Directly Migrate Office 365 to Zoho Mail – Expert Guide

Migrating emails isn’t simply a matter of moving mailboxes; it is a matter of maintaining business continuity. Several organizations use Microsoft Office 365 in their work. At some point, they consider to migrate Office 365 to Zoho Mail for more cost-efficient solutions, better integration with Zoho Workplace, or compliance with data governance. This guide breaks down the manual and professional Office 365 Backup Tool to help you migrate emails securely and confidently, while also ensuring a compliant and easy transition.

Why Transfer Emails from Office 365 to Zoho Mail?

While Microsoft 365 does provide a robust ecosystem, Zoho Mail also appeals well to IT teams/enterprises for the following reasons:

  • Less expensive subscriptions and licensing than Microsoft 365.
  • Regional data centers offered by Zoho for compliance-driven industries.
  • Unified and consistent productivity and integration with Zoho CRM, Projects, and Docs.
  • Easier controls and administration in the cloud, with less management overhead.
  • User-friendly experience with customizable options and a commitment to data privacy.

For instance, one SME had around 250 mailboxes. They decided to switch to Zoho Mail and saved appx. 40% on their entire subscription fee, while still providing enterprise-grade email and richer CRM integrations.

How to Directly Migrate Office 365 to Zoho Mail?

Migration to Zoho Mail doesn’t have to be complex if you know the appropriate methods. Mentioned here is a commonly preferred manual method, and another is a trusted and verified professional tool for all kinds of users. Go through their descriptive guide to understand the process for an effective migration.

Cost-Free Office 365 to Zoho Migration

Zoho Mail directly supports IMAP-based migration for importing data from Office 365. Here are the steps to follow, but first, check the pre-requirements for a smooth process.

Migration Prerequisites:

  • Enable IMAP for all your Office 365 user accounts to migrate.
  • Verify the admin credentials and permissions for the migration.
  • Generate user accounts in Zoho Mail based on O365 mailboxes.
  • Temporarily disable Exchange Web Services (EWS) throttling in Zoho.

Steps to Migrate Office 365 to Zoho Mail

  1. Log in as admin in the Zoho Mail Admin Console and click Data Migration from the left.
  2. Then, press + Create and choose Microsoft 365 as the protocol and press Sign In.
  3. It will redirect you to the Microsoft login and permission access page. Press Allow.
  4. After that, input the server details for your Office 365 connection and migration.
  5. Further, choose the mailboxes and data to migrate from the Office 365 account.
  6. Name your migration and press Add to move ahead. Later, choose the maximum connection limit.
  7. In the end, press Create to start the process to migrate Microsoft 365 to Zoho Mail.
  8. Wait until the process completes and check the progress in the Migration dashboard of Zoho.

Additional Migration Details:

There are two different ways to add Office 365 user mailboxes to Zoho for the migration:

A. Manual Mapping
  1. In this, from Migration, go to Users and press Add.
  2. Then, enter the source (Office 365) and destination (Zoho Mail) account emails.
  3. Further, choose your priority and mailbox type (User, Shared, Online Archive). Say, Migrate Public Folder to Shared Mailbox
  4. Lastly, tap Add to configure and migrate Office 365 to Zoho Mail.
B. CSV Import
  1. First, create a CSV with the fields (Email Address, Password, Mailbox).
  2. Next, under Migration >> Users, press Import and then Browse Files.
  3. Locate your CSV and load it. Tap Import to begin.

Note: An alternative to this method is an indirect approach, which requires two steps:

Shortcomings of the Manual Method:

  • Large mailboxes often result in partial transfers or timeouts.
  • Need for complete manual effort and technical expertise.
  • Chances for data loss and corruption due to network interference.
  • For calendar migration, the domain names for Zoho and Office 365 need to be the same.

Since it’s so tricky to migrate manually, let’s get a more easy, secure, reliable, and effortless solution.

Hassle-Free Transfer Emails from Office 365 to Zoho Mail

Enterprises handling a very large volume of multiple Office 365 mailboxes or accounts must use the SysInfo Office 365 Backup Tool. It has a zero-downtime strategy, maintains no database, provides batch support, and works remotely on your desktop. The whole process is compliant as per the Privacy Policy, and even authentication takes place directly from the Microsoft login, ensuring full security.

Steps to Migrate Office 365 to Zoho Mail

  1. Start the Office 365 Backup and Restore Tool and click Backup.
  2. Then, enter your email address for Office 365 and click Sign In.
  3. Further, pick your User ID and Mailbox to import from and tap Next.
  4. Now, select the specific folders you require from the tree view and hit Next.
  5. Further, opt for IMAP from the listed saving options and enter Zoho Mail.
  6. Complete the Sign In and apply the filters required. Finally, click Convert.

Common Office 365 to Zoho Migration Issues & Fixes

  • Authentication issue: Typically associated with MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication). Utilize an App password or Admin permission.
  • Folder name mismatch: Standardize folder naming in Office 365 with the filter prior to conducting a migration to Zoho.
  • Attachment Management: Use the Backup Tool to guarantee full recovery of attachments as required.

These issues concern users much and hence, the software satisfies all these without much trouble. Additionally, it gives other key features for efficient migration.

Benefits of the Office 365 Migrator Tool

  • Transfer emails, contacts, calendars, and tasks directly from Office 365 to Zoho.
  • Batch operation for large or multiple mail migrations (with support for delegation).
  • Preserve metadata such as read/unread, timestamp, and folder structure.
  • All migrations occur locally with no third-party cloud storage access.
  • Provides a Demo version to conduct software evaluation and analyze features.

Successful Example:

“An IT consulting company migrated 800 mailboxes for a client with the dedicated Office 365 Backup Software, completing the migration in a few hours with 0% data loss and preserving folders. Something that could not have happened with manual IMAP!”

Conclusion

Migrate Office 365 to Zoho Mail is a move that will cut costs, simplify workflows, and enhance compliance. IMAP migration can handle small-sized organizations, but businesses should use a professional migration tool to account for accuracy, security, and scale. If IT teams are working to migrate critical workloads, the fastest and safest way to migrate is to contact a migration expert to plan with your goals and objectives.

FAQs

Q. How secure will the migration process be?

Ans- Automated Office 365 Migrator Tool runs email account level locally, thus the data never leaves your environment. Also, since direct authentication takes place from Microsoft login so no credentials are stored in general.

Q. Can I migrate Microsoft 365 to Zoho Mail selectively?

Ans- Yes, the Zoho Admin Console will filter by the specific date range or folder, but the hierarchy may not be retained. So, use the Office 365 to Zoho Migration Tool and migrate selectively without any compromises.

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About The Author:

Suman Rawat is a technical content writer and expert in the fields of email migration, data recovery, and email backup. Her passion for helping people has led her to resolve many user queries related to data conversion and cloud backup.

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