Migrate from SharePoint to Zoho WorkDrive

Migrate from SharePoint to Zoho WorkDrive

The SharePoint to WorkDrive migration helps you move your SharePoint Online data to Zoho WorkDrive.
The migration is designed as a content-based migration, where the existing SharePoint Sites are mapped as WorkDrive TeamFolders. This allows you to move your organization's SharePoint content to WorkDrive without manually recreating the folder structure or uploading files individually.
NotesNote: We don't perform any delete operations. All your data in SharePoint will remain intact, even after migration.


Supported SharePoint plans

  1. Microsoft 365 Business Basic
  2.  Microsoft 365 Business Standard
  3.  Microsoft 365 Business Premium
  4.  Microsoft 365 E3
  5.  Microsoft 365 E5
  6.  SharePoint Online Plan 1
  7.  SharePoint Online Plan 2
Notes
The Microsoft 365 Apps for business plan does not include SharePoint Online, so it is not supported as a SharePoint source license for migration.

Supported WorkDrive plans

Migration is supported for all paid WorkDrive plans except the WorkDrive Essentials plan. Learn more about WorkDrive's plans and pricing.
 

What's Migrated  

SharePoint Team Sites and Communication Sites are migrated as WorkDrive Public/Private Team Folders, providing a dedicated collaboration space for the corresponding team.

Within each Team Folder, the site's Document Libraries and Subsites are mapped as subfolders, preserving the hierarchy and organization of the source SharePoint content.

Files and folders within the Document Libraries and Subsites are also migrated to their corresponding locations in WorkDrive. The files' created and modified times are retained.

The migration also supports user and permission mapping. SharePoint site users are mapped to their corresponding WorkDrive Team Folder users, and their access permissions are applied to the migrated content. This helps preserve the existing content structure and user access while moving your SharePoint data to WorkDrive.

What's not Migrated

  1. SharePoint Online lists and webpages.
  2. SharePoint Online Personal Vault files.
  3. SharePoint Online Favorites.
  4. SharePoint Online folder shortcuts and colors.
  5. SharePoint Online document expiration dates.
  6. For the default data import method, child files and folders with restricted permissions, such as when a user has permission for a parent file or folder but not the child file or folder.
  7. Previous versions of files—only the latest version of a file imports.
  8. Permissions for groups that aren't in your user map. We need to provide a one-to-one mapping.

Migration Prerequisites

 Before you begin the migration, complete the prerequisite steps below to grant read-only access to your SharePoint APIs.
 
In Microsoft 365 - SharePoint Online
To migrate data from SharePoint to WorkDrive, you need to create a Microsoft Azure application (cloud app). This application securely authenticates your Microsoft365 account and grants the permissions required to access your data during migration.
 

Set Up Your Azure Subscription (Free Edition)  

To use Azure Cloud Shell, you must complete a one-time Azure free subscription setup. To do this,
  2. In the top navigation bar, click the Cloud Shell icon.


  3. When prompted, select PowerShell.


  4. If you see the No active subscription message, you’ll be prompted to create one.


  5. Click Create an Azure subscription.
  6. Select Try Azure for Free.
  7. Complete the sign-up process by:
    1. Accepting the terms and conditions.
    2. Verifying your profile and payment details.
      Note: You will not incur any charges from Microsoft during this process.
  8. Once the Cloud Shell terminal opens, your Azure subscription is ready to use.
 

Create your Microsoft Cloud app

You can create the required Microsoft cloud app in just a few steps using our script.
  2. Click the Cloud Shell icon.
  3. If prompted, select PowerShell.
  4. If prompted again:
    1. Select No storage required (Recommended) to enable quick access without creating additional resources.
      Note: Select Mount storage account only if you need persistent file storage across Cloud Shell sessions.
    2. Choose your subscription from the Subscription drop-down list.
    3. Leave Use an existing private network unchecked. This option is required only for advanced configurations.
    4. Click Apply to launch the PowerShell terminal.
  5. Copy and paste the following command into the PowerShell terminal, then press Enter.
    "wget -cO - https://zoho.to/msdrive_to_workdrive > "ms_app_creator.sh";sh ms_app_creator.sh"


  6. The script automatically performs the following actions:
    1. Registers the application in your Azure Portal.
    2. Generates the security certificates required for app authentication.
  7. After the script completes successfully, the following screen is displayed.



    Follow the steps below to grant admin consent and download the generated certificate file.
 
After the script validates the certificate, it prompts you to grant tenant-wide admin consent for the migration application.
  1. Click the Tenant-Wide Admin Consent link displayed in the terminal.
  2. Sign in using your Global Administrator account.
  3. Review the requested permissions and grant admin consent for the application. If prompted that the app is unverified, accept the prompt to continue.
  4. After the permissions are granted, a Download File prompt appears listing the generated .p12 certificate file. Click the certificate file (.p12 file) to download it to your computer.
  5. If the Download File prompt does not appear:
    1. Ensure that pop-ups are allowed for the Azure Cloud Shell (*.azure.com) site.
    2. Alternatively, run the download command displayed in the terminal to download the .p12 certificate manually.
Save the downloaded .p12 certificate securely. You’ll need it when configuring the Microsoft authentication details in the Zoho WorkDrive migration wizard.
 

Export sites from SharePoint in a CSV file  

Only Microsoft Global Administrators can export site data from the Microsoft 365 admin center. The exported sites will be used to map SharePoint sites with WorkDrive Team Folders.
TO be added in the doc from demo video
  2. In the search bar, type SharePoint. Then select SharePoint to open the SharePoint Admin Center.
  3. In SharePoint Admin Center's left pane, go to Sites > Active Sites.
  4. From the top menu, click Export. A CSV file containing all active sites will be downloaded.
    Note: Only Global Admins can export site data from the Microsoft365 Admin Center.
  5. Make any required changes in the .csv file to map SharePOint sites with different Team Folders in Zoho WorkDrive.
Notes
After downloading the CSV file, you can delete sites that you dont want in WorkDrive.
However, you can still delete them during the Migration Process window.

Invite SharePoint site users as WorkDrive   Team Folder members

SharePoint sites will be migrated as WorkDrive Team Folders. You can invite all the SharePoint site members who need access to the corresponding WorkDrive Team Folders.
NotesThis step is only required to map WorkDrive Team Folder members to SharePoint site users. It does not migrate user-specific data.
  1. Go to your WorkDrive account.
  2. Click Admin Console in the bottom-left corner of your WorkDrive account. The Admin Console page will open in a new tab. Dashboard will be selected by default.
  3. Click Members in the left panel.
  4. Select the + Invite Members button in the top-right corner. The Invite new members screen will open.
  5. Enter the email address of the user you want to invite.
  6. Assign a team role to the user.
  7. Click Invite Members.
Notes Only active site's data can be migrated as WorkDrive Team Folders.
 

Migration Steps  

Authorize migration  

  1. Log in to your WorkDrive account as an Admin or the Super Admin.
  2. Click Admin Console in the bottom-left corner of your WorkDrive account.
  3. Click the Migration tab in the left panel to open the migration screen.
  4. If you're migrating for the first time in this WorkDrive account, click Migrate from Microsoft365 - SharePOint (Online).
    If you have already migrated before, Click Create New Migration. The Migration Details page will appear.
  5. In the Source Provider, choose Microsoft 365 - SharePoint (Online).
  6. Enter a name for this migration.
    Note: Naming a migration can be useful when you have multiple migrations.
  7. Import the downloaded .p12 file. This is also known as the service account key, which is used to authenticate with Microsoft APIs.
  8. Once done, click Continue.



Import SharePoint sites 

InfoAdmin consent for the WorkDrive app must be granted in the Azure Active Directory admin center before you can import the CSV file to map sites.
  1. In the Import Sites to Zoho WorkDrive, Click Browse to import the required .csv file containing the exported SharePoint sites.
  2. Click Continue. The SharePoint site details page will open.



    The Mapped Sites tab will be displayed by default.
    You can view the list of SharePoint sites and their corresponding WorkDrive Team Folders.
    You can click the Unmapped Sites tab to see a list of any unmapped sites, along with their reasons.
  3. Click Proceed. The user mapping page will appear.



Import SharePoint Site Users

To import users:
  1. In the Import users to Zoho WorkDrive, Click Browse to import the required .csv file containing the exported SharePoint sites.
  2. Click Continue. The SharePoint user details page will open.



  3. The Mapped Users tab will be displayed by default.
    You can view the list of SharePoint users and their corresponding WorkDrive user roles.
    You can click the Unmapped users tab to see a list of any unmapped users, along with their reasons.
    Click     Proceed.

    Alternatively, to skip user mapping:
    User mapping is optional. If you don't want to map users, you can skip this step.
    On the     Import users to Zoho WorkDrive page, click Skip at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

  4. In the next page, you will be asked to choose who should receive email notifications about the migration starting and ending.
    You can choose either Team Admins only or All users who are part of the migration.
  5. Once done, click Continue. The migration page will open.



  6. On the migration page, click Start Migration. The migration will be initiated.
    Notes
    You cannot individually select and migrate sites from here.



Download migration report

Once migration is completed for all sites, you can download the overall migration report.
Click DOWNLOAD OVERALL REPORT at the top of the list. The migration report will give you a complete log of migration activities.


 
The migration report will be uploaded to the My Folders of the user (Admin or Super Admin) who initiated the migration. The report will be saved with the name " Migration report for <Migration name>" and shared with all team admins.

Check migration status  

Once the migration has been initiated, you can view its status on the migration screen as it progresses or at any time by going to Admin Console > Migration.

You can view which sites are being migrated, number of files migrated, total files, size of the migrated files.

Migration report and retrying failed files

To see more details about a particular site's migration, click View report next to its migration status.
NotesYou can view the report only after the site's migration is complete.


In the Site Migration report page, you can view Total files, Migrated files, Failed files, Total folders, Migrated folders, Failed folders, and Total size.

You can also view a list of failed files on this screen, if any. 

For each failed file, you can view the file name and the reason for failure.
You can select the required files or select all files and click Retry failed files at the top-right corner of the list.


 
Alternatively, you can manually download these files from SharePoint and upload them to WorkDrive.
 

Create New Migration

If you forgot to add any SharePoint sites to WorkDrive before the migration, and wish to add them later, you'll need to perform a new migration for those sites.
 
Click Create New Migration at the top-right corner and follow the same steps from above. You can switch between migrations you have performed so far by clicking the respective migration names at the top of the page.

For single migration, you must upload the CSV file containing all your active Sharepoint sites.
For multiple migrations, you must upload a new CSV file for each migration containing only the required Sharepoint sites.
 
You can create a new migration only after the successful completion of a previous migration.
 

Migration Limitations

  1. Only SharePoint Online is supported. SharePoint Server (on-premises) is not supported.
  2. Sub sites with unique permissions: Content is migrated, but unique SharePoint permissions are not mapped to WorkDrive.
  3. Imported users without site permissions: If an imported user does not have permission to a SharePoint site, the WorkDrive Admin is assigned as the Team Folder Admin.
  4. User import skipped: If user import is skipped, the WorkDrive Admin Account is assigned as the Team Folder Admin for all migrated Team Folders.
  5. Duplicate site mapping: Previously migrated sites are configured again, the site content is migrated again, resulting in duplicate data. 
  6. Site permissions are mapped at the Team Folder level. We map the SharePoint default library permission as WorkDrive Team folder permission. The folder/file level permission will not migrate.
  7. SharePoint features without WorkDrive equivalents (such as SharePoint Lists, webpages, custom pages, workflows, Power Automate flows, or site branding) are not migrated.
  8. Site structure is migrated as Team Folders. SharePoint sites are converted to WorkDrive Team Folders,Folders and it's subfolders, so the experience is not identical.
  9. Document Libraries structure is migrated as Team Folders. SharePoint Document Libraries are migrated as WorkDrive Team Folder's folders and it's subfolders.
  10. Subsites structure is migrated as Team Folders. SharePoint subsites are migrated as WorkDrive Team Folder's folders and it's document as subfolders.
  11. Hub Sites are not supported: SharePoint Hub Sites and their associations are not migrated. Only the individual Active SharePoint sites can be migrated as separate Team Folders in WorkDrive.
  12. Delta migration not supported.
  13. Public and org- wide Microsoft Teams are migrated as WorkDrive Public Team Folders, and private Microsoft teams are migrated as WorkDrive private Team Folders.
  14. Communication and Standalone sites will be migrated as WorkDrive Private Team Folders.
  15. IIf the imported CSV file contains a Guest user, user mapping will not be supported for that user. The guest user's access and permissions will be transferred to the Team Folder Admin.
  16. Private channels in a Microsoft Team will not be migrated automatically.
    To migrate private channels, manually add the site URL to the Sites export CSV file before uploading it to the Import Sites page. Private channels added this way will be migrated as private Team Folders in WorkDrive.

WorkDrive support

If you have any questions or experience any trouble in your migration process, please contact WorkDrive support for more details.
 
Also read: Frequently asked questions on Migration