Migrate Exchange Online Public Folders to Microsoft 365 in 2026

Enterprise Benefits of Exchange Online Public Folder Migration

Public folders are great, but modern organizations require a platform that provides collaboration and convenience. The common driving factors for the migration include:

• Moving the contents of the public folders across tenants during M&A, restructuring, etc. 
• Consolidating multiple environments of large enterprises into one account for compliance and easy management. 
• With public folder data migration, organizations can audit data, use security, and implement modern retention policies. 
• Shared content from legacy Public folders will be migrated to Teams and Microsoft Groups with ease. 
• Will help preserve the sensitive and business-critical information for the long run. 
• Centralized administration and control over the data with high security and minimal downtime.

All About Move Exchange Public Folders to Office 365

A typical migration of Exchange Public folders comprises:

• Hierarchy and mail-enabled folders 
• Messages, attachments, and folder permissions
• Contacts, calendars, and threads 

But this becomes difficult to handle when thousands of nested folders and subfolders, multiple business units, and large datasets are involved. This results in complexities and issues. 

Migrate Exchange Online Public Folders to Microsoft 365 Challenges 

The main problem of the migration starts when the following factors are left unattended:

• Years of accumulated public folder data 
• Deeply nested folders with duplicate structures 
• Inconsistent naming and incorrect mapping 
• Validation of the access controls and user permissions 
• Mapped group memberships 
• Duplicate emails, attachments, or folder content 
• Large content volumes with long migration windows 
• Increased bandwidth and extended volume

Prerequisites to Migrate Public Folders to Microsoft 365

Before initiating the migration, it is very necessary to understand and fulfill all the requirements for migration. These are:

• Analyze the size and number of public folders; keep it upto 25 GB
• Choose to migrate all folders at once or implement a structured approach 
• Check the internet bandwidth and network configurations 
• Relocate public folders to the public/shared mailbox on the target account
• Maintain a backup of the public folder and notify users of the downtime
• Update your Exchange server versions and licences 
• The admin account must have the ServerManagement Role on the Exchange
• Allow ApplicationImpersonation permissions to the admin account 
• Complete admin permissions for all public folders to be migrated 
• If you have an Exchange hybrid environment, first save data offline in the EDB file
• Ensure no orphaned or duplicate public folder mail objects are present in Active Directory
• Verify SMTP email addresses for the public folders in Active Directory and Office 365 Exchange match

Free Migrate Exchange Online Public Folders to Microsoft 365

Native migration solutions require technical proficiency for the migration of the entire dataset. The method you can follow is discussed below:

1. First, download Microsoft Exchange Public Folder Migration Scripts. 
2. Prepare the .ps1 files and CSV mapping for source folders and size. 
3. Next, check if any existing Public Folder migration requests are present: Get-MigrationBatch | ?{$_.MigrationType.ToString() -eq “PublicFolder1”}

4. Then, remove failed or previous migration batches and check if the public folder resides:

Remove-MigrationBatch <BatchMailboxName> -Confirm:$false

Get-Mailbox -PublicFolder

Get-PublicFolder -Recurse

5. Further, run the Exchange Management Script from the Shell:

.\Sync-ModernMailPublicFolders.ps1 -CsvSummaryFile:sync_summary.csv

6. Afterward, store the source admin credentials and specify the MRS proxy endpoint: $Source_Credential = Get-Credential PUBLICDOMAIN\PFAdmin

7. Now, retrieve your public folder hierarchy mailbox GUID with: (Get-OrganizationConfig).RootPublicFolderMailboxes.HierarchyMailboxesGuid.GUID

8. Later, from Exchange Admin Center, using PowerShell, run the given New-MigrationBatch command.

9. Temporarily restrict the user access on the source server and proceed to check for active move requests:

Get-MoveRequest

Get-PublicFolderMoveRequest

10. Finally, complete the migration batch and validate your testing with the cmdlet:

Complete-MigrationBatch PublicFolderMigration

Set-Mailboxes -Identity testuser@company.com `

-DefaultPublicFolderMailboxes PFMailbox01

11. Once done, unlock your public folders within M365 using the command:

Set-OrganizationConfig `

-RemotePublicFolderMailboxes $Null `

-PublicFoldersEnabled Local

Shortcomings of the Manual Method 

• Migrate only upto 5 TB of data and 100 Public Folder mailboxes. 
• Microsoft scripts are used instead of PST Exports 
• Time-consuming process with limited visibility 
• Risk of mismatched permissions and duplicacy 
• Too technical and complex for non-tech users 

Note: Another alternative to export Exchange Online public folders to Microsoft 365 is via PST Export. Connect your public folder account to Outlook and extract PST files from it, and later, using Network Upload, transfer them to Office 365. But this method too isn’t suitable for large exports, needs technical expertise, and is risky for critical data.

Migrate Exchange Online Public Folders to Microsoft 365

Organizations and large enterprises managing voluminous data transfers require following a special approach. SysInfo Office 365 Backup and Restore Tool is especially built for such tasks. It simplifies how you access your Online Public Folders with secure modern authentication, no server uploads or credential storage. Everything is processed locally, and the data is accessible in read-only mode, guaranteeing its fidelity and preservation. Moreover, during the migration, it keeps everything intact, including the folder hierarchy, and offers custom filters for specific data handling. 

Streamlined Working for Exchange Online Public Folder Migration

1. Launch the Office 365 Backup and Restore Tool and click Backup. Tap Continue in the next pane. 
2. Then, choose the mode of authentication, enter credentials, and sign in to your account. 
3. Further, pick Public Folder Mailbox from the options, select your User IDs, and click Next. 
4. Expand the tree hierarchy and select the folders that you want to export and tap Next. 
5. Afterward, choose Office 365 from the list, enter your credentials, and sign in to the target account. 
6. Use all the advanced filters available in the panel and click the Next button. 
7. Map your users in the destination selection window and click Next. 
8. Finally, verify the source and destination and click the Backup button to process and finish. 

Why SysInfo to Migrate Public Folders to Microsoft 365?

• No data uploads on the web, safe and consent-oriented 
• Automated access to the Public folder directly 
• Source and destination mapping 
• Incremental migration and direct saving 
• Batch exports, duplicate detection, and selective transfers
• 100% zero data loss and no downtime guarantee

Best Practices to Move Exchange Public Folders to Office 365

• Before migration, ensure evaluating folder counts, hierarchy depth, permissions, and storage.
• Execute a pilot test first with a few files manually or using the Demo Version of the software.
• Compare the source and destination folders migrated in the progress dashboard.
• Keep all the folder permissions documented for a use at the later phase post-migration. 
• Incremental migration helps reduce disruption and minimize downtime. 

Ending Remarks 

Organizations and enterprises ready to migrate Exchange Online Public Folders to Microsoft 365 may find this blog convenient. It addresses not only data transfer, but also how you can preserve your data, what the key challenges and benefits of this migration are, and how you must proceed in the long run. Whether it is folder hierarchy, permissions, mail-enabled objects, or large content repositories, Microsoft’s native migration capabilities work upto an extent. Often, large businesses need professional solutions like SysInfo Office 365 Migration Tool to ensure a successful, hassle-free, scalable, reliable, flawless, and secure data transfer in minimal time with zero loss. You can do so too by opting for the right solution for you.

Frequently Asked Questions