Troubleshoot a SharePoint Online data import

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Here's how to address common issues you might encounter when setting up a data import from SharePoint Online to Google Workspace.

Only admins can create a new connection

If you get an Only admins can create a new connection error, do the following checks:

  1. Ensure that the Global Administrator role in the Microsoft account that you used for the connection is directly assigned to the user in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory).
  2. Verify the direct role assignments inherited through group membership.

If you're still getting the same error, try the following fix:

  1. Connect to the Microsoft Graph API using the Microsoft SharePoint Online username that you've been using: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/graph-explorer

  2. Run the following command:

    GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/transitiveMemberOf/$/microsoft.graph.directoryRole

  3. In the outputted JSON file, check that the following TEMPLATE ID is present: 62e90394-69f5-4237-9190-012177145e10

    For details, go to Microsoft Entra built-in roles.

Can't start a data import

If you get a To start migration, you must have super admin privileges and complete all previous steps error, make sure that a super administrator for your Workspace account sets up and starts the data import.

Need permission to access resources error

If you get a Needs permission to access resources in your organization that only an admin can grant error, make sure you connect to the Microsoft account using a valid Global Administrator account. For details, go to Connect to SharePoint Online.

User account issues

Before starting a data import, you must set up the user accounts in Google Workspace. For details, Options for adding users.

A user account that isn't set up or set up incorrectly can cause the following issues in the reports:

Report message How to fix
Google Drive isn't enabled for the User
  • Set up a Workspace account for the user if they don't already have one.
  • Turn on access to Google Drive for the user account. Learn more
Microsoft SharePoint Online is not enabled for the User Confirm that you have the correct SharePoint Online account in your list of sites and identity map.

Error uploading list of sites & site collections

When you upload the file with the list of sites and site collections that you want to import from SharePoint Online, you might get one of the following errors:

  • Upload sensitive CSV failed.
  • Validate CSV failed.
  • Bulk action initiation failed.
  • Your CSV includes duplicate sites. Check for duplicates, including subsites listed with their parent sites, then try again.
  • Your CSV has too many site URLs. Update it to include 100 or fewer and try again.

To troubleshoot, confirm the following items and then upload the file again:

  • The file has the right header names: Source SharePoint URL, Target Drive FolderID, Target GUser.
  • The file contains rows other than the headers and each row is filled with all mandatory values.
  • Each SharePoint Online site URL is only listed once.
  • No more than 1,000 SharePoint Online site URLs are in the file.
  • The file has parent sites or subsites in the parent site, but not both.

Data import completes with failed items

  1. Click View data import logs.
  2. Identify the items that didn't import and the reasons for their failure. For details, go to Understand a SharePoint Online data import report.
  3. Fix the issues and then run a delta import for SharePoint Online.

Missing files, folders, or permissions

If you have missing files, folders, or permissions after a data import, follow these steps:

  1. Check that the list of SharePoint Online sites and site collections includes the correct URLs for the SharePoint Online sites with missing items. For details, go to Create a file of sites & site collections to import.
  2. Verify that your identity map contains the correct list of users. For details, go to Create & upload an identity map.
  3. Make sure that at least one owner of the source file or folder has a Workspace user account.
  4. Make sure that your data import settings aren't skipping the sites that you want to import. For details, go to Select data import settings.
  5. View the data import logs. For details, go to Access the report.
  6. In the report, use the file name to search for the missing file. File names are part of the Source URL in the data import report.
  7. If you get an error message in the report, locate the error code in the data import report.
  8. Run a delta import. Then, follow the instructions to troubleshoot the error message.


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