SharePoint, OneDrive and Google Drive migration with permissions that match.
Copying files is the easy part. Sorami maps who can see what before the copy and proves it afterwards, in either direction.
- Permission map agreed before the bulk copy
- Shared Drives and SharePoint roles reconciled
- File limits and blocked names found in the scan
- External sharing reviewed, not carried blindly
Drive to OneDrive · Shared Drives to SharePoint · SharePoint to Shared Drives · OneDrive to My Drive · Google Sites · Teams files
Sorami migrates files and permissions between Google Drive, OneDrive and SharePoint in both directions. We scan the source for size and name limits. We map every Shared Drive or site to a destination with its roles translated. A sample is copied and checked before the bulk run. Permissions and external shares are reconciled after the copy.
Why do permissions break during a Drive to SharePoint migration?
The two platforms do not share a permission model. Something is lost in translation every time.
Google Drive permissions live on files and folders and can be granted to individuals, groups or anyone with the link. Shared Drives add five roles from Manager down to Viewer. SharePoint uses site and library permission levels inherited down the tree. Microsoft's Migration Manager copies folder permissions by default and file permissions only if enabled. Manager, Content Manager and Contributor all become Can edit. Commenter and Viewer both become Can view. The distinction between someone who can delete a library and someone who can only add files disappears.
Two more traps are documented. Migrating into the root of a document library drops the source root permissions, so the destination should be a folder. Shared Drive membership held in Google Groups does not exist in Microsoft until an equivalent Microsoft 365 group is created and mapped. We create the groups, map them in the permission file and check a sample library before the bulk copy.
In the other direction, SharePoint permission levels are richer than Shared Drive roles. Site owners become Managers and members become Content Managers unless told otherwise. Unique permissions on a subfolder, common in long-lived sites, become a flat Shared Drive role. Sensitive sites are reviewed after the copy and split into separate Shared Drives where the old structure relied on broken inheritance.
Which files will not copy?
- Microsoft: 250 GB per file and a 400 character decoded path.
- Microsoft: reserved names such as _vti_ and blocked extensions.
- Google Shared Drive: 500,000 items including trash.
- Google Shared Drive: 100 nested folder levels and 600 members.
- Google native files exported to Office formats on the way out.
- Office files kept as Office unless conversion is requested.
- Shortcuts, Forms and linked Sites copied as links only.
- OneDrive must be provisioned before a user can receive files.
The scan step in Migration Manager and the discovery pass in the Google data import tool both report these before the copy. We send the list back to owners with a decision on each: rename, split, archive or leave behind with a written reason.
How does Sorami migrate files in both directions?
- 01
Scan
Every source is scanned for volume and item count. Path length, blocked names and external shares are reported. Owners confirm what is live and what is archive.
- 02
Map
A mapping file pairs each Shared Drive or site with a destination and each identity or group with its counterpart. Roles are translated and the losses written down.
- 03
Sample
One drive or site per pattern is copied and three users check access. Any permission surprise is fixed in the mapping, not after the bulk run.
- 04
Bulk copy
Migration Manager or the Google data import tool runs in batches while staff keep working. Incremental passes pick up changed files.
- 05
Reconcile
Item counts, permission reports and external share lists are compared source to destination. Differences are explained or fixed before sign-off.
Should external shares be carried across?
Usually not without review. Anyone-with-the-link shares in Drive have no exact SharePoint equivalent and an open link on a sensitive file is the most common finding in a post-migration review. The scan lists every external share with its file, owner and last access. Owners confirm which are still needed. Those are recreated on the destination with an expiry; the rest are closed. The migration security review repeats that check after cutover and sets the tenant sharing policy so new open links need approval.
How is a file migration priced?
Pricing is quoted per user after a 20 minute scoping call. Sorami holds no partner tier with Microsoft or Google and takes no reseller margin, so licences are bought on your account at list price.
Files alone are quoted by user and volume after the scan. Where a third-party tool suits the data better, for example Movebot for very large or deeply nested Shared Drives or BitTitan MigrationWiz for Google Sites, we name it and you buy it at the vendor list price. This page covers the file part of the Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 and Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace migrations, and can be bought on its own. The shared method is on the migration services hub.
Practical answers.
Does Migration Manager copy file permissions from Google Drive?
Folder permissions by default; file permissions only when enabled in project settings. Shared Drive roles collapse to Can edit or Can view. Migrating into a library root drops root permissions, so Sorami targets a folder and maps Google Groups to Microsoft 365 groups first.
Can a SharePoint site become a Google Shared Drive?
Yes. The Google data import tool maps each SharePoint Online site to a Shared Drive and each Microsoft identity to a Google account through a CSV. Permission levels become the coarser Shared Drive roles, so sensitive sites are reviewed after the copy.
What are the file limits I should worry about?
Microsoft enforces 250 GB per file, a 400 character path and blocked names such as _vti_. Google Shared Drives hold 500,000 items including trash and 100 nested folder levels. The scan reports every breach before the copy.
Will Google Docs still be editable in Microsoft 365?
They are exported to Word, Excel or PowerPoint on the way. Formatting usually survives. Sheets formulas such as QUERY and IMPORTRANGE and any Apps Script do not, and are handled on the scripts and formulas page.
How do you prove nothing was lost?
Item counts and total size are compared per drive or site. Permission reports from source and destination are diffed. External share lists are reconciled. The report lists every difference with its reason and goes into the hand-over pack.
Files and permissions to move?
Send the number of Shared Drives or sites and a rough volume. We reply within one business day with a scoping call time.
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