{"id":3650,"date":"2025-06-08T08:25:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T08:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/?p=3650"},"modified":"2025-06-09T12:50:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T12:50:37","slug":"sharepoint-online-migration-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/sharepoint-online-migration-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"SharePoint Online Migration Checklist: What I Learned &#038; What You Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"248\" data-end=\"555\">Migrating to SharePoint Online has become a necessity for modern organizations like yours and mine. I\u2019ve helped organizations of all sizes migrate to SharePoint, and I know how frustrating it can be without the right SharePoint Online migration checklist. That\u2019s exactly why I\u2019m sharing these <strong data-start=\"720\" data-end=\"770\">step-by-step SharePoint migration best practices<\/strong>\u00a0and my <strong data-start=\"810\" data-end=\"834\">personal experiences<\/strong>, to help you ensure an effortless and error-free transition.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"882\" data-end=\"933\">Let\u2019s get started with why proper planning matters.<\/p>\n<h2>Why You Need a SharePoint Migration Project Plan?<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"990\" data-end=\"1200\">I can tell you from firsthand experience, without a clear plan, <strong><a class=\"in-cell-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/sharepoint-tenant-to-tenant-migration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SharePoint Tenant to Tenant migration<\/a><\/strong> lead to <strong data-start=\"1080\" data-end=\"1092\">downtime<\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"1094\" data-end=\"1110\">missing data<\/strong>, and frustrated teams. But with a solid plan like the one I\u2019m sharing here, you can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"1204\" data-end=\"1237\">Reduce disruptions and errors<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1240\" data-end=\"1273\">Ensure accurate data transfer<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1276\" data-end=\"1322\">Map data properly and maintain permissions<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1325\" data-end=\"1364\">Complete migration within deadlines<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1367\" data-end=\"1419\">Achieve 100% success<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to <strong>Microsoft\u2019s official<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adoption.microsoft.com\/en-us\/sharepoint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">SharePoint adoption guide<\/a><\/strong>, proper planning reduces migration risks significantly.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"1\">SharePoint Online Migration Checklist &#8211; 6 Key Phases<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After years of working with SharePoint migrations, I\u2019ve developed this <strong data-start=\"1665\" data-end=\"1714\">6-phase SharePoint migration project plan<\/strong>.\u00a0By following this checklist, any user can <span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><strong><a class=\"in-cell-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/move-items-from-one-sharepoint-list-to-another\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">migrate SharePoint list to another site<\/a> <\/strong>simultaneously<\/span>. Below are the most significant phases for a successful SharePoint migration best practices, i.e.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#2\"><strong>1. Gather All Data<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3\"><strong>2. Data Cleaning<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#4\"><strong>3. New SharePoint Environment Preparation<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#5\"><strong>4. Inform Affected Users<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#6\">Mistakes I Almost Made (So You Don\u2019t Have To)<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#7\"><strong>5. Choose Migration Tool<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#8\"><strong>6. Post-Migration Checklist<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"2\">Phase 1. Note Down the Data Points of Your SharePoint Environment<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apart from sites, SharePoint is host to many other data types. So, before a migration, a proper list must be made to avoid last-minute confusion. A SharePoint inventory consists of, but is not limited to, the following items.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SharePoint Farm Server Topology<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All Web Applications<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sites and the Site Collections they belong to<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both Regular and Large lists (including email-enabled ones) and Libraries<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Individual Pages (Login, profile, etc)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Custom Master Pages, Page Layouts, and Solutions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Workflows<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content Types<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Site Columns<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Permissions are applied at the user or group level.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User Alerts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retention Policies<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Records<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Users and Groups used<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">External URL Dependent Files<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blocked File Types<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Branding<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any other UI customizations (JavaScript, altered menus, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">InfoPath Forms<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Information Rights Management<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customization is at the very core of SharePoint, so it\u2019s not surprising that many items on this list may not be in your scenario. Additionally, the opposite can be true, too, where some other data items might be within your environment that we have missed out on. In the end, IT administrators who are given the task of managing the migration must take special care so as not to miss out on any data items.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"3\">Phase 2. Tidy Up the Accumulated Data for Smooth Migration<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">O<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ne of the most prominent reasons to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/copy-document-library-from-one-site-to-another\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">copy document library to another SharePoint Site<\/a><\/strong> or move the entire SharePoint site is when the source gets too cluttered to function appropriately. This diminishes productivity while bringing in a whole lot of issues like slower load times, malfunctioning sites, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, it is the duty of the migration manager to ensure that these limitations stay at their source and don\u2019t get passed on to the new environment. A simple way to limit this risk is to perform a clean-up operation on all the gathered data. That is why we feature this task as a separate section in this SharePoint Online migration checklist, and you should too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Exclude Some Unnecessary Data\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invalid and Orphan Users<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dysfunctional SharePoint Groups, Lists, and Libraries<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ineffective versions that are present in the version history portal<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Old and Unused Content, Sites, and Workflows<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Junk files that are present in the recycle bin<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Important Points While Cleaning Data<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make cleaning an individual responsibility. There are many cases where a person deletes a file belonging to someone else, not knowing that it has some critical data. If users are in charge of their stuff, this is less likely to occur.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, administrators can speed up the process by combining the sites into collections where similar redundant data can be scraped all at once instead of the time-consuming alternative.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 id=\"4\">Phase 3. Preparation for Your New SharePoint Environment<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">o amount of data cleaning is sufficient if we don\u2019t have a place to put it. That is why the endpoint itself must be ready to receive a large amount of data. Moreover, during endpoint creation, there is a list of things to keep in mind. Don\u2019t worry; you need not go anywhere else, as we provide them right here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Essentials to Setup for a New SharePoint Environment<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most important phases of the SharePoint Online migration checklist is setting up the new cloud environment. Let\u2019s see how.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Form the new environment\u2019s architecture to match the source.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Build and set SharePoint hub site(s) settings likewise<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimize the performance of new SharePoint Servers during installation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set up all Web Apps one by one, and be sure to follow all authentication and authorization rules<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/how-to-backup-sharepoint-365\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">backup SharePoint 365<\/a><\/strong> or SharePoint Online<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Test the restore mechanism<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If needed, set SharePoint up to get user profiles from any specific sources<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Map a plan for the metadata on your content<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Update your metadata; bulk additions or edits to metadata<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimize the mapping of templates, columns, or users<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examine your customizations and, if necessary, transform them to work in the new destination site.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create a systematic watchlist according to these guidelines:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Establish a hierarchy of various duties and responsibilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sort your organizational data according to a time (utility has an inbuilt setting for this).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change the settings for guest and external access (Pause this option temporarily)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Map access rights and collect metadata of users and groups\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"5\">Phase 4. Inform SharePoint Users of the New Environment<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">End users are the ones who bear the brunt of the errors or enjoy the benefits of successful changes. To make sure that the latter remains the case, administrators must put in extra effort to train the users. This re-education is compulsory for all organizations that have a migration on their horizon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why involving users early in the process is a critical part of any SharePoint Online migration checklist. So, users must be trained about the new environment. The changes and new features should be explained clearly to make sure everything is clear. Additionally, users should also be made aware of the timeline of the changes within the SharePoint environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Users who are part of the migration get to see the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Major and minor URL updates<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improvements to the SharePoint Sync Policy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bookmarks Updates<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Referenced Documents Location<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We urge the administrators to pay close attention now because we are about to inform them about the most important SharePoint migration project plan item.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 id=\"6\">Mistakes I Almost Made (So You Don\u2019t Have To)<\/h4>\n<p data-start=\"220\" data-end=\"362\">Even with careful planning, I\u2019ve learned a few lessons during the transition. Here are the <strong data-start=\"302\" data-end=\"332\">top mistakes I almost made<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"366\" data-end=\"525\"><strong>Forget to <a class=\"in-cell-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/check-storage-space-in-sharepoint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">check storage space in SharePoint Online<\/a>:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t check the destination\u2019s storage limits, and my migration paused halfway.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong data-start=\"673\" data-end=\"705\">Overlooking External Access: <\/strong>I once forgot to enable external sharing, blocking partner access after migration. From that day, I always review external sharing settings before and after the migration.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong data-start=\"529\" data-end=\"557\">Skipping Metadata Tests: <\/strong>Once, I assumed metadata like dates and authors would transfer. It didn\u2019t, and I wasted enough time. So, always test a small batch first.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong data-start=\"986\" data-end=\"1035\">Notify Users About URL Changes: <\/strong>I forgot to notify my users that the SharePoint URL has changed. The result they couldn\u2019t find their files.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To avoid these mistakes, I used a professional migration tool to handle the job properly. Let me show you how.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"7\">Phase 5. Choose the Microsoft Professional\u2019s Suggested Migration Method<\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As industry veterans, we recognize the importance of the migration operation for users. As a result, we have come up with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/products\/sharepoint-to-sharepoint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>MVP\u2019s Advised SharePoint Migration Tool<\/strong><\/a> to add it to the SharePoint Online migration checklist. This tool is intelligently designed to adjust according to the scenario and fulfil all migration requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-center mr-2\"><a class=\"btn btn-lg btn-md-block text-white\" style=\"background: #28a745; color: #fff !important;\" href=\"https:\/\/systoolskart.com\/download\/SYS1S6P6O\/29\" rel=\"nofollow\"> Download Now<\/a> <a class=\"btn btn-lg btn-md-block text-white\" style=\"background: #ff6800; color: #fff !important;\" href=\"https:\/\/systoolskart.com\/buy\/SYS1S6P6O\/29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Purchase Now<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It redefines industry standards with its unique and simple UI with different filters to bring the best-in-class results. Download the tool from the link below and follow these quick steps to shift all SharePoint data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Step 1. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launch the tool to pick<\/span><b> Office 365<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as both the <\/span><b>Source <\/b>&amp;<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><b>Target<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3637\" src=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/main-screen.webp\" alt=\"Select Office 365\" width=\"800\" height=\"426\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Step 2.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Go to the <\/span><b>Workload<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> area to select only <\/span><b>Sites,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> then apply the <\/span><b>Date Filter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3635\" src=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/date-filter.webp\" alt=\"Select Sites and Apply Date Filter\" width=\"800\" height=\"426\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Step 3.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Conduct <\/span><b>Validation <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for both Source and Target using admin-level <\/span><b>credentials<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3636\" src=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/destination-o365-validated.webp\" alt=\"Validate Source and Target\" width=\"800\" height=\"426\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Step 4. Map<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> users via <\/span><b>Fetch, Import, Download<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and redo the same for SharePoint Sites.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3638 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/resources-window.webp\" alt=\"Map Users and Sites\" width=\"800\" height=\"426\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Step 5. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make <\/span><b>Sections<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, apply <\/span><b>Priority<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Validate<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and then initiate by hitting the <\/span><b>Start Migration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> button.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3639\" src=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/start-migration.webp\" alt=\"Start SharePoint Tenant to Tenant Migration\" width=\"800\" height=\"426\" \/><\/p>\n<h4 id=\"8\">Phase 6. Post SharePoint Online Migration Checklist for IT Admins<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follow the steps below for SharePoint migration testing.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use the feedback mechanism of the utility for any error reporting and resolve it accordingly.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pick a select few users who have relevant experience and assign them various Site domains for testing purposes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure that in the testing phase, no unnecessary changes are made. To do this keep the Site in read-only mode.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testing should include both white box and black box scenarios for all workflows with their complementary storage areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In case the testing team finds missing data, this issue can be resolved via the Retry Failed feature of the utility itself.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For site-level errors, IT admins can apply the command \u201cRepair-SPSite\u201d and then check the service again.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Functionality-breaking issues that affect multiple sites might need remigration; this can be achieved via the re-run full migration function of the utility.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once all tests are done and any major\/ minor errors are resolved, it is safe to permanently take down the source SharePoint site.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 id=\"8\">Author&#8217;s Verdict!<\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through this tutorial, I aim to give expert guidance on the SharePoint Online migration checklist. I hope that the explanation provided here was enough for the admins who have a migration project coming up. Finally, we would like to highlight the fact that most problems during migration arise from choosing an inferior method. To counter the upcoming challenges, you should go for the utility mentioned above and follow the explained SharePoint migration project plan for minimal disruptions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>People Also Ask<\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong data-start=\"7129\" data-end=\"7184\">Q1. What\u2019s the biggest mistake in SharePoint migration?<\/strong><br data-start=\"7184\" data-end=\"7187\" \/>In my experience, it\u2019s skipping data cleanup and testing. Always budget extra time for both.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong data-start=\"1270\" data-end=\"1332\">Q2. Do I need to inform users before migrating SharePoint?<\/strong><br data-start=\"1332\" data-end=\"1335\" \/>Yes. I always make it a priority to <strong data-start=\"1378\" data-end=\"1450\">notify users about URL changes, new features, and document locations<\/strong> before starting the migration, to avoid confusion.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Q3. What is the best way to clean up SharePoint before migration?<\/strong><br data-start=\"1466\" data-end=\"1469\" \/>In my approach, I always <strong data-start=\"1494\" data-end=\"1561\">remove orphaned users, outdated files, and unnecessary versions<\/strong> to reduce clutter and speed up the migration.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4. Is SharePoint migration difficult?<\/strong><br data-start=\"1249\" data-end=\"1252\" \/>It can be, but when I follow the <strong data-start=\"1286\" data-end=\"1327\">SharePoint Online migration checklist<\/strong> step-by-step, it makes even complicated migrations a lot easier.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Migrating to SharePoint Online has become a necessity for modern organizations like yours and mine. I\u2019ve helped organizations of all sizes migrate to SharePoint, and I know how frustrating it <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[360],"class_list":["post-3650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sharepoint-online"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SharePoint Online Migration Checklist: Step-by-Step Plan [2025]<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SharePoint Online Migration Checklist covering real-world strategies, personal mistakes I almost made, and a professional tool for hassle-free migration.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/sharepoint-online-migration-checklist\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"siddharth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systools.in\\\/blog\\\/sharepoint-online-migration-checklist\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systools.in\\\/blog\\\/sharepoint-online-migration-checklist\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"siddharth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systools.in\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a719240fe0eff759b37c012b65b0f138\"},\"headline\":\"SharePoint Online Migration Checklist: What I Learned &#038; 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