SharePoint Migration Checklist (Before, During and After)

A good SharePoint migration checklist fits on one screen: inventory and clean the source, design the target, plan permissions, fix names and paths, then pilot, cut over and validate. Most failed moves I’ve cleaned up skipped one of those boxes, not the tool.

In this tutorial, we’ll go through the sharepoint migration checklist I use, before, during and after the move, with one or two lines on why each item matters and what Microsoft documents for it.

Here’s the whole list. Copy it into your project plan:

BEFORE
[ ] Inventory every source: owner, size, item count, target
[ ] Clean up: delete duplicates, archive stale content
[ ] Decide what goes to OneDrive vs SharePoint
[ ] Design sites and libraries; metadata vs folders
[ ] Plan permissions with SharePoint groups
[ ] Fix names, blocked files and paths over 400 characters
[ ] Run a scan-only pass and read the report
[ ] Check the migration PC and network
[ ] Tell users what changes and when

DURING
[ ] Pilot a small set of folders and users
[ ] Run the main migration in incremental passes
[ ] Cut over: make the source read-only, run a final pass

AFTER
[ ] Validate counts, permissions, metadata and links
[ ] Read the reports and logs, re-run failures
[ ] Support users, then decommission the source

Each line is explained below. The limits and SPMT settings come from Microsoft Learn; the run times come from my own test runs in the SPGuides tenant.

Before the migration: inventory, cleanup and design

Most of the work happens here. If you’re new to the platform, skim the SharePoint tutorials hub first so the target terms (sites, libraries, groups) are familiar.

1. Inventory every source

List each file share, SharePoint Server site or library with its owner, size, item count and planned target. This sheet becomes your migration schedule and your validation baseline later.

Don’t skip the owner column. You’ll need a named person to approve the cleanup and to sign off after the move.

2. Clean up before you copy

Microsoft’s file share guide asks you to decide what’s redundant, out of date or still relevant. Delete duplicates and archive stale project folders; every file you don’t migrate is one less to scan, copy and validate.

SPMT can help too: Migrate files modified after and Don’t migrate files with these extensions filter content at copy time.

3. Decide what goes to OneDrive and what goes to SharePoint

Files one person owns belong in that person’s OneDrive; team files belong in a shared library. If people argue about it, use this guide on when to use OneDrive vs SharePoint.

4. Design sites, libraries, and metadata vs folders

Map each source to a site and library before migration day. Pick the right site type: communication or team site, and decide whether departments become hub sites instead of subsites.

Deep folder trees are the usual file share habit. Flatten them where you can and add metadata columns for things like department or year; this SharePoint folder structure guide shows where folders still make sense.

If the target library doesn’t exist yet, create the document library in SharePoint Online and set up its columns first.

5. Plan permissions with groups

SPMT maps file share rights to SharePoint roles, and the most restrictive share or NTFS level wins:

Windows file share permission	SharePoint role after migration
Full control	Full control
Modify	Contribute
Write	Contribute
Read and execute / List folder contents / Read	Read

Advanced NTFS permissions are removed and explicit deny entries aren’t migrated, so content can become visible to more people. Rather than copying old ACLs, many teams start clean with site groups, following SharePoint permissions best practices.

Microsoft supports 50,000 unique permissions per list or library but recommends staying at 5,000. Folder-by-folder rights from an old server can hit that faster than you’d expect.

6. Run a scan-only pass

Turn on Only perform scanning in SPMT to get the assessment report without copying anything. In my SPMT 4.3.130.12 tests, the Review settings screen opened with scanning Off, Preserve file share permissions Off and Automatic user mapping On:

Switch the first toggle on for the assessment run, and decide the permissions toggle now, not on migration day.

7. Check the migration PC and network

SPMT needs Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 or later with .NET Framework 4.6.2 or later. Microsoft recommends a 64-bit quad-core CPU, 16 GB of RAM and an SSD with 150 GB free; the minimum is 8 GB RAM.

The 150 GB is for the working folder, by default %appdata%\Microsoft\MigrationTool. Also make sure your proxy and firewall allow the SharePoint and Azure endpoints SPMT lists.

8. Tell users early

Microsoft’s guide says to communicate early and often, not at the end. Send a first note with the timeline, a reminder a week before cutover and a final “here’s your new location” email.

Train the helpdesk before cutover too. They’ll get the “where did my folder go?” calls on day one.

What limits should you check before migrating?

These are the limits that block files on real file servers. Run them against your scan report:

Check	What Microsoft documents
Path length	The full decoded path, including the file name, can’t exceed 400 characters
Invalid characters	" * : < > ? / \ |, plus leading or trailing spaces
Blocked names	.lock, CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM0-COM9, LPT0-LPT9, desktop.ini, _vti_, names starting with ~$
File size	250 GB per file
Library size	30 million items per library
Unique permissions	50,000 supported, 5,000 recommended per list or library

Long paths usually come from deep folders plus a long site and library URL. Short library names help, and so does splitting one huge share into several focused libraries.

For names, either rename at the source or turn on Replace invalid filename characters. With it off, SPMT skips those files, and a package with more than 100 errors is blocked along with its valid files.

During the migration: pilot, incremental passes and cutover

9. Run a pilot

Pick one small share and a few friendly users. My pilot of a 6-file Policies folder finished 6 of 6 items in about 1 minute; the review screen showed exactly one source and one destination:

Check where things landed. SPMT keeps the source root folder by default, so I got a “SPGuides Policies” folder inside the library; in a CSV with a target subfolder, only the folder’s contents land there.

Use what the pilot teaches you. Fix the folder mapping, adjust settings and update the user email before the big run. The full wizard is in my post How to Use the SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) Step by Step.

10. Run the main migration in batches

With more than a couple of sources, run them as one CSV bulk job. My two-row CSV migrated 10 of 10 items in about 1 minute. How to Migrate File Shares to SharePoint (Bulk CSV with SPMT) covers the file format.

Microsoft recommends incremental migration: copy in the background while people keep working, then re-run to pick up changes. Migration auto re-run can repeat a task up to 5 times. Big batches run faster on evenings and weekends, when throttling is lighter.

Moving from SharePoint Server? Decide on Migrate file version history (Off copies only the latest version) and plan classic workflows separately; my notes on SharePoint Designer workflows and Power Automate replacements cover that.

11. Cut over and make the source read-only

Pick a cutover date, for example Friday 12/04/2026 at 6 PM. Set the source share or site to read-only, run the final incremental pass, then point users to SharePoint.

Microsoft suggests one cutover event for everyone, so nobody keeps editing an old copy. Remember SPMT copies files; it never deletes the source, which is your fallback for now.

After the migration: validate, review logs and decommission

12. Validate counts, permissions and metadata

Compare item counts per task against your inventory sheet. In my bulk run, SPMT showed 6 of 6 for Policies and 4 of 4 for Marketing:

Then open a few folders as a normal user and check site permissions in SharePoint Online. Spot-check modified dates, authors and metadata columns too.

Test links last. SPMT doesn’t convert URLs embedded inside documents, so Excel links and shortcuts pointing to \\server\share paths need fixing by hand.

13. Read the reports and logs

View reports opens a folder with Log and Report subfolders. The File share migrations list shows each run’s status, start time and end time:

Look for skipped and failed items, fix them at the source and re-run only those tasks. Keep the reports with your project notes; auditors and owners will ask.

14. Support users, then decommission the source

Keep the read-only source for an agreed period, say 30 days, while users settle in. Show them the SharePoint Recycle Bin early; it answers half of the “I lost a file” tickets.

When the owners sign off, archive or retire the old server. If records must be kept for a set time, add site retention policies in SharePoint before anyone deletes the source.

The three mistakes I see most: no pilot, no cleanup, and no read-only source at cutover. A full SharePoint Migration Mistakes to Avoid post follows soon.

Once the content is in SharePoint, these guides help you keep it organized and secure:

• 15 SharePoint Document Library Best Practices for Efficient File Management
• SharePoint Document Set vs Folder: Which One Should You Use?
• SharePoint Contribute vs Edit Permissions: Key Differences and Best Uses
• Get SharePoint Folder Permissions Using PnP PowerShell

Frequently Asked Questions