Office 365 to IMAP Migration

Before initiating the migration process from Office 365 to an IMAP Server, following are the preparatory tasks that need attention.

• On the source Office 365 server side :
  1. Ensure to have a Office 365 Global admin account with suitable license
  2. Assign the suitable Office 365 licenses for the mailboxes you wish to migrate

      Click here to assign Microsoft 365 licenses to user accounts

  3. If you plan to migrate to Public folders and Shared mailboxes on Office 365, ensure that you create and configure them on the target server.

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

      Click here to create Shared mailboxes on Office 365 and set the required permission

  4. Ensure that you meet the network and bandwidth requirements for the migration.

      Click here for network and migration planning, performance factors and best practices for Office 365 migration.

  5. Configure Office 365 to send large messages.

      Click here for the steps to increase the message size on Office 365 to 150MB.

• On the target IMAP server side :
  1. Get your IMAP server host name and related connection settings required for login.
  2. If you are migrating multiple mailboxes, prepare a csv file with the columns such as email address, password, IMAP server host name and port number.
  3. If you are migrating Office 365 to Gmail account, ensure to create app password for Gmail account

      Click here for the steps to create app password for Gmail account

Now, perform the migration using EdbMails. Follow the detailed step-by-step procedure for Office 365 to IMAP migration. These steps cover everything from the initial setup of the EdbMails application to the execution of the migration operation.

• Download and install the EdbMails application on your computer.

  

• Launch the application and either 'Login' with the appropriate details or 'Start Your Free Trial' to verify the software functionality.

  

• Select 'Office 365 Migration' from the dropdown options.

  

• In the 'Connect to Office 365 (Source)' window, pick the authentication method, either 'Auto Registration' or 'Manual Registration’ to register EdbMails in the Office 365 Azure Active directory . Click the ‘Login’ button

  

• Select the required connection method among ‘Connect to mailboxes’, ‘Connect to Public Folder’ and ‘Connect to Archive mailbox’ and click the ‘Continue’ button to proceed with the authentication process on the Microsoft sign-in page using the global admin account.

  

• After successful authentication, select a method to load the mailboxes from the source Office 365 tenant. EdbMails automatically loads mailboxes. You can also opt to load mailboxes using csv file.

• Choose the mailboxes and folders you want to migrate from the left pane of the migration window.

  

• EdbMails offers you the flexibility to begin with a default setting that allows the migration of 10 mailboxes concurrently. If required, you can easily raise this limit to support up to 20 mailboxes, ensuring a faster and more efficient migration process.

  

• Click 'Migrate to IMAP' to establish a connection with the target server.

  

• If you want to connect to a single user, select the ‘Single User / Account Migration’ check box. Then, select your IMAP server host name from the list. You can also enter the host name of the IMAP server manually.

  

• If you want to migrate multiple mailboxes, select ‘Multiple (bulk) Users/Accounts Migration’. Download the sample CSV file and fill the required details such as email address, password, host name and port number. Load the CSV file into EdbMails and verify the list mailboxes to continue.

  

 Click here for the detailed steps to connect to single and multiple IMAP users

• With EdbMails, you have the flexibility to choose the mailbox mapping method that suits your needs. Whether it's automatic mapping, manual mapping, or mapping based on previous migration settings, you're in control.

  

• EdbMails lets you customize your Office 365 migration process precisely. Apply or exclude filters for criteria such as date range, sender, recipient, Cc, Bcc, read/unread status, and attachment names. You can also choose to skip standard folders or emails with attachments exceeding 150 MB.

  

• Once you've set everything up, start the migration and closely monitor its progress from start to finish. EdbMails provides a confirmation message after a successful migration. You can refer to the text-based Office 365 migration log report to validate the count of migrated items. You can even pause and resume the operation as needed.

  

• Log in to your target server to ensure a smooth migration of items. EdbMails puts you in control of your Office 365 to IMAP migration, ensuring a hassle-free experience.

After the migration finishes, modify your MX records to allow mail flow to the new server.

Adhering to best practices is crucial during the migration from Office 365 to IMAP. These practices are instrumental in facilitating a seamless migration process, devoid of any interruptions. Here is an in-depth exploration of these recommended approaches:

1. Initiate Early Migration Planning: Starting planning well in advance allows proactive identification and resolution of potential migration challenges, ensuring readiness for a successful migration.
2. Choose the Right Migration Tool: The selection of an Office 365 to IMAP migration tool is crucial. Opt for a solution like EdbMails that aligns perfectly with your organization's goals and requirements, ensuring a successful migration experience.
3. Segment the Migration into Manageable Batches: Improve manageability by dividing the migration into smaller batches. This simplifies oversight and troubleshooting, providing better control over the entire migration process.
4. Conduct Thorough Pilot Testing: Before beginning the actual migration, conduct comprehensive testing in a controlled pilot environment. This phase is invaluable for identifying and resolving any potential issues, ensuring a smooth migration.
5. Ensure Transparent Communication with Stakeholders: Maintain open and consistent communication with all involved stakeholders, ensuring everyone is well-informed, adheres to timelines, and possesses clear expectations.
6. Monitor Migration Progress Vigilantly: Continuous monitoring of the migration process is critical. Regularly assess progress to confirm alignment with the established plan, addressing any deviations promptly.
7. Enhance Migration Performance: By default, EdbMails supports the simultaneous migration of 10 mailboxes in parallel. However, you can increase this concurrent mailbox count to 20 to further enhance performance and speed.
8. Run Migration from Multiple Computers: You can install EdbMails on multiple computers to migrate different mailboxes concurrently, catering to diverse organizational needs and further accelerating the process.
9. Incremental Migration Support to Avoid Duplicates: EdbMails offers robust support for incremental migration, preventing duplicate items during migrations, particularly useful for consecutive migrations.