If you are still running SharePoint 2007, 2010, 2013, or 2016 on-premises, you are managing hardware, patching servers, and paying for infrastructure that Microsoft retired support for years ago. Migrating to SharePoint Online, the version of SharePoint built into Office 365, removes that maintenance burden and gives your team continuous updates, better security, and access from anywhere.

This guide walks through why organizations migrate, how to prepare, which method fits your environment, and what changes depending on which SharePoint version you are starting from. Whether you are planning a small single-site move or a full on-premises SharePoint farm migration, you will find the specific steps for your situation below.

Why Migrate SharePoint to Office 365?

SharePoint Online is included in every Office 365 and Microsoft 365 plan that has SharePoint entitlement, so most organizations already own it before they migrate a single file. Here is what actually changes once you move off on-premises SharePoint.

• Always Up to Date

  On-premises SharePoint versions all have a fixed end-of-support date. SharePoint 2007 and 2010 are long past theirs, and 2013 support ended in 2023. Once you are on SharePoint Online, Microsoft ships security patches and new features continuously, so you are never running an unsupported platform again.

• Reduced Infrastructure Costs

  Running SharePoint on-premises means paying for servers, storage, backup infrastructure, and the IT staff time to patch and maintain all of it. SharePoint Online shifts that cost into a predictable per-user subscription, and Microsoft handles the infrastructure.

• Better Security and Compliance

  Microsoft 365 includes built-in threat protection, encryption, multi-factor authentication, and compliance tools like retention policies and eDiscovery that most on-premises SharePoint environments were never configured with. That matters more with every version you skip, since older SharePoint farms accumulate security gaps.

• Seamless Integration With Microsoft 365 Apps

  SharePoint Online works natively with Teams, OneDrive, and Power Automate in ways the on-premises version cannot replicate without heavy customization. Content shared through Teams or Yammer stays connected to the same document libraries your team already uses, so collaboration does not require jumping between disconnected systems.

Pre-Migration Assessment Checklist

The biggest cause of a messy SharePoint migration is skipping the assessment and jumping straight to moving files. Work through these five areas first, before you touch a migration tool.

• Content Inventory

  Run a full inventory of your site collections, document libraries, and lists before deciding what moves. Most organizations find that 20 to 30 percent of on-premises content is duplicate, outdated, or abandoned. Archive or delete what nobody uses, since migrating dead content just moves the clutter into the cloud and slows the project down. If you also have file shares outside SharePoint that need to come along, our guide on migrating a file server to SharePoint Online covers that scenario separately.

• Permission Analysis

  Older SharePoint environments tend to accumulate broken permission inheritance over the years, with individual users granted access outside their group. Document who has access to what before migration, because permissions do not always translate cleanly between an on-premises Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).

• Customizations Review

  Custom master pages, SharePoint Designer workflows, InfoPath forms, and third-party web parts generally do not migrate as-is. Catalog every customization in your environment and decide, site by site, whether to rebuild it natively in SharePoint Online or replace it with Power Automate and Power Apps.

• Workflow Assessment

  SharePoint 2010 and 2013 workflows built in SharePoint Designer are being retired by Microsoft and do not carry over to SharePoint Online. Every workflow needs to be identified and rebuilt in Power Automate before or shortly after migration, or the business process attached to it will simply stop working the day you cut over.

• Storage Requirements

  Check your total content database size against your target Office 365 plan’s storage allowance. Most Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans include a generous baseline plus per-user pooled storage, but very large on-premises farms with years of version history can still exceed it, so it is worth calculating this before migration day rather than after.

  If your migration also includes moving mailboxes or consolidating with another Microsoft 365 tenant, it is worth reviewing the complete Office 365 migration checklist alongside this one, since SharePoint is usually one workload inside a larger project.

Migrating Specific SharePoint Versions to Office 365

The steps and constraints change depending on which SharePoint version you are migrating from. Here is what is different about each one.

• SharePoint 2007 to Office 365

  SharePoint 2007 reached end of support in 2017 and is architecturally the furthest from SharePoint Online. There is no supported direct migration path from SharePoint 2007. In practice, this means a two-hop migration: content typically needs to move to SharePoint 2010 or 2013 first, or be extracted and re-imported using a third-party tool that can read the older content database format. Custom web parts and classic ASP.NET solutions built for 2007 almost always need to be rebuilt from scratch rather than migrated.

• SharePoint 2010 to Office 365

  SharePoint 2010 also reached end of support in 2020. Like 2007, Microsoft does not offer a direct native migration path from 2010 to SharePoint Online. Most organizations either upgrade to 2013 or later as an intermediate step, or use a third-party migration tool built to handle 2010 content databases directly. SharePoint 2010 workflows built in SharePoint Designer need to be rebuilt in Power Automate, since they will not function after migration.

• SharePoint 2013 to Office 365

  SharePoint 2013 is the earliest version Microsoft’s own SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) supports for a more direct migration path, which makes this move noticeably more straightforward than 2007 or 2010. You will still need to inventory customizations and workflows first, since 2013’s SharePoint Designer workflows face the same retirement Microsoft applied across all on-premises versions. We cover this migration path in more depth in our dedicated guide to migrating from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online.

• SharePoint 2016 and 2019 to Office 365

  SharePoint 2016 and 2019 are the most migration-friendly starting points. Both are fully supported by SPMT, and their site structure and permission model are much closer to SharePoint Online’s, so less gets rebuilt from scratch. SharePoint 2019 in particular shares several UI and feature updates with SharePoint Online, which shortens the user retraining curve after go-live.

How Ready Is Your Organization for SharePoint Migration?

Readiness mainly comes down to which version you’re starting from, how customized your environment is, and whether you have in-house IT capacity to run the project. Answer four quick questions to get a readiness score and a recommendation before you talk to our team.

SharePoint to Office 365 Migration Methods

Once your assessment is done, you have four realistic ways to actually move the content. The right one depends on your SharePoint version, data volume, and how much internal engineering time you can commit.

• SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT)

  Microsoft's free SharePoint Migration Tool is the default option for SharePoint 2013, 2016, and 2019 environments. It handles document libraries, lists, and basic permissions reasonably well, and it is the cheapest option since there is no licensing cost. It does not support SharePoint 2007 or 2010 sources, does not migrate workflows, and struggles with heavily customized sites, so it works best for straightforward environments.

• PowerShell Migration

  PowerShell scripting using the SharePoint Online Management Shell gives you granular, scriptable control, useful for repetitive migrations across many similar sites or for automating parts of the process SPMT does not handle well. It requires real scripting expertise on your team and is generally the slowest option to set up, though it can be the fastest to execute once built.

• Third-Party Migration Tools

  Tools like ShareGate, AvePoint, and Quest add real-time progress reporting, pre-migration scanning, delta migrations, and support for SharePoint 2007 and 2010 sources that Microsoft's own tool does not cover. They come with a licensing cost, but for organizations with complex permission structures or older SharePoint versions, they usually pay for themselves in reduced project time. See the tools comparison below for how they stack up.

• Migration Service Providers

  For organizations without the internal bandwidth to run a migration project alongside their day jobs, a managed migration service handles the assessment, tool selection, execution, and validation end to end. This is usually the right call when you are migrating from SharePoint 2007 or 2010, when workflows and customizations are extensive, or when the migration needs to happen alongside a broader Office 365 migration that also includes Exchange and Teams.

Step-by-Step SharePoint Migration Process

1. Planning

Define scope, timeline, and the target site structure before touching any tooling. Decide which sites migrate as-is and which get rebuilt fresh in SharePoint Online, since not every site is worth recreating exactly as it was on-premises.

2. Environment Preparation

Provision your Office 365 tenant, configure Microsoft Entra ID and permission groups, and set up the destination site collections. If workflows need rebuilding in Power Automate, start that work in parallel now rather than after go-live.

3. Migration Execution

Run a pilot migration on one or two representative sites first to catch issues before committing the full environment. Then execute the full migration in batches, monitoring for failed items and permission mismatches as you go.

4. Validation

Compare source and destination site by site: file counts, folder structure, metadata, version history, and permissions. This is also the point to confirm links between documents and any Power Automate flows are functioning correctly.

5. Post-Migration Testing

Have end users test their day-to-day tasks in the new environment before you decommission the old one. Keep the on-premises environment available in read-only mode for a short window in case anything was missed.

Common SharePoint Migration Challenges

• Large file and library migration. Libraries with tens of thousands of items or individual files over a few GB can hit throttling limits and need to be broken into smaller batches.
• Metadata and version history preservation. Manual migration methods reset creation and modification dates to the migration date. Tool-based migrations preserve this, but it needs to be verified, not assumed.
• Custom workflows. SharePoint Designer workflows do not carry over and need to be rebuilt in Power Automate, which is often the single largest time cost in a migration project.
• Permission mapping. On-premises Active Directory groups do not map one-to-one with Microsoft Entra ID, and broken inheritance from years of ad hoc access grants tends to surface only after migration.
• Broken links. Internal links between SharePoint documents, and links from other systems into SharePoint, generally break during migration and need a link-remediation pass.
• Downtime and user disruption. Sites being actively edited during migration risk content conflicts. Communicating a content freeze window to users in advance avoids most of this.

SharePoint Migration Best Practices

• Run a pilot migration first. Migrate one or two representative sites before committing the full environment, so issues surface on a small scale.
• Clean content before migration, not after. Archiving and deleting stale content is far easier on the source system than once it is already in SharePoint Online.
• Test permissions explicitly. Do not assume inherited permissions carried over correctly. Spot-check a sample of sites against your pre-migration permission audit.
• Train end users before go-live. A short walkthrough of what changed in the new environment prevents a wave of support tickets in week one.
• Monitor performance after cutover. Watch sync client performance and page load times for the first few weeks, since usage patterns at scale sometimes surface issues a pilot migration did not catch.

SharePoint Migration Tools Comparison

Here is how the main options compare across cost, supported source versions, and where each one tends to fall short.

Note on pricing: ShareGate, AvePoint, and Quest all publish tiered pricing that changes periodically, so confirm current rates directly with each vendor before budgeting.

Why Choose Professional SharePoint Migration Services

Self-service migration works fine for a handful of straightforward sites. It gets much harder once you are dealing with SharePoint 2007 or 2010 content, heavy customization, or a farm with hundreds of site collections, and that is where most DIY migrations stall out or lose data quietly.

Apps4Rent is a Microsoft Solutions Partner and Tier 1 Direct CSP that has been migrating organizations to Microsoft's cloud since 2003. We have successfully migrated 10,000+ organizations across 90+ countries, including SharePoint environments running everything from 2007 through the current Subscription Edition, with zero downtime and zero data loss. Our Microsoft-certified engineers handle the assessment, tool selection, workflow rebuilding, and validation, so your team is not learning SharePoint migration on the job.

If your migration involves consolidating two Microsoft 365 tenants rather than moving from on-premises, our approach differs slightly. See our guide on migrating SharePoint from one tenant to another for that scenario, or the full Office 365 tenant-to-tenant migration guide if Exchange, Teams, and OneDrive are moving alongside SharePoint.

FAQs

1. How long does a SharePoint to Office 365 migration take?

   A single site with light customization can migrate in a few days. A full farm with multiple site collections, custom workflows, and permission remediation typically takes 4 to 8 weeks. Migrating from SharePoint 2007 or 2010 usually adds time because of the extra remediation work those versions require.

2. What is the best tool to migrate SharePoint to Office 365?

   For SharePoint 2013, 2016, or 2019 with straightforward content, Microsoft's free SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) is the most cost-effective option. For SharePoint 2007 or 2010, or environments with heavy customization and complex permissions, a third-party tool like ShareGate or AvePoint, or a managed migration service, is usually a better fit.

3. Can I migrate SharePoint 2007 directly to Office 365?

   There is no direct, Microsoft-supported migration path from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint Online. Most migrations from 2007 either go through an intermediate on-premises upgrade to 2010 or 2013 first, or use a third-party tool built specifically to read legacy SharePoint 2007 content databases.

4. How do I migrate SharePoint 2010 to Office 365?

   SharePoint 2010 also lacks a direct native migration path to SharePoint Online. The two practical routes are upgrading on-premises to SharePoint 2013 or later first, or using a third-party migration tool that supports 2010 content databases directly. Either way, plan for rebuilding any SharePoint Designer workflows in Power Automate, since those do not migrate.

5. Is the SharePoint Migration Tool free?

   Yes. SPMT is a free tool from Microsoft. It supports SharePoint 2013, 2016, and 2019 as source environments, but it does not support SharePoint 2007 or 2010, and it does not migrate workflows.

6. Can SharePoint workflows be migrated to Office 365?

   SharePoint 2010 and 2013 workflows built in SharePoint Designer do not migrate to SharePoint Online and are being retired by Microsoft. They need to be rebuilt using Power Automate, ideally before or shortly after your content migration, so the business process does not stop working after cutover.

7. How much does SharePoint to Office 365 migration cost?

   Cost depends heavily on data volume, number of site collections, and how much customization needs rebuilding. A managed SharePoint migration typically runs in the same range as other Microsoft 365 workload migrations, generally priced per user or as a fixed project fee depending on complexity. Get a free assessment for a specific number based on your environment.

8. What is the difference between SharePoint Server and SharePoint Online?

   SharePoint Server is the on-premises version you install and manage on your own hardware, with a fixed end-of-support date. SharePoint Online is the cloud version included in Office 365 and Microsoft 365, managed and continuously updated by Microsoft, with no end-of-support date and no server hardware to maintain.

9. Can metadata and version history be migrated to SharePoint Online?

   Yes, but only with tool-based migration methods. Manual migration, such as dragging and dropping files, resets creation and modification dates to the migration date and loses version history. SPMT and third-party tools preserve metadata and version history when configured correctly, so this should be verified during validation.

10. What are the risks of migrating SharePoint to Office 365?

    The most common risks are broken permissions, lost metadata from manual migration methods, workflows that silently stop working after cutover, and broken internal links. Nearly all of these are avoidable with a proper pre-migration assessment and a pilot migration before the full rollout.

11. Do I need to upgrade SharePoint 2013 before migrating to Office 365?

    No. SharePoint 2013 is supported directly by Microsoft's SharePoint Migration Tool, so you can migrate to SharePoint Online without an intermediate upgrade. This is different from SharePoint 2007 and 2010, which generally do require an intermediate step or a third-party tool built for those older versions.

12. Can Apps4Rent migrate multiple SharePoint versions in one project?

    Yes. It is common for organizations to have SharePoint 2010, 2013, and file shares all in scope for the same migration project. Apps4Rent's engineers assess each source separately and apply the right method for each, then consolidate everything into a single SharePoint Online environment.

Still have questions specific to your environment? Talk to our SharePoint migration team and we will walk through your setup directly.

The O365CloudExperts editorial team produces in-depth Microsoft 365 migration guides in collaboration with Apps4Rent's in-house Microsoft Certified engineers. Since 2003, Apps4Rent has successfully migrated 10,000+ organizations across 90+ countries with zero downtime and zero data loss.