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BUSINESS EMAIL & OFFICE · MIGRATION GUIDE

Switching from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365

Microsoft has first-party tools for this move: Exchange admin center migrates Gmail mail, rules, calendar and contacts, and Migration Manager moves Google Drive files with permissions.

Quick verdict: Buy Microsoft 365 licences and verify your domain, then run a Google Workspace migration batch in the Exchange admin center for mail, rules, calendars and contacts, and use Migration Manager to move Drive files, metadata and permissions to OneDrive and SharePoint. Switch MX records last. Prices are the same tier for tier.

Estimate · your inputs

Switching Cost & Friction Estimator

Most buyers only budget for the new subscription. This estimates the hidden labor, data-cleanup, and retraining cost of actually making the switch.

25,000
10

Estimate assumes: 1 hour of data-mapping/cleaning labor per 2,000 records, a blended $75/hr ops rate, tiered migration & cleaning tooling fees, and 4 hours of retraining per seat at a $45/hr fully-loaded rate.

Estimated Migration Time
Data Friction Rating
Total Hidden Switching Cost $0

    Why teams move from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365

    Desktop Office apps

    Business Standard and Premium include desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

    1 TB per user

    Every Business plan includes 1 TB of OneDrive and a 100 GB mailbox.

    Security bundle

    Business Premium adds Intune, Defender for Business and archiving.

    How the migration actually works

    Map each Google plan to its Microsoft equivalent: Starter to Basic, Standard to Standard, Plus to Premium.

    StepWhat you do
    1Prepare Microsoft 365Buy licences, add and verify your domain, and create users.
    2Migrate mail, calendar and contactsIn the Exchange admin center, create a Google Workspace migration batch (automated, manual or PowerShell); it moves mail and rules, calendars and contacts.
    3Move Drive filesUse Migration Manager to copy Google Drive files, metadata and permissions to OneDrive and SharePoint.
    4Switch your domain’s mail recordsWhen the copy is complete, point your domain’s MX records at the new provider and add its SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Run a final incremental sync afterwards to catch mail that arrived during the change.
    5Convert Google filesDocs, Sheets and Slides convert to Word, Excel and PowerPoint during transfer; check complex formulas and scripts.
    6Retire Google WorkspaceKeep Workspace until the final sync, then export anything left with Google’s data export and cancel.

    What this path doesn’t do for you:

    Apps Script, Google Forms and Gemini Gems have no automatic equivalent. Shared drive structure may need reworking into SharePoint sites.

    Pricing side by side

    PlanGoogle WorkspaceMicrosoft 365
    Entry planBusiness Starter $7/user/mo (annual)Business Basic $7/user/mo (annual)
    Mid planBusiness Standard $14Business Standard $14
    Top Business planBusiness Plus $22Business Premium $22
    Storage30 GB / 2 TB / 5 TB pooled1 TB OneDrive + 100 GB mailbox
    Free planNone (14-day trial)None (one-month trial)

    US list prices checked on each vendor’s pricing page on September 19, 2026, annual billing.

    Feature parity check

    CapabilityGoogle WorkspaceMicrosoft 365
    Import from the other toolData import tool (Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint)Exchange admin center Google migration; Migration Manager for Drive
    Desktop appsNoneStandard and Premium
    AIGemini includedCopilot Chat included; Copilot in apps $21 add-on
    RetentionVault on Business PlusPremium, or add-on
    Meeting size100–500Up to 300
    Verified data

    Security & access: what changes when you switch

    Security, offline and access rules that differ between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Rows where both tools are the same (7) are left out; the full side-by-side is on each tool’s page: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365.

    What changesGoogle Workspace (today)Microsoft 365 (after)
    Other certificationsNot publishedISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27701source
    Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesBusiness StartersourceYesBusiness Basicsource
    Two-factor authenticationYesEnforcement: Business StartersourceYesEnforcement: All Business plans via security defaults; Conditional Access MFA policies need Entra ID P1 (Business Premium)source
    Admin audit logYesBusiness StartersourceYesBusiness Basicsource
    Data residency choicesUS, EUBusiness StandardsourceNot published
    EncryptionAES-256 at rest and in transit for Drive/Docs filessourceBitLocker and per-file encryption at rest; TLS and IPsec in transitsource
    Offline limitsOffline editing needs Chrome or Edge (not private browsing) and the Google Docs Offline extension, set up while online.sourceDesktop Office apps only on Business Standard and Premium; Business Basic has web and mobile apps only. Extended offline activation (up to 180 days) is a Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise feature.Business Standardsource
    IP allowlistingYesEnterprisesourceYesBusiness Premiumsource
    Device & session controlsYesBusiness StarterFundamental endpoint management on all Business editions (remote account sign-out and mobile account wipe, block devices, endpoint verification); Business Plus adds advanced mobile management and remote device wipe; Enterprise adds context-aware access and enterprise endpoint management.sourceYesBusiness PremiumBusiness Premium adds Intune Plan 1 endpoint management, Defender for Business device protection and Windows 11 Pro upgrade; Basic and Standard do not include Intune.source
    Office & room hardwareGoogle sells Google Meet Hardware for meeting rooms as a separate add-on; room booking ('Browse and reserve conference rooms') is on all plans.source
    Editorial assessment

    Before you cut over

    • Set up single sign-on in Microsoft 365 on Business Basic before you invite the team, so accounts are created through your identity provider rather than by hand.

    Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site — it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Does Microsoft migrate Gmail for me?

    Yes. The Exchange admin center’s Google Workspace migration moves mail and rules, calendars and contacts.

    Can I move Google Drive to OneDrive?

    Yes. Microsoft’s Migration Manager moves Google Drive files, metadata and permissions to OneDrive and SharePoint.

    Will it cost more?

    No, not at list price: both charge $7, $14 and $22 a user a month on annual billing.

    How long does an email migration take?

    It depends on mailbox sizes and the number of users; run a pilot with a few mailboxes first and schedule the MX switch for a quiet period.

    Sources

    Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

    Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

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    About the author

    Bill Belcamino

    Founder and author, HelpCompare

    Bill has worked in software and digital marketing for more than 20 years. He spent nine years as an engineer at HP, served as COO scaling a platform past 200,000 users, and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

    “I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

    Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 19, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.