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IT Services – M365 Self-Migration Pre-Requisites

Get ready and move to Microsoft 365

Follow these seven steps to move yourself to Microsoft 365. Most take a few minutes. Moving your emails (step 6) takes longer, depending on how many you have.

Pre-Migration: Check if you can get into your personal email

During setup you may receive verification emails. Password resets and account checks may also rely on your personal email, and some migration steps may need access to accounts you already have.

  • Sign in to your personal email (for example Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook.com) on your phone or computer.
  • Send yourself a test email and check that it arrives.
  • Forgot the password? Reset it now, before you start moving anything.

First Step: Sort out which emails need to move

Only work emails belong in your new work mailbox. Personal emails stay in your personal account. Look through your personal mailbox now and decide which of these fits you:

  • Used only for work. The whole mailbox can be exported in one go. On Windows this uses Outlook (classic), covered in Steps 5 and 6. On a Mac you’ll drag each folder’s emails across instead.
  • A mix of work and personal. You’ll pick out the work emails and drag just those across.

Create a folder called Work emails in your personal account (in Gmail, folders are called labels) and move your work messages into it. In section 6 you can then drag the emails across from that one folder instead of hunting for them one by one.

Take a quick note of roughly how many emails are in each folder you’ll move. After the move you can compare, to check everything arrived.

Second Step: Install Microsoft Authenticator on your phone

Microsoft recommends Authenticator as the main way to sign in. You’ll use it to approve sign-ins to your new work account, and it may be required to use Microsoft work apps.

Install it now, but don’t add any accounts yet. You’ll add your new work account when you first sign in (Step 4).

Look for: Microsoft Authenticator

Publisher: Microsoft Corporation

Free up space. If your phone is short on storage, remove apps you no longer use. To check, open Settings and search for Storage. On iPhone: Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

Update your phone. If the store says the app isn’t compatible with your phone, update your phone’s software first. Open Settings and search for Software update. On iPhone: Settings > General > Software Update.

Update it to the latest version in the Play Store or App Store. Microsoft now requires the latest version to add an account.

Third Step: Prepare a password idea

You’ll create a new password when you first sign in (Step 4). Thinking of one now saves time and leads to a stronger password.

Your password must

  • Be at least 8 characters long
  • Include at least 1 uppercase letter (A–Z)
  • Include at least 1 number (0–9)
  • Include at least 1 special character, such as ! @ # $ % & *

Avoid

  • Any part of your name, such as your first or last name
  • Family names
  • Birth dates
  • Common words, like password or welcome
  • A password you already use for any other account

Join three or four unrelated words, then add numbers and a symbol. Long and memorable beats short and complicated.

Remember your password idea rather than writing it down. IT Services will never ask you for your password.

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This check runs only on this page. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere. It can’t know your name or family names, so avoid those yourself. IT Services may adjust these rules, and you’ll be told if anything changes.

Fourth Step: Sign in to your new account and set up password reset

Signing in for the first time sets up your password and Authenticator. Do this before you install the apps or move anything: the next steps need your new account.

Do this on a laptop or desktop computer. It’s easier than on a phone.

Your phone with Authenticator installed (section 2), your password idea (section 3), your email address, and the first-time password you were given for your new account.

Login Browser Steps

Everything you need to activate your new account, step by step.

Go to www.office.com
Enter your email address
Enter your first-time password
Create your new password
Connect Authenticator
Approve the test sign-in
Accept the Terms of Use

Choose Yes only on your own computer. On a shared computer, choose No.

Then set up a password reset

Self-service password reset lets you reset a forgotten password yourself, any time, without waiting for IT Services. It takes about two minutes, and you’re already signed in.

  • In the same browser, go to aka.ms/ssprsetup. Sign in with your new account if asked.
  • On the Security info page, check what’s listed. Authenticator should already be there from the steps above.
  • Click + Add sign-in method and add your mobile phone number or your personal email, so you have at least two methods.
  • Enter the code sent to your phone or email to confirm it.

Go to aka.ms/sspr and follow the prompts.

Fifth Step: Install the Microsoft 365 apps on your computer

Now that you’re signed in, install the Microsoft 365 apps from your work account. They include Outlook (classic), which you’ll use to move your emails (Step 6), and OneDrive, where your own work files will live (Step 7). Installing them from your work account sets them up for it from the start.

Use the computer you’ll do the move on. Installing takes several minutes, so plug it in first.

Installing M365 Office Apps

Step by step guide to installing M365 Office Apps

Open Search
Look for Outlook or Outlook (classic)
Check you're in the right Outlook
Install the apps from Microsoft 365
Run the installer
Open Outlook or Outlook (classic) and sign in

Your account or computer may not allow you to install the apps yourself. Raise a request on the Help Center before you start moving.

Follow step 4 on your Mac. Install apps gives you Microsoft 365 for Mac, including Outlook for Mac and OneDrive. Open the downloaded file and follow the prompts, then open Outlook and sign in with your work address. Outlook (classic) is Windows only, so you’ll use Option B in section 6 to move your emails.

Microsoft’s guide: Download and install or reinstall Microsoft 365.

Then check OneDrive is there

OneDrive comes with Windows 10 and 11 and with the Microsoft 365 apps, so it’s usually already there. The OneDrive app adds a OneDrive folder to File Explorer. You’ll copy your work files into it, and it keeps them backed up in Microsoft 365. It’s much better than the web browser for lots of files.

  • Check if you already have it. Click the Search box on the taskbar and type OneDrive. If you see it, go to step 4. On a Mac, look in your Applications folder.
  • Not there? Download it from Microsoft. Go to the official OneDrive download page and click Download. It picks the right version for your computer. On a Mac, you can also get it from the Mac App Store.
  • Run the installer. Open the downloaded file (OneDriveSetup.exe) and wait for it to finish.
  • Sign in later. If OneDrive asks you to sign in now, you can close the window. You’ll sign in with your @yourcompany.com address in Step 7, when you’re ready to copy your files.

That’s fine. Your work account will be added alongside it, with its own separate folder.

Raise a request on the Help Center. In the meantime, you can upload your files in a web browser instead (section 7).

Sixth Step: Move your work emails into your new mailbox

Copy your work emails from your personal account (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com or Hotmail) into your new work mailbox. Choose the option that matches what you have.

Allow time. A few hundred emails take minutes; thousands can take an hour or more. Plug your computer in before you start.

Personal emails that aren’t about work stay in your personal account.

It saves Gmail as an .mbox file, which Outlook can’t open. Use the steps below instead.

Option A: Outlook (classic) on Windows

Step 1: Add both accounts to Outlook (classic)

Open Outlook (classic). You signed in with your work address, username@yourcompany.com, in Step 5. Now add your personal account:

  • Click File, then Add Account. Type your Gmail or Yahoo address and click Connect.
  • A sign-in window opens. Sign in, approve the request on your phone if asked, then click Allow so Outlook can read your mail.
  • Asked for a password and your normal password doesn’t work? You need an app password, and you can only create one once 2-step verification is on. For Gmail, go to myaccount.google.com/apppasswords, type a name such as Outlook, and copy the 16-character code into Outlook. For Yahoo, create one under Account Info, then Account Security. It’s shown only once.
  • Make Outlook download all your email, not just recent messages: click File, Account Settings, Account Settings, select your personal account, click Change, and move the Mail to keep offline slider to All.
  • Wait until the bar at the bottom of Outlook says All folders are up to date. Gmail labels, such as Work emails, appear as folders under your Gmail address.
  • Click File, then Add Account. Type your Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live address and click Connect.
  • Sign in with your personal Microsoft account password and approve the request on your phone if asked.
  • Make Outlook download all your email, not just the last year: click File, Account Settings, then Account Name and Sync Settings, and move the slider to All. Click Next, then Done.
  • Make Outlook download all your email, not just recent messages: click File, Account Settings, Account Settings, select your personal account, click Change, and move the Mail to keep offline slider to All.
  • Wait until the bar at the bottom of Outlook says All folders are up to date.

Step 2: Move your emails

Choose the way that fits your personal mailbox. You worked out which one in Step 1.

Use this only if your personal mailbox has been used just for work. You’ll export the whole mailbox to one file, called an Outlook data file (it ends in .pst), then import that file into your work mailbox. All folders and messages are copied, and your personal account keeps its own copy.

Open the Import/Export Wizard
Choose Export to a file
Choose Outlook Data File (.pst)
Select your whole personal account
Save it in Documents
Skip the password

Drag and drop just the work emails. You pick what to move and leave your personal emails behind

Find both accounts
Open a folder with work emails
Select the emails to move
Drag them into your work inbox

A normal drag moves the emails out of your personal account. Drag with the right mouse button instead and choose Copy when you let go.

Option B: Outlook for Mac, or the new Outlook on Windows

Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com) can’t connect to a personal email account, so use the Outlook app on your computer.

Step 1: Add your personal account

  • Open Outlook. If it asks you to sign in, use your work address, username@yourcompany.com, and approve the sign-in on your phone.
  • Click Outlook in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then Settings, then Accounts.
  • Click + at the bottom of the account list (choose Add an account if asked). Type your personal email address and click Continue.
  • Sign in to your personal account and click Allow so Outlook can read your mail. Click Done.
  • Wait for your personal mailbox to finish downloading. It appears in the folder list below your work account.
  • Open Outlook. If it asks you to sign in, use your work address, username@yourcompany.com, and approve the sign-in on your phone.
  • Click the Settings gear at the top right (or View, then View settings). Then click Accounts, then Email accounts.
  • Click Add account, type your personal email address and click Continue.
  • Sign in to your personal account and click Allow so Outlook can read your mail. Click Done.
  • Wait for your personal mailbox to finish downloading. It appears in the folder list below your work account.

A sign-in window usually opens and asks you to click Allow. If Outlook asks for a password instead and your normal password doesn’t work, create an app password as shown in Option A, step 1, and use that.

Step 2: Drag your work emails across

  • In the folder list, open a folder in your personal account that holds work emails, such as Inbox or the Work emails folder you made in Step 1.
  • Select the emails. Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click to pick individual emails, or press Ctrl+A or Command+A to select every email in the folder.
  • Drag them onto the Inbox of your work account (or another folder you’ve made there). Repeat for each folder that holds work emails.
  • Open the folders in your work mailbox and compare the number of emails with the note you made in Step 1.

Depending on your version of Outlook, dragging may move the emails out of your personal account rather than copy them. Either way, they end up in your work mailbox.

Your work account isn’t set up to allow it yet. Raise a request on the Help Center.

Remove your personal account from Outlook. In Outlook (classic): File, Account Settings, Account Settings, select it, then Remove. In Outlook for Mac: Outlook, Settings, Accounts, select it, then click − at the bottom of the list. In the new Outlook: Settings, Accounts, Email accounts, then Manage next to it and Remove. This doesn’t delete anything from your personal account. If you exported a .pst file, delete it too: it holds a full copy of your emails, so don’t email it or copy it to a USB drive.

Seventh Step: Gather and move your work files

Next, move your work files into Microsoft 365. Knowing where they are, and where each one should go, makes the move quick.

  • Find your work files. Check your Desktop, Documents and Downloads folders, any USB or external drives, and any shared network drives you use.
  • Sort them into two groups:
    Just yours, such as your own drafts and working files. These go to OneDrive.
    Shared with your team, such as team documents, policies and project files. These go to SharePoint
  • Check your migration emails for the SharePoint site or Teams channel your team should use. Not sure where something belongs? Ask your manager before you move it.
  • Delete duplicates and old copies you no longer need. Less to move means a faster move.

Then copy your own files to OneDrive

Use the OneDrive app if you can. It’s quicker for lots of files. If you can’t install the app, use your web browser instead.

  • Sign in to OneDrive. Click the Search box on the taskbar, type OneDrive and open it (you checked for it in Step 5). Sign in with your @yourcompany.com address. A folder called OneDrive followed by your organization’s name appears in File Explorer. On a Mac, open OneDrive from Applications; the folder appears in Finder.
  • Copy your files in. Select the files or folders, right-click and choose Copy. Open the OneDrive folder, right-click an empty space and choose Paste. You can also press Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V (Command+C then Command+V on a Mac).
  • Wait for each file to finish. Check the status icon next to each file. The list below shows what each one means.

Dragging files from your Desktop, Documents or Downloads folders into OneDrive moves them, so they disappear from where they were. Copying keeps your originals in place.

What the OneDrive Status icons mean

Two curved arrows: still uploading. Keep your computer on and connected until it changes.

Green tick (outline or solid): saved in Microsoft 365 and on this computer.

Blue cloud: saved in Microsoft 365. OneDrive downloads it when you open it. This is normal, and the file is safe.

Red circle with a cross: not uploaded yet. Click the OneDrive cloud icon near the clock to see why. If you can’t fix it, raise a request on the Help Center.

  • In your web browser, go to www.office.com and sign in with your @yourcompany.com address if asked.
  • Click the app launcher (the square of dots at the top left), then OneDrive.
  • Check you’re in your work OneDrive. The web address should include -my.sharepoint.com. If it shows onedrive.live.com, you’re in a personal OneDrive: sign out, then sign in with your work address.
  • Click + Add new, then Files upload or Folder upload. (On some screens it’s Upload, then Files or Folder.) Choose what to upload, then click Open or Upload. Folder upload works in Edge or Chrome. In other browsers, create a folder in OneDrive first, then upload your files into it.
  • You can also drag files from File Explorer or Finder onto the OneDrive page. Uploading always copies, so your originals stay where they are.
  • Keep the browser tab open until the upload finishes. The progress shows at the top of the page, and each file appears in the list when it’s done.

Uploading in the browser is slower and stops if you close the tab. For large amounts, ask for help getting the OneDrive app on the Help Center.

Don’t delete anything from your personal mailbox, computer or drives straight after the move. Keep them for at least two weeks, in case you need to recover something.

Homepage

Need help?

Contact IT Services: raise a request on the Help Center.

The step pictures are simplified illustrations. Your screens may look slightly different depending on your device and app version.

Microsoft help: Download Microsoft Authenticator and Download and install Microsoft 365 apps.

For moving: Export emails to a .pst file, Import emails from a .pst file, Export your Outlook.com mailbox, Import Gmail to Outlook, Add an email account to Outlook for Mac, Add an email account to Outlook for Windows, Download OneDrive, Upload files to OneDrive and File storage in Microsoft Teams.

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