Your Guide to a Smooth Google Workspace to Workspace Migration
- Joe Tierney
- Jul 15
- 4 min read
Your business is growing. Maybe you've recently acquired another company or are restructuring your departments. Now, you're managing two separate Google Workspace accounts, and you need to combine them into one. Moving all that email data from one Workspace to another can seem like a major project, but Google provides a specific tool to get it done correctly.
This guide breaks down the official process for a Google Workspace to Workspace migration. We will walk through the steps in plain language, so you can feel confident managing your data transfer from start to finish.
Understanding the Google Workspace to Workspace Migration Process
When you migrate email from one Google Workspace account (the source) to another (the target), you are essentially copying data. The goal is to move emails from user mailboxes in the old account to corresponding mailboxes in the new one. Google's data migration service is designed for this specific task.
To do this, a super administrator—an account with the highest level of permissions—must manage the process. This ensures the security and integrity of your company's data.
Step 1: Authorize the Connection Between Workspace to Workspace Migration Accounts
Before any data can move, you must create a secure, authorized link between your old and new Google Workspace accounts.
Sign in to the Google Admin console of your target account (the one you are moving data to).
Navigate to the data migration service (Menu > Data import & export > Data Migration (New)).
You will be asked to provide the email address of a super administrator from your source account (the one you are moving data from).
Click Request authorization.
This sends an authorization email to the source account's admin. They must click the link in that email and approve the connection within 24 hours. This action gives the migration tool permission to access the necessary data.
Step 2: Create a User Map
You need to tell the migration tool exactly where to put the data. You do this with a "migration map," which is a simple CSV file (a type of spreadsheet).
This file has two columns:
Source GUser: The user's email address in the old account.
Target GUser: The user's email address in the new account.
Example:
Source GUser | Target GUser |
You create this file and upload it to the data migration service. This map acts as the instructions, ensuring Tom's old emails go directly to Tom's new mailbox. The system currently supports mapping up to 1,000 users in a single migration file.
Step 3: Choose Your Migration Settings
Next, you define the rules for your migration. This gives you control over exactly what data gets moved.
Setting | What It Does | Why You'd Use It |
Start Date | Migrates only emails received after this date. | Useful for avoiding the transfer of very old, irrelevant emails and speeding up the process. |
Migrate deleted emails | Includes emails that users moved to their Trash folder. | Use this for compliance or if you need a complete record of all communications, even deleted ones. |
Migrate spam emails | Includes emails in the Spam folder. | Generally not recommended, but may be necessary for specific legal or archival requirements. |
Exclude specific labels | Prevents emails with certain labels from being moved. | Perfect for letting users keep personal labels or excluding project-specific emails that are no longer needed. |
Once you've made your selections, click Save.
Step 4: Start the Migration and Monitor Progress
With the authorization, user map, and settings in place, you are ready to begin.
Click Start migration.
The system will begin copying the data. The dashboard will provide real-time updates on the progress, showing you key numbers:
Users processed: How many user mailboxes are complete.
Emails migrated: The total number of emails successfully moved.
Failed or Skipped: The number of items that could not be moved due to an error or because they were filtered by your settings.
Step 5: Finalizing the Migration
Even after the main migration is "complete," a few final tasks remain.
Run a Delta Migration: What about emails that arrived during the migration process? A delta migration is a quick follow-up scan that finds and moves any new data that has been added to the source account since the first transfer started. This ensures nothing gets left behind.
Exit the Migration: Once you are certain all data has been transferred, you can formally Exit migration. This is an important final step. It cleans up the connection between the accounts and removes the migration from your dashboard, allowing you to start a new one in the future if needed. Before you exit, be sure to download any final reports for your records, as this data will be deleted.
Contact Us to Talk about Data Migration
Gmail is the #1 email used worldwide
Moving your company's email data is a critical task. While Google's tool provides a clear path, unique business setups can present challenges. If you want to ensure your Google Workspace to Workspace migration is seamless, or if you have questions about the process, the experts at LeewardCloud are here to help.
Contact us for a free consultation. We can help you plan and execute your migration, so you can focus on running your business.
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