This guide provides essential information for migrating MBOX, EML, and MSG email archives to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
PST Archives: Microsoft Outlook PST files are handled via a separate migration engine. For guidance on migrating PSTs, please refer to the general Migration Guide.
1. Prerequisites & Environment
To perform a Mail Archive migration, the following environment requirements must be met:
- CloudM Migrate Self-Hosted: This source type is only supported on the self-hosted (Desktop/Server) version of CloudM Migrate.
- CloudM Licensing: Licensing for Mail Archives to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
- File Access: Archive files must be accessible via the local file system or a valid network path (UNC) from the machine running the application.
- Service Account Permissions: The Windows service account running the CloudM Migrate Service must have Read access to the source archives and Write access to the path location if any log/index files are generated.
2. Supported Archive Formats
CloudM Migrate supports standard email archive formats including, but not limited to:
| Format | Details / Compatibility |
|---|---|
| MBOX | Commonly exported from Google Takeout or Thunderbird. Includes variants: mboxrd, mboxo, mboxcl, and mboxcl2. |
| EML | Standard individual email message files (RFC 822). |
| MSG | Individual Microsoft Outlook message files. |
3. Configuration Steps
Before starting, ensure your destination platform (Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) is fully authorized in the CloudM Migrate configuration wizard.
- Select Mail Archive as your Source Platform.
- Navigate to the Users (Items to Migrate) section.
- Configure your mapping table using the following parameters:
| Field | Value / Requirement |
|---|---|
| Export Type | User |
| Export Name | Source primary email address (e.g., user@source.com) |
| Import Type | User |
| Import Name | Destination primary email address (e.g., user@destination.com) |
| Archive Path | The full local or UNC path to the file or directory (e.g., \\server\archives\user.mbox or C:\Archives\User_Folder\) |
4. Important Considerations
- Network Connectivity: If using network paths, we recommend UNC paths (\\Server\Share) over mapped drives (Z:\), as mapped drives may not be visible to the system service context. See Configuring Mapped Network Drives.
- Folder Structures: When migrating a directory of EML or MSG files, CloudM Migrate will recreate the sub-folder structure in the destination mailbox based on the folder hierarchy in the source path.
- Date Handling: CloudM Migrate extracts the "Date" header from the email metadata to ensure messages appear correctly in the destination timeline.
TIP: If the "Archive Path" column is not visible in your User list, click the Columns button in the grid view and ensure it is checked.