Backup, Cloud

How to Mapped/ Migrate Home Drives to OneDrive for Business?

“Hello! I have been assigned the task of migrating mapped network drive data of users to the OneDrive Business account. We have 200+ employees in our organization, it is not possible to move files manually for each of them. We can move to a desktop file using the OneDrive application, but this method cannot migrate home drives to OneDrive for business. Please, provide a solution to solve this problem. Thanks!!

In almost all the organizations that are using cloud-based email clients, most of the users generally store their files on a local computer or network drive. They have huge piles of data stored on their local server rather than cloud storage. Due to this, they cannot access those files from outside the organization. On the other hand, OneDrive is a centralized location to store documents for compliance and security purposes. It helps to access the files remotely. It also makes the process easier to share the documents between groups to improve collaboration.

But before going to the solution to the frequently asked query “How to migrate home drives to OneDrive for Business”. Let’s find the basic prerequisites to do the same.

Pre-Requisites for the Successful Migration

• Have a proper Office 365 E3 subscription.
• Office 2016 client installations on Windows 10 computers.
• NGSC also known as OneDrive.exe, contains different features such as performance and reliability. 
• Home drives should be on the file server.
• Manage all folders in home drives.

Validate Home Drive Data

The OneDrive for businesses has some limitations in synchronizing files and that:-

• Special characters in the naming convention of files such as i.e. #,? %, and many more.
• Particular strings of character in the name of the file.
• Particular strings are present in the name of the folders.
• The limit of file size is 15 GB.
• More than maximum characters for name and path of files.

Also Read: How to Backup External hard drive to OneDrive for Business?

We have found two solutions for solving your problem. You can go with anyone which suits you the best.

1. Transfer Mapped Network Drive Data to OneDrive Using PowerShell
2. Professional Solution to Migrate Home Drives to OneDrive for Business

Let’s get into the detailed steps for both methods.

Method #1: Move Home Drive to OneDrive for Business Using PowerShell Command

Before starting with the migration task using the PowerShell command, you need to take care of the following things:

Review Admin Settings of OneDrive

To start the manual process of migrating home drives to OneDrive for Business. The reviewing of admin settings is necessary. In which, the user can control the settings such as sharing external content with the organization, and synchronization the connected computers with non-domain. Before proceeding with the process, it is necessary to validate the settings for the expected results.

Configuration of Group Policy Settings

For the configuration of group policy, there is a need for a Group policy template. It is available on Microsoft or %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\BuildNumber\adm\. The objectives of Group policy settings are:- 

1. I am creating an environment variable for the OneDrive sync location.
2. Create a new folder with the Group policy preference.
3. Apply the new folder redirection policy for routing documents to the OneDrive Sync location.

To prevent the users from changing the OneDrive location, it is required to find the Office 365 tenant ID. Firstly connect with the Azure using Connect-AzureAD and then run Get-AzureADTenantDetail.

After extracting the tenant ID. Now configure the GPO, add one more tenant, and set the value to 1. Here we have provided a higher priority to OneDrive GPO rather than folder redirection. Also, make sure to delegate the “Read” permissions for the GPO to authenticate users. Handle the conflicts manually that can be occurred because of the user’s mistake such as overwriting existing data. 

Start Syncing OneDrive for Business

After the GPO has been applied, the users sign in to OneDrive. The syncing process starts. In environments that do not have the SCCM to trigger the sync process. There is a need to do with the email with the complete information. As the OneDrive opens, users can enter the required credentials and complete the process.

Tracking the Final Process

Keep an eye on your network to ensure its performance. You can monitor the OneDrive usage reports from the Office 365 admin portal. Another way to get the report using PowerShell commands includes:-

-> Connect-SPOService -Url https://exchangeserverpro-admin.sharepoint.com

-> Connect-MsolService

-> $urlbase = “https://exchangeserverpro-my.sharepoint.com/personal/”

-> $users = Get-MsolUser -All | Where {$_.IsLicensed -eq $true}

-> $odusage = $users | Foreach-Object {Get-SPOSite ($($urlbase)+$($_.UserPrincipalName.Replace(“.”,”_”))).Replace(“@”,”_”) | Select Owner,StorageUsageCurrent}

-> $odusage

After this, all the data from the home drive will be synced with the OneDrive Business account. But as you can see the method to complex to operate on. Additionally, after connecting home drives with OneDrive there will be a huge spike in the network traffic which could slow down the other works. Let’s move to another method to move home drive to OneDrive for business.

Method #2: Professional Solution to Migrate Home Drives to OneDrive for Business

There are many organization that finds methods difficult in using PowerShell commands as a single mistake can waste a lot of time. In case you don’t want to trouble yourself then we recommended to use a professional tool like PCVITA PC to Cloud backup tool. This automated tool is desired to upload files to OneDrive from PC as well as mapped network drives into OneDrive accounts. Additionally, the tool provides a user-friendly interface and multiple filter options to migrate only selective data from the home drive.

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Comparative Features of Automated Tools

1. Doesn’t require PowerShell commands knowledge
2. User-friendly interface for easy and quick migration
3. Folder, File Type, File Size, and Date filters for selective data migration
4. Increment migration features to skip already transferred data
5. Option to migrate mapped network drive data
6. Maintains integrity and folder hierarchy during the process.

Migrate Home Drives to OneDrive for Business Step-By-Step

Step 1. Download and launch the software and run it as an administrator.

Step 2. Now, enter the credentials of your OneDrive account and click on the Connect button.

Step 3. Choose the folders from your file system to upload to OneDrive storage space.

Step 4. Next, choose the destination folder or create a new folder in OneDrive to save your files.

Step 5. Hit the Start button to begin the process of transferring files from the PC to OneDrive.

Concluding Words

In this blog, we have provided two solutions for commonly asked queries “How to migrate home drives to OneDrive for business”. You can either use a PowerShell command or a professional tool for the migration task. As we have explained, above the PowerShell commands require high technical knowledge and patience and need to perform the same approach for all users. Whereas, professional tools migrate mapped network drives as well as desktop files to OneDrive business accounts. Depending upon the requirements and expertise you can select the method you like.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How to move home drive to OneDrive for Business?

Ans – To move all files and folders to OneDrive from the home drive, you just need to set up a group policy and then sync the files.

Q2. How to find the Office 365 tenant ID for syncing the H Drive with the OneDrive for Business?

Ans – To do so you need to execute the below commands:-

• Connect-AzureAD and then run
• Get-AzureADTenantDetail.