This chapter covers Microsoft's migration tools for SharePoint and Exchange, which are critical for transitioning from on-premises or third-party platforms to Microsoft 365. For the MS-900 exam, approximately 10-15% of questions in Domain 2.2 relate to migration tools and strategies. You will learn the key tools—SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT), Exchange Migration tools (cutover, staged, and hybrid), and the overall Mover tool for file shares. The exam expects you to understand which tool to use for each scenario, the basic migration process, and common pitfalls. We will go deep into the mechanics, including step-by-step workflows, specific configuration values, and how to verify success.
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Imagine your company is moving from an old office building to a new one. You have filing cabinets full of documents (your SharePoint data) and a complex phone system with voicemails and call logs (your Exchange data). You hire a professional moving company (Microsoft Migration Tools). The movers first assess every item—they measure the cabinets, list fragile items, and note which phones are connected to which lines. This is the discovery and assessment phase. Then, they pack everything into labeled boxes, using specialized crates for sensitive electronics (email migration). They load the boxes onto trucks, but they also set up a temporary mail forwarding service so that any letters sent to the old address are redirected (cutover migration with minimal downtime). At the new office, they unpack and set up the filing cabinets in the exact same order, and reconnect the phone system so that all extensions work as before. Throughout, they provide a detailed inventory and status updates (migration dashboard). If any box is damaged, they have insurance and can restore from a backup (rollback capability). The key is that the movers handle the heavy lifting, but you still need to decide what to move, when to move, and how to label the boxes—that's your migration strategy. Microsoft's tools automate the technical moving, but planning and validation are your responsibility.
What Are Microsoft Migration Tools and Why Do They Exist?
Microsoft 365 migration tools are purpose-built utilities to move data from on-premises or third-party environments into Microsoft 365. They exist because manual migration is error-prone, time-consuming, and risky. The tools automate the transfer, preserve metadata and permissions, and provide monitoring and rollback capabilities. For MS-900, you need to know the primary tools: SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT), the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) migration wizards, and the Mover tool (now integrated into SPMT for file share migrations). These tools support different source environments and have specific use cases.
How the SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) Works Internally
SPMT is a free Windows application that migrates content from on-premises SharePoint Server, file shares, and (via Mover) other cloud providers to SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365. The tool works in phases:
Discovery and Assessment: SPMT scans the source location, enumerating files and folders. It reports any issues (e.g., unsupported file types, long paths, blocked file names). It also estimates the number of items and total size.
Packaging and Upload: SPMT packages files into packages (up to 100 MB each) and uploads them to a temporary Azure storage container. The container is automatically created in the same region as your Microsoft 365 tenant. Each package contains metadata such as modified date, author, and permissions.
Import to SharePoint Online: The SharePoint Online service pulls the packages from Azure storage and writes them to the target document library. The tool uses the SharePoint Online REST API to create items and set metadata. Permissions are applied using SharePoint's permission model (if migration settings include permission preservation).
Verification: SPMT compares the source and destination to ensure all items migrated. It generates a report with success/failure details.
Key defaults and values:
Maximum file size: 250 GB (but performance degrades beyond 10 GB).
Supported file names: Must follow SharePoint Online naming rules (no ~ # % & * {} \ / : < > ? | " and cannot start with a period).
SPMT uses incremental migration: after the initial full scan, it can detect changes and migrate only new or modified files.
SPMT can run multiple tasks concurrently (default is 5, configurable up to 10).
The tool uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication to Microsoft 365.
Exchange Migration Tools: Cutover, Staged, and Hybrid
Exchange migrations move mailboxes, mail items, calendars, contacts, and public folders from on-premises Exchange or other email systems to Exchange Online. Three primary methods exist:
#### Cutover Migration - What it is: A one-time migration of all on-premises mailboxes to Exchange Online. Suitable for organizations with fewer than 1500 mailboxes. - How it works: You configure a migration endpoint in the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) pointing to your on-premises Exchange server. The EAC initiates a synchronization that copies mailbox data. After initial sync, you perform a final sync to catch any changes, then switch the MX record to point to Exchange Online. The on-premises mailboxes are then decommissioned. - Key values: Maximum 1500 mailboxes. The migration batch runs up to 7 days. The final sync can be scheduled during a maintenance window.
#### Staged Migration - What it is: A phased migration for organizations with more than 1500 mailboxes or where you need to migrate in batches. - How it works: You create migration batches of up to 1000 mailboxes each. Each batch goes through initial sync and final sync. You can test a pilot batch first. Staged migration requires directory synchronization (Azure AD Connect) to provision users in Azure AD. - Key values: Batch size maximum 1000 mailboxes. Requires Exchange 2003 or later (though modern best practice is Exchange 2010+). Staged migration is available only for on-premises Exchange.
#### Hybrid Migration - What it is: A full hybrid deployment where on-premises and Exchange Online coexist. Mailboxes can be moved between the two environments with free/busy sharing and mail flow routing. - How it works: You run the Hybrid Configuration Wizard (HCW) which configures federation, OAuth, and mailbox moves. Mailbox moves are initiated via the EAC or Exchange Management Shell. The move request uses the MRS (Mailbox Replication Service) Proxy to transfer data over HTTPS. - Key values: Requires Exchange 2010 SP3 or later. The HCW automates most configuration. You can move mailboxes in bulk using move requests. Hybrid migration supports advanced coexistence scenarios.
Mover Tool for File Share Migrations
Mover (acquired by Microsoft) is now integrated into SPMT for migrating file shares and other cloud sources (Google Drive, Dropbox, Box) to SharePoint Online. It provides a web-based interface for scanning, migrating, and validating. Mover uses connectors to the source and target, encrypts data in transit using TLS 1.2, and stores temporary data in Azure.
Interaction with Related Technologies
Azure AD Connect: For staged and hybrid Exchange migrations, directory synchronization is required to ensure user identities exist in Azure AD before mailboxes are migrated.
Azure Storage: SPMT uses temporary Azure storage blobs for staging data. The storage account is automatically provisioned and deleted after migration.
Mail Flow (MX Records): For cutover and staged migrations, you must update your MX record to point to Exchange Online after the final sync to route new mail to Microsoft 365.
Permissions and Governance: SPMT can preserve SharePoint permissions if the source is SharePoint Server. For file shares, permissions are mapped to SharePoint groups if configured.
Configuration and Verification Commands
For SPMT, no command-line is required; the GUI is used. However, you can use PowerShell for advanced scenarios:
# Install SPMT module (if available)
Install-Module -Name Microsoft.SharePoint.MigrationTool.PowerShell
# Create a migration task
New-SPMTMigrationTask -SourcePath "\\server\share" -TargetSiteUrl "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/team" -TargetLibrary "Documents"For Exchange migration, you can use the Exchange Admin Center or PowerShell:
# Create a migration batch
New-MigrationBatch -Name "Batch1" -SourceEndpoint "OnPremEndpoint" -TargetDeliveryDomain "contoso.mail.onmicrosoft.com" -AutoStart
# Check migration status
Get-MigrationBatch -BatchId "Batch1" | Get-MigrationUser | Format-Table Identity, Status, ItemsSyncedExam-Relevant Details
The exam tests your ability to choose the correct migration tool for a given scenario. Key differentiators: number of mailboxes (cutover ≤1500, staged >1500 but requires directory sync, hybrid for coexistence).
For SharePoint, SPMT is the primary tool for on-premises SharePoint and file shares. Mover is used for third-party cloud sources.
Public folder migration: Use the Public Folder Migration wizard in EAC for Exchange public folders. For SharePoint, public folders are not migrated; you must use SPMT for content.
The exam may ask about the order of operations: assess, prepare, migrate, verify, cutover.
Common wrong answer: choosing 'cutover migration' for an organization with 2000 mailboxes. The correct answer is 'staged migration' because cutover has a 1500 mailbox limit.
Another trap: confusing SPMT with the Migration Manager (a newer tool for file shares that is agent-based). SPMT is agentless (runs from a client machine).
Assess Source Environment
Begin by evaluating the source environment. For SharePoint, run the SPMT assessment scan which checks file count, total size, file name issues, and unsupported file types. It generates a report listing any items that cannot be migrated. For Exchange, use the Exchange Admin Center to run a migration readiness check that verifies connectivity, mailbox sizes, and identifies any issues like large items or corrupt mailboxes. The assessment phase is critical to avoid surprises during migration. The tool will flag items such as files with # or % in names (SharePoint) or mailboxes larger than 50 GB (Exchange Online default limit). You must remediate these issues before proceeding.
Prepare Target Environment
Ensure your Microsoft 365 tenant is ready. For SharePoint, create the target site collections and document libraries. Configure permissions and metadata structure to match the source. For Exchange, ensure users are provisioned in Azure AD (via directory sync if needed). Assign appropriate licenses to users who will receive mailboxes. Set up migration endpoints in the EAC for Exchange migrations. For SPMT, you need to authenticate with a Microsoft 365 account that has global admin or SharePoint admin role. The tool will automatically create a temporary Azure storage container in the same region as your tenant.
Configure Migration Settings
Define the migration scope and settings. In SPMT, you specify source paths and target URLs. You can choose to preserve permissions, file versions, and modified dates. For Exchange, you create a migration batch specifying which mailboxes to migrate, the target delivery domain (e.g., contoso.mail.onmicrosoft.com), and the migration endpoint. You can set a maximum concurrent mailbox moves (default 20 for staged migration). For cutover migration, you select all mailboxes. For hybrid, you use the Hybrid Configuration Wizard to set up coexistence before moving mailboxes.
Perform Initial Sync
Start the migration. SPMT begins uploading files to Azure storage and then importing to SharePoint Online. The tool shows real-time progress, including items successfully migrated, items skipped, and errors. For Exchange, the initial sync copies mailbox data from on-premises to Exchange Online. During this period, users continue to use their on-premises mailboxes. The sync runs continuously until all items are copied. For large mailboxes, this may take days. The migration batch status shows 'Syncing'. You can monitor using the EAC or PowerShell. If errors occur, you can retry individual items or the entire batch.
Perform Final Sync and Cutover
After initial sync completes, you schedule a final sync to capture any changes made during the initial sync period. This is a delta synchronization. For Exchange, you then perform the cutover by converting the migration batch to 'Complete'. This converts the on-premises mailboxes to mail-enabled users and finalizes the migration. For cutover migration, you must also update your MX record to point to Exchange Online. For SPMT, after the final incremental scan, the tool confirms all items are migrated. You should then verify by comparing item counts and spot-checking content. Finally, you can decommission the source or redirect users to the new location.
Enterprise Scenario 1: Migrating from On-Premises SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online
A multinational corporation with 500 GB of data across 20 site collections needed to migrate to SharePoint Online. They used SPMT running on a dedicated Windows server with high network bandwidth. The migration was phased by site collection. They preserved permissions and metadata. Challenges included long file paths (>400 characters) which had to be shortened, and files with # in names which were renamed. The migration took 3 weeks. They used incremental syncs to catch changes. After migration, they found that some custom web parts did not work in SharePoint Online, requiring remediation. The tool's assessment phase caught most issues early. Performance was good: about 100 GB per day over a 1 Gbps link. They used the SPMT reporting to verify success.
Enterprise Scenario 2: Staged Exchange Migration for 3000 Mailboxes
A medium enterprise with 3000 mailboxes on Exchange 2010 needed to move to Exchange Online. They chose staged migration because the count exceeded 1500. They first set up Azure AD Connect to sync identities. They created migration batches of 500 mailboxes each. The initial sync for each batch took 2-3 days. They tested a pilot batch with 10 mailboxes first. During the final sync, they scheduled cutover during a weekend. They updated the MX record after all batches completed. The biggest issue was mail flow: they had to ensure that on-premises and cloud mailboxes could send to each other during the staged process. They used mail flow connectors (inbound and outbound) to route mail appropriately. The migration was completed in 2 months with minimal user disruption.
Enterprise Scenario 3: Hybrid Exchange Migration with Coexistence
A large enterprise with 10,000 mailboxes on Exchange 2016 chose hybrid migration to allow a gradual move over 6 months. They ran the Hybrid Configuration Wizard which configured OAuth, federation, and free/busy sharing. They moved mailboxes in bulk using move requests. The MRS Proxy handled the data transfer over HTTPS. They maintained a single namespace (contoso.com) for email addresses. Users could move between on-premises and cloud without changing their Outlook profile. The key challenge was maintaining directory synchronization and ensuring that all users had licenses. They used the Exchange Management Shell to automate move requests. The hybrid deployment allowed them to test cloud features with a small group before full migration. Misconfiguration of the hybrid settings could cause free/busy lookup failures, which they resolved by re-running the HCW.
What MS-900 Tests on This Topic (Objective 2.2)
The exam focuses on your ability to select the appropriate migration tool based on the scenario. Key objective codes: Describe the migration tools for SharePoint (SPMT, Mover) and Exchange (cutover, staged, hybrid). The exam will present a scenario with details like number of mailboxes, source type (on-premises Exchange, file share, third-party cloud), and desired outcome (coexistence vs. full migration). You must know the limits and prerequisites.
Common Wrong Answers and Why Candidates Choose Them
Choosing cutover migration for 2000 mailboxes: Candidates see 'cutover' as the simplest option and ignore the 1500 mailbox limit. The correct answer is staged migration.
Selecting SPMT for migrating Google Drive to SharePoint: SPMT does not support Google Drive directly; Mover (or the Mover integration in SPMT) is needed. Candidates may think SPMT handles all sources.
Thinking hybrid migration is only for large enterprises: Hybrid is appropriate when coexistence is needed, regardless of size. Candidates may incorrectly choose staged migration when the requirement is coexistence.
Assuming all migration tools require PowerShell: SPMT and Exchange migration wizards have GUI interfaces. Candidates may think they must use PowerShell, but the exam tests understanding of available tools, not expertise in scripting.
Specific Numbers and Terms That Appear on the Exam
Cutover migration: maximum 1500 mailboxes.
Staged migration: maximum 1000 mailboxes per batch.
SPMT: maximum file size 250 GB (but practical limit lower).
SPMT: supports file shares and on-premises SharePoint.
Mover: supports third-party cloud sources (Google Drive, Dropbox, Box).
Hybrid migration: requires Exchange 2010 SP3 or later.
Public folder migration: use Exchange Admin Center.
Edge Cases and Exceptions
If an organization has fewer than 1500 mailboxes but wants to migrate in batches over time, staged migration is still valid, but cutover is simpler if they can tolerate a single cutover event.
For SharePoint, if you need to migrate from a third-party cloud like Box, you must use Mover (or the Mover integration in SPMT). SPMT alone cannot connect to Box.
If the source is a file share, SPMT is the tool. If the source is a third-party cloud, use Mover.
For Exchange, if you need to keep some mailboxes on-premises after migration, you must use hybrid migration.
How to Eliminate Wrong Answers
Look for the number of mailboxes: if >1500, eliminate cutover. If >1000 per batch, consider hybrid or staged with multiple batches.
Check the source type: file share or on-premises SharePoint → SPMT; third-party cloud → Mover; on-premises Exchange → Exchange migration tools.
Check the need for coexistence: if yes, hybrid is the only option.
If the question mentions 'directory synchronization', it's likely staged or hybrid, not cutover (cutover does not require directory sync).
SPMT migrates from on-premises SharePoint and file shares; Mover handles third-party cloud sources.
Cutover Exchange migration supports up to 1500 mailboxes; staged supports more but requires directory sync.
Hybrid Exchange migration enables coexistence and requires Exchange 2010 SP3 or later and the Hybrid Configuration Wizard.
SPMT uses temporary Azure storage and OAuth 2.0 authentication.
Exchange migration batches can be monitored via EAC or PowerShell with Get-MigrationBatch.
Always run an assessment before migration to identify issues like file name problems or oversized mailboxes.
The exam expects you to choose the correct migration tool based on source type, mailbox count, and coexistence needs.
These come up on the exam all the time. Here's how to tell them apart.
Cutover Exchange Migration
Maximum 1500 mailboxes
Single batch migration
Does not require directory synchronization
Final sync then MX record switch
Simpler but more downtime
Staged Exchange Migration
More than 1500 mailboxes
Multiple batches of up to 1000 each
Requires Azure AD Connect directory sync
Batches can be migrated over time
Less downtime per batch; longer overall duration
Mistake
SPMT can migrate any source including third-party clouds like Google Drive.
Correct
SPMT natively migrates only from on-premises SharePoint Server and file shares. For third-party clouds, you must use the Mover tool (now integrated into SPMT). The standalone SPMT does not support Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box directly.
Mistake
Cutover migration is suitable for any number of mailboxes.
Correct
Cutover migration is limited to 1500 mailboxes. For larger organizations, you must use staged or hybrid migration. The exam tests this limit explicitly.
Mistake
Staged migration does not require directory synchronization.
Correct
Staged migration requires Azure AD Connect to synchronize on-premises Active Directory with Azure AD. Without directory sync, users will not have corresponding mail-enabled users in Exchange Online.
Mistake
Hybrid migration is only for large enterprises.
Correct
Hybrid migration is appropriate whenever coexistence between on-premises and cloud is needed, regardless of organization size. The decision is based on the need for a phased migration or keeping some mailboxes on-premises.
Mistake
All migration tools have a command-line interface only.
Correct
SPMT and Exchange migration wizards provide graphical user interfaces. PowerShell is available for automation but not required. The exam expects you to know the tools exist, not necessarily how to script them.
Reveal each answer, then mark whether you got it right. Score 60%+ to unlock the next chapter.
1500 mailboxes. If your organization has more than 1500 mailboxes, you must use staged migration (which supports larger numbers but requires directory synchronization) or hybrid migration. The exam often tests this limit, so remember it exactly. If a scenario says '2000 mailboxes', cutover is not an option.
Not directly. SPMT natively supports only on-premises SharePoint Server and file shares. To migrate from Google Drive, you should use the Mover tool, which is now integrated into SPMT as a separate connector. In the exam, if the source is 'Google Drive', the correct answer is Mover, not SPMT.
Yes. Staged migration requires Azure AD Connect to synchronize your on-premises Active Directory with Azure AD. This ensures that each user has a corresponding mail-enabled user in Exchange Online before migration. Cutover migration does not require directory sync because it creates mailboxes directly from the on-premises server.
SPMT is an agentless tool that runs on a client machine and migrates content to SharePoint Online. Migration Manager is a newer, agent-based tool for file shares that uses an agent installed on the source server. For MS-900, you only need to know SPMT as the primary SharePoint migration tool. Migration Manager is more advanced and not heavily tested.
Use the Public Folder Migration wizard in the Exchange Admin Center. This tool migrates public folder content from on-premises Exchange to Exchange Online. For SharePoint, public folders are not a concept; you would migrate individual files using SPMT.
During the initial sync, all existing mail is copied to Exchange Online. After the final sync, any new mail sent to the on-premises server during the sync period is also copied. Once you change the MX record to point to Exchange Online, new mail goes directly to the cloud. Users can access their migrated mail after the cutover is complete.
Yes. SPMT supports migration from SharePoint 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 to SharePoint Online. It can preserve permissions, versions, and metadata. The tool performs an assessment to check compatibility and reports any issues.
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