Folder redirection to OneDrive migration?

Question

Hello,

looking for some advice .

we are migrating a client from traditional folder redirection to OneDrive.
we want to leave the users files in the server and migrate them to OneDrive using SPMT or ShareGate with incremental sync up until cut over.
According to this article it is possible to migrate from the server and avoid syncing data back the users computers
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/redirect-known-folders

The issue here is that users have never synced or use one drive on their PC because of the folder redirection and so the "Desktop, Document and Picture folder " does not exist in OneDrive yet so, in order to map the migration tool I need to create these folders on the user OneDrive before hand and map the migration

Based on my testing I found out that if I create a Desktop, documents or pictures folder on OneDrive web before the user syncs the folders from local PC to cloud it essentially creates a new set of those folder so the end result is two folder of each. (2xdekstop, 2xDocumet folder, 2xPicture folder)
This is not ideal because it will create a lot more work and potentially some disruption on the users day to day work. Because we will need to move the files to the version of the folder synced from OneDrive.

My other testing gave me better results however I will require many steps in which I may need to interact with the user and we would like to avoid that as much as possible.

1. I created the folders on the test user OneDrive and migrated the documents, desktop and pictures.
2. I logged on to test user OneDrive without enabling Know folder redirection but yet I can see the folders including the desktop folder and the other migrated from the OneDrive folder via File explorer.
3. I browse to user Document, Desktop and Pictures folder in the local PC and from the properties I move the location from the local PC to the OneDrive folders.
4. After I change the location OneDrive starts to sync desktop and the other folders to user local PC an no duplicate folders are created.

On my testing I did not have to disable folder redirection policies so I had not issues with the folder on the local PC however on the real scenario I foresee couple of reboots before User profile folders work properly .

How can I avoid this from happening?
Is there a way to sync the folders migrated from the server (Desktop, Documents, Pictures) to the user Local PC without having to do any of the steps I listed above?
Essentially the user sign into the PC after cut over sing into their OneDrive and desktop folder on local PC merges with desktop folder in onedrive ??

Thank you

Answer 1

Hi @Luis Penalver ,
Welcome to Q&A forum!
I will analyze this issue from the perspective of OneDrive client.

we are migrating a client from traditional folder redirection to OneDrive.

< It is recommended use the redirection policy to move Windows known folders to OneDrive, and you do not need to create any folders manully before redirecting the known folders.

Essentially the user sign into the PC after cut over sing into their OneDrive and desktop folder on local PC merges with desktop folder in onedrive ??

< Yes, OneDrive syncs cloud and local files in real time.

Is there a way to sync the folders migrated from the server (Desktop, Documents, Pictures) to the user Local PC without having to do any of the steps I listed above?

< Generally, it is not recommended that we migrate the fires from Server to the local PC by using the OneDrive. I fould the following official KB, please check if it could help you.
Use Storage Migration Service to migrate a server

Hope the information is helpfu to you.

---

If an Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

I have a similar problem. I need to help users move data from one tenant to another including Desktop Documents Pictures. There are just a handful of users and I don't have access to any backend processes to automate it.

The problem is these users are still using the PCs linked to their old tenant and do not yet have PCs linked to the new. I can add the new tenant as a second account to the old PCs no problem. The problem is the old tenant is still redirecting desktops, documents, pictures to it's onedrive. When we look in the new tenant onedrive folder, the desktop, documents, pictures folders do not exist. If we manually copy the old desktops, documents, pictures folders to the new, creating these as new folders, I strongly suspect I will have the same problem as the OP once these people login their new PCs with known folder redirection. I suspect they will see two of each desktops, document, pictures in the new tenant onedrive.