These are the main tools and approaches for migrating OneDrive for Business content into SharePoint Online team sites, with a decision matrix at the end to match the right tool to your scenario.
| Approach | Intra-tenant | Cross-tenant | Version history | Custom metadata | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) | Yes | No | Optional | Partial (pre-map required) | IT admins, single-tenant consolidation |
| Move To / native browser UI | Yes | No | No | No | Ad-hoc moves of a few dozen files |
| PnP PowerShell | Yes | Limited | Yes | Full | Script-comfortable admins, moderate volume |
| Clone Master | Yes | Yes | Optional | Yes | OneDrive to a team site, or SharePoint to a OneDrive, on one tenant or across two |
Why migrate OneDrive for Business content into SharePoint team sites?
OneDrive for Business is, technically, a SharePoint site collection with a personal template. That makes it possible for the same migration tools used for SharePoint-to-SharePoint moves to work for OneDrive migrations too. The business reasons for making this move are varied:
- User offboarding: when an employee leaves, their OneDrive content needs to transfer to a team library before the licence is removed. Microsoft retains a deleted user's OneDrive for 30 days by default (extended to 180 days with a retention policy), but that window closes.
- Structural reorganisation: project work that started in an individual's OneDrive should live in the department's shared library once the project scales or the individual moves roles.
- Governance requirements: personal storage is harder to audit, apply retention labels to, and include in eDiscovery holds than shared document libraries. Microsoft Purview compliance features work more consistently on site-based storage.
- Mergers and acquisitions: the acquiring organisation needs OneDrive content from the acquired tenant moved into the consolidated SharePoint structure in the new tenant.
Each scenario has different requirements around metadata fidelity, version history, volume, and whether the source and destination are in the same Microsoft 365 tenant.
Option 1: Microsoft SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT)
Microsoft's SharePoint Migration Tool is a free Windows application built to move content from file shares, SharePoint Server on-premises, and OneDrive for Business into SharePoint Online. Most admins start here: no additional licence required, and Microsoft provides direct support.
Where SPMT works well
- Free to download from the Microsoft 365 admin centre
- Handles large volumes of files across multiple OneDrive accounts in a single migration session
- Preserves file created dates, modified dates, and original author
- Optional version history migration (can be toggled off to speed up the job)
- Progress reporting and per-file error logs for post-migration validation
Where SPMT falls short for OneDrive migrations
- Source and destination must be in the same Microsoft 365 tenant; cross-tenant scenarios are not supported
- Custom column metadata at the library level is not automatically mapped; the destination library schema must be pre-created manually before the migration job starts
- Runs as a Windows executable locally or from a virtual machine; not a cloud-scheduled tool
- Throttling during peak Microsoft 365 hours can slow large migrations significantly; see the SharePoint Migration Throttling Limits Reference for the limits that apply
Option 2: Move To and the native SharePoint browser interface
SharePoint Online includes a built-in Move To command that lets users relocate files and folders between libraries and sites from within the browser. For a small number of files, this is the lowest-friction path: no tools to install, no admin rights required beyond contribute access to both locations.
Its limitations make it unsuitable for any organised migration effort. Move To does not preserve version history; the destination receives only the current file version. Microsoft designed it for individual users, not bulk admin tasks. The browser tab is the only progress indicator - a dropped connection mid-move leaves the job status unknown. Treat it as a user self-service option, not an IT migration method for more than a few dozen files.
Option 3: PnP PowerShell for scripted OneDrive migrations
PnP PowerShell (the community-maintained SharePoint Online module) provides cmdlets that can read a OneDrive library, create matching folder structures at the destination, and copy files including version history. An admin with PowerShell experience can build a pipeline that:
- Reads the source OneDrive library using
Get-PnPListItemandGet-PnPFile - Creates the folder hierarchy in the target library
- Copies files with their versions using
Copy-PnPFile(for simple structures) or custom download-and-upload sequences for version history - Writes metadata values to destination columns if the schema is pre-created
The trade-offs are real. Script development, testing, and error handling for edge cases can consume days before the first file moves. Jobs running unattended on large libraries can time out silently - leaving the migration partially complete with no notification. Throttling errors require exponential back-off logic to handle gracefully; without it, a script aborts mid-run when Microsoft 365 rate-limits the session. Choose this approach when you need fine-grained control and have the scripting background to build and maintain the pipeline, not when you need a repeatable process with minimal engineering overhead.
Option 4: ShareMaster's clone, with a OneDrive at either end
ShareMaster's clone, part of the Clone Master plan, accepts a user's OneDrive as the source or the destination. You pick the person from the tenant's users or type their email address, tick the libraries, folders or files, and choose the library or folder they land in on the other side. It copies through Microsoft's Migration API and leaves the source untouched.
- Cross-tenant: it signs in to the source and destination tenants separately, so a OneDrive in one tenant can be copied straight into a team site in another, which Microsoft's own cross-tenant OneDrive migration cannot do
- Per-run choices: version history, Created and Modified dates and authors, and permissions are separate boxes, and a file already at the destination can be skipped, overwritten or renamed
- Access handled: signed in as a SharePoint admin, it gives your account site collection admin on the OneDrive for the run and removes the access it added when the run ends
- Nothing personal overwritten: only libraries and lists are copied; the OneDrive's own name, logo and settings are never changed
- Checked afterwards: skipped and retried items are listed with reasons, a compare checks source against destination, and an interrupted run resumes from History
Sharing links are not recreated at the destination, so files shared from OneDrive by link need re-sharing from the new location. The walkthroughs are in migrate OneDrive to SharePoint and migrate SharePoint to a user's OneDrive, and for whole sites rather than OneDrives, see the guide to migrating a SharePoint site to another tenant.
Decision matrix: which approach fits your scenario
| Scenario | Recommended approach | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Single user offboarding, small OneDrive, same tenant | Move To or SPMT | Low volume; native tools sufficient |
| IT-led consolidation, same tenant, standard libraries | SPMT | Free, scales to thousands of files, good reporting |
| Same tenant, custom columns required, admin has PowerShell skills | PnP PowerShell | Full metadata control; scripting investment is justified for complex schema |
| Whole OneDrives to new OneDrives in another tenant (merger, acquisition) | Microsoft cross-tenant OneDrive migration | Moves entire accounts inside Microsoft's cloud and leaves a redirect; paid add-on licence per user, one pass, set up in both tenants with PowerShell |
| OneDrive folders into a team site in another tenant, or team files into a OneDrive there | ShareMaster clone (OneDrive copy) | Microsoft's tools do not reach a SharePoint site in another tenant from a OneDrive; the clone signs in to both and keeps versions, authors and dates |
| Same tenant, version history and authors must survive, no scripting | ShareMaster clone (OneDrive copy) | Copy to keeps only the newest version; the clone copies earlier versions and the original Created By and Modified By |
| Large volume, multiple accounts, metadata required, no scripting resource | SPMT | Scales to large volumes across multiple accounts; no scripting required; pre-create destination columns before running |
| MSP managing migrations across multiple clients | PnP PowerShell or SPMT | PnP PowerShell for full metadata control; SPMT for standard libraries; both support repeatable per-client job configurations |
If the migration you are scoping is driven by a retirement rather than a reorganisation, the comparison you want is a different one. Workload retirements come with a fixed date and no option to defer, which removes most of the choices in the table above. The most recent of them is Project Online, which retired on 30 September 2026, and the equivalent side-by-side for it is Project Online successor options compared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the SharePoint Migration Tool preserve OneDrive file metadata?
SPMT preserves standard file metadata (created date, modified date, original author) for files migrated from OneDrive for Business. Custom columns defined at the library level in the destination must be pre-created manually; SPMT does not create destination columns from source schema automatically.
Can I migrate OneDrive for Business to SharePoint Online without version history?
Yes. SPMT offers a per-job setting to skip version history and copy only the current file version. This reduces migration time and destination storage substantially. It is the right choice for consolidation scenarios where historical versions are not needed in the destination.
Can I migrate OneDrive to SharePoint Online across different Microsoft 365 tenants?
Microsoft's cross-tenant OneDrive migration moves whole OneDrives into new OneDrives in the other tenant. It needs the Cross Tenant User Data Migration add-on for each user, runs once with no incremental pass, and cannot put content into a SharePoint site. PnP PowerShell can script cross-tenant file copies for lower volumes, and ShareMaster's clone copies OneDrive folders straight into a team site in the other tenant.
Do I need to be a Global Administrator to run a OneDrive to SharePoint migration?
You need at minimum SharePoint Administrator rights and read access to the source OneDrive account. SPMT requires site collection administrator permissions on the destination library. For PnP PowerShell scripts, the account requires read rights on the source OneDrive and write rights on the destination library; Global Admin is not required.