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Written By Harshita Sachdeva
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Approved By
Shivam Rathore -
Updated on September 10th, 2026
Migrate SharePoint to Another Tenant: Best Methods to Transfer Sites, Documents, Lists & Permissions
User Query: Our organization needs to migrate around 2 TB of SharePoint Online data from one Microsoft 365 tenant to another while preserving files, folders, metadata, permissions, and version history. What is the safest way to perform the migration, and should we use Microsoft’s native method or a professional SharePoint migration tool?
David Finch
IT Administrator
Overview: A SharePoint migration to a different tenant is required when organizations go through mergers & acquisitions, tenant consolidation, or business restructuring, or when they move to a new Microsoft 365 environment. The purpose is to migrate SharePoint to another tenant, but it’s more than a file transfer. Files and folders, permissions, users and groups, metadata, site structure, sharing links, and potential migration downtime are all elements organizations need to consider to ensure business operations continue without disruption. Also, selecting the right migration approach is equally important, particularly for large or complex SharePoint environments.
This guide explains the native Microsoft method, including its prerequisites, migration steps, and limitations. It also covers the professional Aryson Tenant-to-Tenant Migration for organizations wanting a more efficient and organized way to complete SharePoint tenant-to-tenant migration.
Why Migrate SharePoint Site to Another Tenant?
Organizations may need to transfer SharePoint to a SharePoint tenant for various business and operational reasons. Common scenarios include:
- Mergers and acquisitions: The most common trigger by far: two separate tenants, two separate SharePoint environments, and eventually somebody above your pay grade decides which one lives on.
- Divestitures: The opposite of a merger. You break off a business unit into its own tenant so it can stand on its own two feet post-sale.
- Rebranding: A rebrand after an acquisition often drags a domain change along, and once the domain shifts, the old tenant name stops making sense, so the whole thing moves.
- Cost consolidation: Many organizations are quietly paying for three or four half-used tenants that are leftovers of acquisitions from years ago that nobody ever cleaned up. Consolidating those into a single governed environment saves real money.
- Data residency and compliance: Moving into a region with strict sovereignty rules makes the tenant’s physical location a compliance question, not just an IT question.
What Actually Gets Migrated When You Move SharePoint Site from One Tenant to Another?
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Document Libraries Migrates document libraries along with their stored content. |
Lists Supports the migration of SharePoint lists (GenericList) and their data. |
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Files Transfers files while preserving their associated properties and content. |
Folders Maintains the existing folder hierarchy for easier navigation. |
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Metadata Helps retain important file and list metadata during migration. |
Version History Preserves previous versions of supported files for better data continuity. |
Pre-Migration Checklist Before A Cross-Tenant SharePoint Migration
- Perform a pilot migration with a small SharePoint site before migrating production data.
- Prepare a migration plan & notify users of expected downtime.
- Ensure all necessary Microsoft 365 licenses are assigned to target users.
- Clean up unnecessary & old data before migration.
- Verify source sites are accessible and ready for migration.
- Review external sharing, sharing links, and guest access.
Best Methods to Migrate New SharePoint Online Site in the Target Tenant
There are multiple ways to export SharePoint to another tenant. You can use the native and professional methods for that. For a few SharePoint sites, the native method is best suited, but for bulk account migration, use a professional method for easy, secure migration.
Manual Method to Migrate SharePoint to Another Tenant
Microsoft has a built-in answer here, running through SharePoint Online PowerShell, but it comes with more strings attached than most admins expect walking in. It’s built for Enterprise Agreement customers, and it needs a Cross-Tenant Shared Data Migration add-on licensed against however much data you’re moving.
- Connect both tenants: Connect the source and target SharePoint tenants using SharePoint Online PowerShell.
- Establish tenant trust: Configure a trust relationship between the source and target tenants.
- Prepare target users: Create the required users, groups, and Microsoft 365 groups in the destination tenant.
- Map identities: Create and upload the CSV file mapping source users and groups to their target identities.
- Start the migration: Use Microsoft’s PowerShell commands to initiate or schedule the SharePoint site migration.
- Verify the migration: Check migrated sites, files, permissions, links, and user access in the target tenant.
Drawbacks of Manual Methods
- Requires technical expertise: Administrators need knowledge of PowerShell and SharePoint Online.
- Complex configuration: Tenant trust, identity mapping, and migration settings require careful setup.
- Command-line based: Managing migration tasks through commands can be difficult for non-technical users.
- Manual monitoring: Administrators need to monitor migration jobs and troubleshoot failures.
- Limited built-in automation: Additional scripts may be needed for complex migration needs.
- Difficult at scale: It takes a lot of time to manage a large number of sites, users, and migration jobs.
Professional Method to Migrate SharePoint to Another Tenant
Most organizations eventually turn to a dedicated tool when the volume of data, the complexity of permissions, or the requirement to truly preserve version history exceeds what PowerShell or a manual zip-and-upload can manage. The Aryson Tenant-to-Tenant Migration tool is designed to bridge that gap. It communicates with both tenants via the Microsoft Graph API and manages the site collections, libraries, lists, and permission mapping without requiring an Enterprise Agreement or the trust-relationship dance. Additionally, you have a variety of advanced filtering options.
Step-by-Step Guide to Perform the SharePoint to Another Tenant Migration:
- Download and install the Aryson Tenant-to-Tenant Migration tool on your system.
- Select Copy SharePoint from the available Microsoft 365 services.
- Connect the source tenant account using modern authentication or admin access.
- Choose the SharePoint sites you want to migrate and click Continue.
- Connect the destination tenant account and choose the sites where you want to migrate.
- Map the source and destination SharePoint sites and click Next.
- Apply filters such as date range, custom folder naming, or file size filter as needed.
- Click Start Migration to begin the process and check the migration logs after completion.
Before starting a SharePoint Online to another tenant migration, users need to understand the required settings, source-to-destination mapping, and transfer workflow. A thorough guide can facilitate the migration process and lessen configuration problems. The Aryson Tenant-to-Tenant Migration Tool User Manual offers screenshots and step-by-step instructions for a visual walkthrough of the procedure.
Watch the Complete Migration Video
Why Organizations Prefer Aryson for Cross-Tenant SharePoint Migration
- Migrates multiple SharePoint sites and data in a single migration process.
- Supports incremental migration to only transfer new or modified items.
- Provides reports to help administrators track completed, failed, and skipped migration items.
- Transfers multiple SharePoint sites without disrupting users
- Date range filter to migrate only selected items between those dates.
- Maintains the folder structure and data integrity throughout the migration.
- Trial version to use before buying the software.
- Provides advanced security protocol using modern authentication.
There are various professional SharePoint migration tools with different features, pricing, and migration capabilities available. The following comparison takes a look at Aryson, BitTitan, ShareGate, and Cloudiway to understand their key differences and why Aryson can be a good choice for SharePoint tenant-to-tenant migration.
|
Feature |
Aryson |
BitTitan |
Cloudiway |
ShareGate |
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Bulk Migration |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Incremental Migration |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Maintain Folder Hierarchy |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Migration Report |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Deduplication |
✔ |
✖ |
✖ |
✖ |
|
Pricing |
$20 per user |
$57 per user |
$29 per user |
$5,995 per year |
Case Study
A logistics company with nearly 900 employees spun off its warehousing division into a separate company and had six weeks to migrate that division to its own Microsoft 365 tenant before the new company’s contracts kicked in. One SharePoint admin team began their journey down the native PowerShell path of Microsoft, but it took three days just to set up the trust relationship, and jobs kept stalling on libraries with deep folder nesting. They moved to the Aryson Tenant-to-Tenant Migration by the second week. Selective filtering let them leave outdated project archives behind, permission mapping ran automatically for most users, and batch runs overnight helped to migrate SharePoint without downtime. The migration wrapped with four days to spare before the cutover.
Conclusion
A SharePoint move done right is what lets a merged company operate as one, lets a spun-off unit stand on its own, and keeps auditors satisfied rather than asking hard questions. Skip the planning, and it’s downtime, lost files, and permissions that quietly stop working. The manual method holds up fine for a few libraries. Push it past a few thousand files, though, and metadata, version history, and permissions all have to be rebuilt from scratch by hand. The Aryson Microsoft 365 Tenant Migration Software can be used to migrate SharePoint to another tenant while keeping folder hierarchy and data integrity intact throughout the transfer without PowerShell commands. There are multiple advanced filtering options, such as date range filter, delta migration, and custom folder naming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How do I migrate SharePoint tenant to another tenant?
Ans: You can use the Aryson Tenant-to-Tenant Migration tool to transfer bulk SharePoint sites while maintaining folder structure. But you can also use native Microsoft tools for a few sites.
Q2. What are the limitations of the SharePoint migration tool?
Ans: SharePoint migration can be challenging when dealing with large data volumes, complex permissions, customizations, metadata, and version history. Differences between tenants may also cause broken links, configuration issues, or temporary downtime during the migration.
Q3. I have duplicate SharePoint sites. How can I remove duplicate SharePoint sites from the migration?
Ans: There is a dedicated deduplication feature that helps to identify and remove duplicate items from SharePoint sites.
Q4. Can I migrate SharePoint folders without changing their hierarchy?
Ans: Yes. The Aryson Tenant-to-Tenant Migration Tool can migrate SharePoint folders while retaining the existing folder hierarchy, including nested folders and subfolders. This helps keep the destination SharePoint environment organized and makes it easier for users to access their files after migration.
Q5. How can I migrate only recently modified or new SharePoint data?
Ans: Use the Skip Previously Migrated Data option in the Aryson Microsoft 365 Migration Tool to avoid transferring content that has already been migrated. This helps focus the migration on newly added or updated SharePoint data and reduces duplicate transfers.
Q6. Is there a free trial version of the software available?
Ans: Yes, the Aryson Tenant-to-Tenant Migration tool provides a free trial version to help you use the functionalities before buying.
Q7. How to verify what data is migrated, failed, or skipped?
Ans: You can use the migration reports under All Reports to view the migration status, including migrated, failed, and skipped items.
About The Author:
Harshita Sachdeva, a professional technical writer at Aryson Technologies, specialize in delivering clear, hands-on documentation for data management, migration, and recovery solutions. With a meticulous, reader-first approach, I break down complex technical processes into simple, actionable content - helping IT professionals and decision-makers tackle challenges efficiently.
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