple contact folders | Separate contact folders don’t migrate to Google Workspace. Instead, all contacts from all folders are migrated to Google Contacts. You can reorganize them using labels. | |
| Contact groups or personal distribution lists | Contact groups or personal distribution lists don’t migrate to Google Workspace. You can still email a list from Google Workspace by creating a Google Group. | |
| Rich formatting in personal contact notes | Notes in contacts are migrated as plain text. | |
| Notes larger than 16 KB | Larger notes are truncated in Google Workspace. | |
| Follow-up flags, dates, and reminders | Flags aren’t available in Google Contacts. | |
| Category definitions or assignments | Categories are not available in Google Contacts. |
| Microsoft Exchange data | Migrated to Google Workspace | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Domain contacts | Domain contacts appear in the Global Address List (GAL) in Microsoft Active Directory. They’re usually contacts outside your domain.
You must migrate these domain contacts separately. For details, go to Sync your shared contacts. |
| Microsoft Exchange data | Migrated to Google Workspace | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | Not migrated. | |
| Tasks | Not migrated. | |
| Journal entries | Not migrated. | |
| RSS feeds | Not migrated. |
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