Public folder to Office 365 migration

1. Public folder to Microsoft 365 Migration Planning

   Prior to initiating the migration of the Public folder from Exchange to Office 365, it is essential to carefully evaluate the migration requirements and prerequisites. Following is a checklist of items to identify and prepare your environments.

   1. Determine the type of your current migration environment (Hybrid or non-Hybrid).
   2. Identify the size and number of Public folders you intend to migrate.
   3. Decide whether you want to move all the Public folders at once or in stages.
   4. Check your internet connection speed and review your network configuration.
   5. Determine if you plan to move the Public folders to Public folders, Primary mailboxes, or Shared mailboxes on the target server.
   6. Make sure to back up your existing Public folder mailboxes before initiating the migration.

2. Pre migration activities on Exchange server

   1. Ensure that you have installed cumulative update CU15 or later on Exchange Server 2013 and CU4 on Exchange Server 2016 before initiating the migration process.
   2. For Exchange Server 2010, make sure that you have installed Service Pack 3 (SP3) RU8 or a more recent version.
   3. Assign the Server Management role group in the Exchange server.
   4. Verify that the admin account on the source Exchange server has ApplicationImpersonation permissions set and that the mailboxes and folders you plan to migrate are not hidden from the address lists.
   5. Assign the Public folders to user mailboxes on the source server

    Click here for the steps to assign Exchange public folders to user mailbox

3. Pre migration activities on Office 365

   1. Assign the Organization Management role group in Exchange online to the admin user
   2. Before proceeding with the migration to Office 365, create mailboxes for all users in your organization and assign the appropriate licenses to them.

       Add users and assign licenses to Office 365 users

       Assign Microsoft 365 licenses to user accounts

   3. If you are planning to migrate the source Public folders to Office 365 Public folders, create and assign the Public folder to user mailboxes on the target server.

       Click here for the steps to create Office 365 Public folder and assign to user mailbox

      Note: If your Exchange mailboxes are located in a Hybrid environment, direct migration of Public folders to Office 365 is not possible. In such cases, refer to the provided workaround solution to migrate Public folders in a hybrid environment.

   4. If you have a custom email domain from your hosting provider to which you want to migrate and receive emails, you must add and verify the domain on Office 365.

       Steps to add custom domain to Office 365

      Note: For migrating Public folders to Office 365 with EdbMails, you do not require PowerShell scripts. The following steps describe the public migration method by using EdbMails graphical user interface (GUI).

4. Exchange to Office 365 Public folder Migration using EdbMails

   There are two methods for migrating Public folder by using EdbMails Exchange migration

   1. Direct migration of Exchange Public folder to Office 365
   2. Migrate Public folders using the PST import method

   Steps to migrate Public folder to Office 365 by using the direct method

   • Step 1: Download and install EdbMails Exchange server migration software setup
     1. Download and install EdbMails application on any computer in the network that is connected to the source Exchange server.
     2. Launch the application and click the 'Login' or 'Start Your Free Trial' button.

        

     3. Select the migration option ‘Live Exchange migration’

        

     Refer to the link for a detailed list of EdbMails system requirements for Exchange migration.

     Note: If the standard folders (such as Inbox, Calendar, Contacts) in your source tenant mailboxes are initialized with a different language, such as the French language where the Inbox folder is named 'Boîte de réception', direct migration of this folder to the destination server will not result in automatic mapping to the 'Inbox' folder on the target server. Click here to ensure correct mapping of the folder with the French name to the corresponding folder.

   • Step 2: Connect to the source Exchange server

     In the Connect to Exchange server (Source) window, select one of the connection options and connection method as ‘Connect to Public Folder’ and click ‘Next’ to proceed to Exchange server login and load mailboxes. Know more about the different Exchange server connection methods supported by EdbMails.

     

      See the steps to connect to public folders on the source server in EdbMails

   • Step 3: Select the Public folder and connect to Office 365
     • Select the public folders from the Exchange server that you want to migrate to Office 365.
     • Click 'Migrate to Office 365' to set up the connection with the target server

     

     If this is the first time you’re migrating with EdbMails, the migration is a full migration. On subsequent migrations from the same source to the target, the migration is incremental.

   • Step 4: Customize the Exchange to Office 365 migration operation (Optional)

     EdbMails provides the following additional options to help you customize the migration task.

     1. Additional Include and Exclude Filter Options
     2. Filter emails by Date: Migrate to Office 365 by applying the Date filter
     3. Filter emails by Size: Exclude emails from migration larger than a specified size.

     

   • Step 5: Connect to target Office 365 as Global Admin User

     In the Connect to Office 365 (Destination) window, either keep the authentication method as ‘Automatic Registration’ or ‘ManualRegistration’ for modern authentication and click the ‘Login’ button.

     

      Connect to Office 365 server using secure modern authentication

     Select ‘Connect to Public folder’ in the connection method and click the ‘Continue’ button

     

     After the successful login, select one of the options to load the mailboxes. EdbMails loads mailboxes automatically. You can also load the mailboxes using a CSV file

   • Step 6: Map the folders between the source and the target servers

     EdbMails can automatically match and map the mailboxes and folders between the source and target servers. This saves the time when you’re migrating a large number of public folders. You can also map source folder/subfolders with target folders/subfolders

   • Step 7: Start the migration to Office 365 from Exchange server

     Continue with the migration operation after completing the mailbox mapping. Finally, verify the count of migrated emails, folders, and mailbox items using EdbMails text-based log report.

   Exchange Public folder migration using the PST migration method

   If you have a PST file exported from Exchange server, EdbMails can assist you in migrating Public folders from the PST to Office 365. Download and run EdbMails if you haven’t installed it on your computer. The following steps outline the migration operation.

   • Step 1: Select the migration method as Office 365 migration

     On the EdbMails migration selection popup, select the migration option as ‘Office 365 migration’.

     

   • Step 2: Add PST files in bulk to migrate to Office 365

     To add the PST files, close the Connect to Office 365 (Source) connection window and click migrate ‘PST to Office 365’ at the bottom of the main migration window.

     

   • Step 3: Connect to Office 365 as Global Admin User

     Connect to the target server by keeping the ‘Automatic Registration’ or selecting the ‘ManualRegistration’ for modern authentication. Then, select ‘Connect to Public Folder’ in the connection option.

      Connect to Office 365 server using secure modern authentication

     After the successful authentication to your Office 365 server, select one of the options to load the mailboxes and proceed.

   • Step 4: Map and migrate Public folders to Office 365

     EdbMails can automatically match and map the mailboxes and folders from the PST file to Office 365. This activity saves time when you’re migrating a large number of Public folders. After you complete the migration, verify the count of the migrated items and folders with the help of EdbMails log report. You can also log into your Office 365 Tenant and verify the migrated folders and items.

Exchange migration troubleshooting

 Refer to the Exchange migration troubleshooting guide and Public folder troubleshooting for possible solutions related to migration errors. For more information on EdbMails Exchange migration refer to the frequently asked questions (FAQs)

 See the link if you are not able to migrate Public folders due to insufficient permissions.