You can run a SharePoint Sites migration more than once. A common plan is to move the bulk of the data first, then run a final pass after people stop working on the Source site. This guide shows what each additional pass does at the Destination.
The short version
- Content follows the source. Files, versions, metadata, permissions, and sensitivity labels are brought in line with the source on later passes.
- Site settings are re-applied only when they change at the source. Navigation and pages are rewritten when they change, so edits made to them at the destination can be lost.
- Some items are set up at once. Custom list items and content types are created on the first pass and are not updated by later passes.
- Unfinished steps are tried again. If a step is not finished, the next pass tries it again. Warnings on pages, list items, the theme, the time zone and the term store are not retried unless the source changes.
Content
| Item | Updated on later passes? | What happens | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folders & Files | If changed | Files that changed at the source since the last pass is sent again. Files that did not change are left alone. | A locked file is retried on a later pass, then skipped with a warning if it is still locked. |
| Metadata | If changed | Files that changed at the source arrive again with their current column values. New columns, terms, and pictures are added. | Columns and terms that already exist at the destination are not updated. Renames and deletions of terms at the source are not carried over. |
| Versioning | Yes | Each pass checks the library's versioning settings and resets version limits and draft visibility to match the source. | Versioning and drafts are only ever switched on, never off. The number of versions migrated follows the project setting, and an empty box means all versions. |
| Permissions | Yes | Permissions on libraries, folders and files, plus groups and permission levels, are compared with the source on every pass. Missing ones are added, changed ones updated and removed ones deleted. | Anything added at the destination to a migrated item is removed on the next pass, including sharing links. Make permission changes at the source until the last pass. |
| Site Permissions | Yes | Whoever has access to the site and each subsite is brought in line with the source on every pass. | Access that exists only at the destination is removed. Microsoft 365 group membership is not migrated, so the group must already exist at the destination. |
| Sensitivity labels | If changed | If a label is added, changed or removed at the source, the file is sent again as a new version at the destination with the current label. A file that was skipped earlier is sent once the cause is fixed. | A label changed by hand at the destination stays until the source file is sent again. The label name must already exist at the destination. |
Site settings and structure
| Item | Updated on later passes? | What happens | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site Navigation | If changed | When navigation changes at the source, the destination navigation is cleared and rebuilt, with no duplicate links. | Edits made to navigation at the destination are lost when this happens. Make navigation changes after the last pass. |
| Link Resolution | Yes | Runs on every pass and points links in navigation and pages at the destination. | Links to sites that are not part of the migration still point at the source. |
| Site Pages | If changed | When a site's pages change at the source, they are written again and overwrite the destination copies. | Edits made to pages at the destination are lost when this happens. Make page edits after the last pass. |
| Site Theme | If changed | The theme is applied again when it changes at the source. | If SharePoint does not accept the theme, set it by hand at the destination. The warning is not retried unless the source changes. |
| Site Settings | If changed | Title, description, and logo are applied again when they change. Subsites that are missing at the destination are created. | Existing destination subsites are reused, not recreated. |
| Regional Settings | If changed | Locale, calendar, workdays and hours are applied again when they change. | The time zone is never migrated. Set it by hand at the destination. |
| Site Features | If changed | Site features that are active at the source and not yet active at the destination are turned on. | A feature turned off at the source is not turned off at the destination. |
Set up on the first pass
| Item | Updated on later passes? | What happens | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content Types | First pass only | Site columns and content types are created on the first pass. | A content type that already exists at the destination is reused as is. Later changes to it at the source are not applied. |
| Custom Lists | First pass only | Lists, with their columns, views and items, are created on the pass that first creates the list at the destination. | New or changed list items at the source are not copied on later passes. To copy them again, delete the list at the destination and run the migration again. |
| Hub Association | First pass only | The destination is registered as a hub or joined to its hub. If the hub did not exist yet, the site joins it on its next pass. | Migrate the hub site first, then its member sites. |
Before your final pass
- Make permission, navigation and page changes at the source until the last pass.
- After the last pass, create sharing links, re-add external access and set the time zone at the destination.
- Check the line item's warnings after each pass and fix what they ask for.