Migration Guide

How to Migrate from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 — India 2026

For Indian businesses moving from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, the migration covers email (Gmail to Exchange), file storage (Drive to OneDrive), calendars, and contacts. Microsoft's native migration tools handle most of the work; the rest is DNS cutover and user training. Total timeline is typically 2-4 weeks.

Steps

Step 1 — Buy Microsoft 365 tenant from Indian reseller: Buy Microsoft 365 Business Basic / Standard / Premium licenses through an authorised Microsoft reseller in India for INR billing + GST invoice. Setup takes 1-2 days. Tenant URL is yourcompany.onmicrosoft.com initially; add your custom domain in the next step.
Step 2 — Verify domain ownership and add users: In Microsoft 365 Admin Center, add your domain (e.g., yourcompany.com), verify via TXT record. Create user accounts matching your Google Workspace users. Assign Microsoft 365 licenses. At this point, users exist but no data is migrated yet.
Step 3 — Run Microsoft's Google Workspace migration tool: In Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Setup > Migration, choose "Google Workspace". Authenticate with a super-admin Google account. Microsoft migration tool pulls Gmail (with labels mapped to Outlook folders), Calendar, and Contacts. Migration runs in background — 2-4 days for typical SMB.
Step 4 — Migrate Google Drive to OneDrive: Separate from email migration. Two options: (1) Manual download from Google Drive + upload to OneDrive (good for small file counts), (2) Use third-party migration tools (SkySync, ShareGate, Mover) for bulk Drive migration. Plan 1-2 weeks for large Drive volumes.
Step 5 — Update DNS records to Microsoft 365: In your domain registrar, update MX records to outlook.com servers (per Microsoft 365 admin instructions). Add SPF, DKIM, DMARC records. AutoDiscover CNAME for Outlook desktop. DNS propagation takes 4-48 hours globally.
Step 6 — Configure Outlook / mobile email for users: Once DNS is propagated, users configure Outlook (desktop) or mobile email apps with their Microsoft 365 credentials. Modern Outlook auto-discovers Exchange server settings. We typically run a 1-hour onboarding session per team to walk through Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive.
Step 7 — Run delta migration and final cutover: After DNS is fully propagated, run a delta migration in Microsoft 365 admin to catch any emails delivered during cutover window. Keep Google Workspace active for 30 days as backup. After 30 days, cancel Workspace to stop billing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration take in India?

For a typical 30-50 person Indian SMB: 2-4 weeks total elapsed. Email migration runs 3-7 days in background; DNS cutover takes 1-2 days; Drive migration runs 5-10 days; user training spread across 1 week. Most work is automated background migration; active IT effort is ~40-60 hours for the full project.

Will all my Gmail folders / labels move to Outlook?

Yes. Gmail labels become Outlook folders. Multi-labeled emails are copied to each corresponding folder (Outlook doesn't support multi-label like Gmail). Starred emails get flagged. Read/unread status is preserved. Email order and dates are preserved.

Can I keep my Google Calendar appointments in Microsoft 365?

Yes. Microsoft's migration tool brings Calendar events with attendees, recurrence patterns, and reminders. Free/busy info migrates. Shared calendars need to be re-shared in Outlook because the user list is different. Plan a 1-day window after migration to fix shared calendars.

Should I migrate Google Drive files to OneDrive or keep them in Drive?

Migrate to OneDrive if you want full Microsoft 365 ecosystem (single sign-on, integrated Office, Teams file sharing). Keep in Drive if your team prefers Google Docs/Sheets and you only want email + Teams from Microsoft. Most Indian businesses migrate Drive to OneDrive for consistency.

What is the cost difference between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 in India?

Google Workspace Starter ₹270/user/month vs Microsoft 365 Business Basic ₹170/user/month — Microsoft is the cheaper entry plan, by ₹100/user/month. At mid-tier: Workspace Standard ₹1,080/user (2 TB pooled Drive, Gemini AI included) vs Microsoft 365 Business Standard ₹860/user (1 TB OneDrive + desktop Office), so Microsoft is cheaper there too. For 50 users over 3 years, the difference is ~₹1.8 lakh at entry level and ~₹4 lakh at mid-tier — worth weighing, but still small next to the migration effort.

Free Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration in India — authorised reseller with GST invoice.