Since Microsoft announced the end of the Exchange 2016 technical assistance in October 2025, many users have wanted to move to Office 365. The users can easily migrate Exchange 2016 to Office 365 mailboxes, as this guide will help them a lot. Office 365 has become a priority to move from the Exchange 2016 account. This is because of some advanced features of the Office 365 cloud-based platform.
This guide will teach users the manual method and professional solution to complete the Exchange 2016 to Office 365 migration task. We first discuss a few benefits of switching from the Exchange 2016 account to Office 365 mailboxes.
Multiple benefits to migrating Exchange 2016 to Office 365
Users can get various benefits that ease their daily work by updating from the Exchange 2016 platform to Office 365. Read the points mentioned below to understand why it is beneficial for users to migrate Exchange 2016 to Office 365 mailboxes.
- Users will not face server downtime while using Office 365, as it is a cloud-based facility. So it gets automatically updated without creating any complications.
- Moreover, users will get rid of maintenance charges applied in the Exchange Server by using Office 365.
- Also, users will get a suite of productive applications, including Outlook, Exchange Online, Skype, etc., with a subscription to Microsoft 365.
- Users can also get a standalone subscription to Exchange Online to manage their daily work more smoothly.
- Accessing Office 365 from any location in the world is possible. This will also help users do their work proficiently, even when traveling.
Moreover, this platform has more benefits, stimulating smooth functioning and providing an easy way to manage their data. Now, users will be going to understand the solution to migrate Exchange 2016 to Office 365 mailboxes.
Different approaches for the Exchange migration to Office 365
This migration task can be done using various techniques. Some of them are involved by the manual procedure and professional third-party software offered by Shoviv Software. Here, we will elaborate on both approaches and share how users can achieve this migration task effectively.
There are various manual ways that will help in processing the Exchange 2016 to Office 365 migration task. This guide will teach you the IMAP migration method to do this task effectively. Let us briefly explain both methods of migrating Exchange 2016 to Microsoft 365 mailboxes.
IMAP Migration: A manual method to move Exchange data
IMAP migration is a way to move the mailboxes from any IMAP-supported platform to another. We all know that Exchange Server supports IMAP, so users can migrate from Exchange 2016 to Office 365 mailboxes using this solution. Now, users will get the complete procedure of the IMAP migration method to complete this task.
- Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center login page and enter your credentials to sign in.
- Then, tap the Setup option, and after that, you need to select the Migrations option under the Featured Collections tab.
- Select the emails on the Migration page and tap the Get Started option.
- After that, go with the Import My Email messages option from the Email source.
- Afterward, you need to choose the desired data service from the opened dashboard.
- In case you fail to find the service provider in the list, click the Other Email Sources. Or if the service provider is listed, choose the Email provider and select the start migrating email messages page.
- After that, you need to test the connection by entering your IMAP details and then hitting the Save button to continue.
- Now, select the user you want in your MS Office 365 and create a new password for each user.
- Then, you need to go with the Start Migration option. The synchronization process of your source email accounts to Microsoft 365 will start.
- Once done with the above steps, you must wait 72 hours to complete the task successfully. Then, close the Connection, and if you want to migrate more users, click the Start Migration button again.
That is how you can complete the Exchange 2016 to Office 365 migration task using a manual method. However, we must check whether this solution has any drawbacks and if it has what they are. So, read the below section and understand the challenges of the manual method to migrate Exchange 2016 to Office 365 mailboxes.
Drawbacks of utilizing the manual method
The manual method has various limitations that make the process lengthy and time-consuming. Users can learn some of them by reading the shared points below.
- Users have to spend a lot of time to migrate Exchange 2016 to Office 365 mailboxes using the manual method.
- Moreover, some steps could be more complex, making the process tricky for the users.
- Also, users must have technical understanding to complete this migration task using the manual solution.
- Users can only move some data at a time using the manual method for the Exchange migration to Office 365 mailboxes.
- It doesn’t provide advanced features like a filter option, incremental export facility, etc.
- This method is risky for your data if you mislead a single step while performing the Exchange migration to Office 365.
The manual method has more drawbacks, which may vary from user to user and on their technical expertise. We recommend third-party software if you want to migrate Exchange 2016 to Office 365 mailboxes effortlessly without facing a single issue. Users can read the next section to learn a quick and secure way to complete this migration process.
A quick tool to migrate Exchange mailboxes to Office 365
To eliminate the difficulties of the manual solution, users can use the Shoviv Exchange Migration. This software permits users to process all data in a single go without size restrictions. Moreover, this tool also maintains the folder hierarchy and integrity of emails during the Exchange 2016 to Office 365 migration task. Users can also use the filter option to add or remove the desired items using the folder, item type, and date range.
Furthermore, users can migrate from any Exchange version to Office 365 using this software without hassle. Apart from this, this software is also proficient in moving from one Office 365 account to another. Users can migrate their archive mailboxes and public folders using this professional third-party software.
This tool offers a simple user interface, so it is easy for each user to migrate Exchange 2016 to Office 365 mailboxes. It comes with a scheduler option that users can use to set their migration tasks periodically, such as daily, weekly, or monthly. Moreover, the scheduler option also allows setting the migration at any specific date and time.
Wrapping Up
This blog shares in-depth information on migrating from the Microsoft Exchange account to Office 365 using manual and professional solutions. Finally, we recommend that users use the Shoviv professional solution to migrate Exchange 2016 to Office 365 mailboxes. Moreover, users can handle this software without a higher technical capability to run it to do this migration task. Users can also try its free demo version to understand better its features and how this solution works. Using its free demo version in their system, users can process the first 50 items from each folder of the Exchange mailbox to the desired target.
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