Office 365 Tenant to Tenant Migration Step by Step Guide
Jackson Strong | January 6th, 2025 | Email Migration, Office 365
Overview: When companies merge or reorganize, migrating data from one Office 365 tenant to another becomes essential. The important process includes moving mailboxes from Office 365 tenant to another tenant while ensuring minimal disruption to users. So, if you are also looking for Office 365 tenant to tenant migration step by step guide, this article can help you with that. Here, we’ll provide detailed steps, tips, and tools to help you plan and execute a successful Office 365 tenant to tenant email migration process.
What is Office 365 Tenant?
An Office 365 tenant is a private online workspace for a company that subscribes to Microsoft 365. Each tenant is unique to the company, which allows it to manage its data, users, and settings separately from other organizations. It’s essentially the company’s own space in the Microsoft cloud.
It includes all the tools and services you need, such as:
- Email (Outlook)
- File storage (OneDrive and SharePoint)
- Communication tools (Microsoft Teams)
- Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
When it comes to migrating Office 365 tenant to tenant, everyone looks for an easy and effective step-by-step method. In the following sections, we will explain both the manual process and the Office 365 tenant to tenant migration tool. Follow the detailed instructions for the best results.
How to Migrate Mailboxes from One Office 365 Tenant to Another Using Outlook?
Follow Office 365 tenant to tenant migration steps;
- Open Microsoft Outlook on your computer.
- Log in to the source Office 365 account where the data currently resides.
- In Outlook, click on File > Info > Add Account.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to log in and add the destination Office 365 account.
- Ensure both accounts are successfully added and visible in Outlook.
- Click on File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
- In the Import and Export Wizard, select Export to a file and click Next.
- Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) as the export type and click Next.
- Select the mailbox or specific folder you want to export, then click Next.
- Choose a destination on your computer to save the exported file.
- Click Finish to start the export process.
- Using Outlook, log in to the destination Office 365 account.
- Ensure that the account is active and ready for data import.
- Click on File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
- In the Import and Export Wizard, select Import from another program or file and click Next.
- Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) as the import type and click Next.
- Browse and select the .pst file you exported earlier.
- Choose the destination folder (e.g., a specific folder in the destination mailbox).
- Click Finish to begin the import process.
Limitation of Using Manual Method;
- Time-consuming for large mailboxes.
- Manual Process, no automation for bulk migrations.
- Risk of Data Loss or corruption if not done carefully.
- Not Scalable for large organizations with many users.
How to Migrate Office 365 Tenant to Another Tenant Without Tool?
While there are Tenant-to-tenant Migration tools available, PowerShell scripts can offer a powerful and flexible solution that allows for fine-grained control over the migration process. In this section, we will explore the steps involved in migrating email data from one Office 365 tenant to tenant using PowerShell scripts, as well as best practices for ensuring a smooth and successful migration.
1. Connect to both Office 365 tenants:
Before starting the migration, connect to both the source and destination tenants using PowerShell. To do this, follow these steps:
a. Install the Azure AD and Exchange Online modules:
Install-Module AzureAD
Install-Module ExchangeOnlineManagement
b. Connect to the source tenant using the Connect-AzureAD and Connect-ExchangeOnline cmdlets:
Connect-AzureAD
Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName <adminUPN>
c. Connect to the destination tenant using the same cmdlets:
Connect-AzureAD
Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName <adminUPN>
2. Export mailboxes from the source tenant:
Use the New-ComplianceSearch and New-ComplianceSearchAction cmdlets to export the mailboxes from the source tenant. This involves creating a compliance search to find the mailbox data and then exporting it to a Outlook data file.
a. Create a new compliance search:
New-ComplianceSearch -Name <searchName> -ExchangeLocation all -ContentMatchQuery <query> -StartDate <startDate> -EndDate <endDate>
b. Start the compliance search:
Start-ComplianceSearch -Identity <searchName>
c. Export the search results to a .pst file:
New-ComplianceSearchAction -SearchName <searchName> -Export -ExportFilePath <filePath>
3. Import mailboxes to the destination tenant:
Use the New-MailboxImportRequest cmdlet to import the mailboxes into the destination tenant. This involves creating a target mailbox and then importing the .pst file into it.
a. Create a new target mailbox:
New-Mailbox -Name <name> -Alias <alias> -UserPrincipalName <UPN> -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString <password> -AsPlainText -Force) -DisplayName <displayName> -FirstName <firstName> -LastName <lastName> -ResetPasswordOnNextLogon $false -PasswordNeverExpires $true -PrimarySmtpAddress <emailAddress>
b. Create a new mailbox import request:
New-MailboxImportRequest -Name <requestName> -Mailbox <mailboxName> -FilePath <filePath> -TargetRootFolder <folderName> -IsArchive
c. Start the mailbox import request:
Start-MailboxImportRequest -Identity <requestName>
4. Verify the migration:
Once the migration is complete, verify that all data has been migrated correctly. This involves checking the mailbox size, verifying that all emails are present, and testing the mailbox functionality.
a. Check the mailbox size:
Get-MailboxStatistics -Identity <mailboxName> | Select-Object TotalItemSize
b. Verify that all emails are present:
Search-Mailbox <mailboxName> -SearchQuery <query>
c. Test the mailbox functionality:
Log in to the target mailbox and verify that all emails, contacts, and calendar entries are present and functioning correctly.
How to Migrate from Office 365 Tenant to Another Tenant Automatically?
Try the Advik Office 365 Backup Tool for Windows. This program will guide you through migrating your Office 365 tenant to another tenant. During the migration process, the software will maintain and hold folder hierarchy and email attributes. The software will also allow you to select single or multiple mailbox folders to transfer into another tenant account.
Download the software and try it for free.
Office 365 Tenant to Tenant Migration Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1. Run this software & log in with your Office 365 webmail credentials.
Step 2. Select the desired mailbox folders that you want to transfer.
Step 3. Choose the Office 365 saving option from the list.
Step 4. Enter the email address of the destination tenant account & click the Backup button.
Step 5. Lastly, sign into the Microsoft page to start Office 365 tenant to tenant mailbox migration process.
Now, the Office 365 tenant to tenant email migration process has been started.
Done! This is how you can export emails from one account to another in Office 365.
It is important to make sure to backup your data to avoid issues such as downtime or disruptions during the migration process.
Watch Steps By Step Guide for Office 365 Tenant to Tenant Migration
Why Choose Automatic Solution over Manual Methods?
There are various reasons to choose this tool. This tool import Office 365 tenant to tenant account very quickly and accurately. Apart from this, the tool is loaded with tons of features which are as follows;
- Maintain Folder Structure: Office 365 Tenant to Tenant Migration tool is programmed in such a way that all your emails remain in an exact folder as in the origin of the emails. This will make the navigation of emails easier after the process of migration.
- Preserve Key Elements: All the key elements of emails such as header info, footer info, timestamp, too, Cc, Bcc, etc will remain intact during and after the process of Office 365 sub-account Migration.
- Supports All Windows OS: You can Install the Advik Office 365 Migration Tool on almost all versions of Windows such as Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. Apart from this, you can also install this tool on both 32 bits as well as 64 bits architecture of Machines.
- Advanced Email Filters: In the process of Office 365 Tenant to Tenant Migration tool offers some advanced filter options that you can use for selective migration. You can select single as well as multiple email folders and you can also be filtering emails by subject name, email address, date, etc.
- Supports Multiple Languages: You can use this software in your native language as this software supports multiple languages such as French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, etc.
- Office 365 Tenant Migration: Apart from email transfer you can use this tool to migrate mailboxes from Office 365 Tenant to Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Office 365, etc.
- Multiple Saving Options: The software allows you to export PST from Office 365 admin, PDF, EML, MSG, MBOX, etc.
- Dedicated Customer Support: In Case you are stuck somewhere while using this tool you can contact our dedicated customer support team for your help. Advik Software provides official Online Chat support offering 24*7 assistance to their valuable customers.
Final Words
Migrating from one Office 365 tenant to another can be challenging as it involves complex procedures, but with the right tools and approach, it can be done smoothly. In this guide, we’ve covered different methods to perform Office 365 tenant to tenant migration step by step, including PowerShell scripts, manual methods, and the best Office 365 tenant to tenant migration tool. By following the methods in this guide, you can accomplish this task easily with minimal disruption.
We suggest trying the FREE demo version of advik Office 365 tenant to tenant migration tool. It allows you to transfer 25 emails from each Office 365 mailbox folder to another Office 365 tenant account at no cost. Once you are satisfied with its working, then proceed to buy its licensed version for unlimited migration.
