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Migrate Exchange Server to Google Workspace: Users, Contacts and Calendar
Migration from on-premises Microsoft Exchange Server (2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 or SE) or hosted Exchange to Google Workspace involves transferring all users, emails, calendar entries, and contact data, that too without data loss or any downtime.
Important Note: The guide is primarily for Exchange Server On-Premise, Hosted or Hybrid. Read Here to Move Exchange Online/Office 365 Data to Google Workspace.
Before you Begin Exchange to Google Workspace Migration: Prerequisites
- Admin account with the ApplicationImpersonation role, or Full Access to every mailbox.
- Google Workspace tenant setup and user accounts and licenses created in the Google Workspace Admin Console.
- Google Workspace super admin account.
- Relax the throttling policy on the Exchange limits EWS requests per account.
- Ensure that MFA (Multi Factor Authentication) should be turned OFF in your Exchange Server admin account
- Exchange Domain / Server Name / IP Address
- Service Account Certificate (.P12)
- CSV for all user account (for manual migration with GWMME) – also needed to verify Exchange to Google Workspace Migration size, item count, archives, shared mailboxes and public folders
- Desktop Outlook Installed (only for manual migration)
Method 1: Migrate With RecoveryTools Specialized Exchange to Google Workspace Migration Tool
RecoveryTools Exchange Migration Tool with EWS support for Mac & Windows allows Exchange Administrators to directly establish Exchange Server to Google connection and migrate emails, contacts, calendars and tasks in minimum downtime & in a cost-effective way.
Free-Live Demo: Migrates up to 25 items per folder from Exchange to Google Workspace for free.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough to Migrate Exchange to Google Workspace Environment
- Launch the RecoveryTools Exchange to Google Workspace migration tool.
- Select Exchange Server or Hosted Exchange as the source platform.
- Choose the “I am Admin” mode to migrate multiple user mailboxes & enter credentials.
- Select the users accounts to migrate to Google Workspace.
- Choose Google Workspace as the saving option.
- Enable “I am Admin” and configure Google Workspace API credentials.
- Optional: Apply Filters.
- Press the “Backup” button to migrate Exchange mailboxes to Google Workspace.
Top Features of Exchange to Google Workspace Migration Tool
- The migration utility enables users to directly migrate from Exchange to a Google Workspace account. One only needs to provide the login credentials of the source Exchange account, like the email ID and password.
- Users can migrate multiple user data to a Google Workspace account by logging in with an administrator account. This option allows them to log in using an administrator account that helps them import more than one Exchange user to a Google Workspace account from cloud to cloud.
- The Exchange to Google Workspace migration offers various Advanced Filter Settings to perform the selective migration of mailbox items. One can apply these filters on the basis of the receiver’s email address, Date Range, Subject of the message, or Sender’s email address. Users can also Request More Features.
- It maintains the on-disk System Folder Structure Hierarchy of Exchange Server Webmail mailbox items like Inbox, Journals, Drafts, Junk Emails, Deleted Items, Sent Items, Calendars, and Contacts during the Google Workspace migration process.
- Also, the Exchange to Google Workspace migration toolkit generates a SavingLog report which will include all the important information like Start Date and Time, Saving type, Selected Source, Folder path, items converter, destination path, and status of the process.
- This software is easy to use and has a simple interface making it a perfect choice for users to perform Migration.
Need help with your migration?
The RecoveryTools Exchange Server to Google Workspace migration service covers planning, mailbox inventory, batch migration and post-migration checks for on-premises, hosted and hybrid Exchange. Our team runs the move for you, so you can skip the setup and focus on cutover.
Method 2: Google Native GWMME Utility to Migrate from Exchange to Google Workspace
Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange (GWMME) is a free GUI and command-line utility provided by Google for admins to pull email, calendar, and contact data directly from Microsoft Exchange Servers.
- Authorize GWMME for your account.
- Install and launch the GWMME on your Windows computer with Outlook installed.
- Select “Exchange” as Server Type from the top.
- Enter Hostname/IP Address and exchange admin credentials and authenticate with Exchange Web Services (EWS) or MAPI.
- Checkbox the data to be migrated from Exchange Server to Google Workspace: Email Messages, Contacts or Calendars.
- Click on Browse and select your prepared csv mapping file.
- Click Start Migration to begin processing the entire batch.
Limitation of Using GWMME to Migrate Exchange to Google Workspace
- Gmail accepts 500 MB a day and larger mailboxes can take days to be migrated.
- Required you manually create a CSV of all user mailboxes.
- No automatic Public Folder or Archive migration.
- Requires 32-bit Outlook installed on your computer.
- Although it offers filters for selective migration it does not have an incremental migration feature for secondary runs.
Method 3: Migrate Single Exchange Mailbox to Google Workspace via Outlook Without Admin Access
The approach does not need Exchange Web Services (EWS) admin rights or server level API keys and uses active Outlook user credentials. However is it only suited for end users or willing to move some emails only.
- Open Outlook application on your Mac or Windows.
- Add your Exchange Server account & Google Workspace account
- Right-click an Exchange folder (e.g., Inbox or custom subfolders) >> select Copy Folder
- Set the destination folder inside your Google Workspace account.
Limitation:
- Only emails can be migrated.
- Time consuming for a large mailbox.
- Lossy migration or duplicate issue due to Sync errors.
- 500 MB throttling limit.
Read More: Migrate Outlook to Google Workspace
Microsoft Exchange Server vs. Google Workspace: Feature Comparison
| Capability | On-Premises Microsoft Exchange | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Server Management | 100% Admin Managed | Fully Managed by Google |
| Email Storage Framework | .edb with strict mailbox quota limits | Easily extendable by Google’s cloud architecture |
| System Uptime & SLA | Based on the local hardware reliability, power backup, and internal disaster recovery planning | 99.9% Uptime |
| Admin & Compliance | Granular, layered policies via Azure Active Directory | Easy with simple GUI of Admin Console |
| Pricing | $6.00 / user per month + Additional Cost of Application Licensing | $7.00 / user per month |
After Migrating Exchange to Google Workspace: Post-Migration Steps
- Switch Mailflow from source Exchange Server account to Google Workspace at DNS host. Add one MX record: priority 1, value smtp.google.com and delete old MX records. Update SPF, DKIM and DMARC. This may take up to 72 hrs to be activated.
- Verify the migrated emails, folder structure, calendar, contacts, and live mail flow using test emails.
- You will be required to manually recreate mail rules, delegate access, and configurations for devices and applications that send mail in Google Workspace.
FAQs: Exchange Server to Google Workspace Migration
Q1: What data can I migrate from Exchange Server to Google Workspace?
Here is how data will be mapped once you move from Exchange to Google Workspace:
- Emails: Messages, attachments, folder structure >> Gmail Labels
- Contacts >> Google Contacts
- Calendars >> Google Calendar
- Exchange Tasks >> Google Tasks
- Shared mailboxes, Public folders and Online archives
Q2: Are there any limitations to Exchange Server to Google Workspace migration?
Yes, certain Outlook specific features like server-side mail rules and security and mail setting cannot be moved from Exchange Mailbox to Google Workspace.
Q3: Should I choose a cutover or staged Exchange to Google Workspace migration?
The migration methodology depends on the number of mailboxes under the environment.
- Cutover: Small organizations (under 50 mailboxes)
- Staged: Larger organizations, or large total mailbox size
Q4: Can I migrate a single user account from Exchange to Google Workspace?
Yes, you can migrate a single user account from Exchange to Google Workspace using Outlook or another IMAP-compatible email client, GWMME, or RecoveryTools. Note that: GWMME requires admin access.
