Before, During, and After Migration Your Box Migration

Preparing for Your Move

Pitt IT is committed to ensuring a smooth transition that minimizes disruption to your work. You do not need to move your data. Pitt IT’s managed migration process safely and securely copies your Box data to OneDrive while retaining your existing folder structure and internal sharing permissions. You can help us prepare for a successful move to OneDrive by reviewing the important information below:

1. Delete any unnecessary Box files and folders and empty your Box Trash folder.
2. Remove yourself from any shared Box folders or files to which you no longer need access.
3. Review and organize your Box folders, since your files will be migrated to OneDrive as they are organized in Box (i.e., keeping the same folder structure).
4. Transfer folder ownership, as necessary.
5. Only the current version of your Box files is copied to OneDrive. If you wish to save previous versions of your Box files, you can download them from Box and save them locally or upload them to OneDrive.    
6. Review the Managed Migration: Benefits and Limitations webpage for important information about what to expect from the move.
7. Consider informing external collaborators (i.e., anyone outside Pitt) that your collaboration with them will be moving from Box to OneDrive, and that you will contact them once the move is complete. 
8. Do not begin any new workflows or processes that utilize Box. If you have existing workflows that rely on Box, you can contact the Technology Help Desk to discuss ways you can modify those processes to work with OneDrive.
9. Review our FAQ page for answers to some of the questions you may have.  
10. If you have circumstances that make it difficult to transition Box data to OneDrive before August 2022 [for example, multi-institution research studies in which Pitt is the lead for the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process], you can consider Pitt IT’s cost-recovery option to temporarily extend your Box access.

Additional Tips for Specific Users

• Windows Users: If you use Windows 10 on all your devices, the OneDrive app is already built into your operating system. You'll be able to use it after the migration to log in to your Pitt account and manage your files. If you use a version of Windows other than Windows 10, you may want to download and install the OneDrive app from Microsoft's site. In both cases, you may also want to upload a test file to OneDrive to see how it works.
• Box "Power Users": Pitt IT has been working with power users of Box—those who are storing high volumes or have built complex workflows—to discuss their specific needs. If you have not heard from Pitt IT and have spent significant resources customizing Box or developing workflows that rely on it, contact the Technology Help Desk. We will follow up and work with you to address your unique needs. 

What To Expect Next

• Two weeks before your move, Pitt IT will send you an email with a range for your migration date. 
• You will receive reminder emails one week before and one day before your move.
• You will receive an email notifying you that you migration has begun.

Depending upon how much data you have stored in Box, your migration could take hours, a single day, or more than a week.

Once your migration begins, you will no longer be able to edit your Box files or upload new files. You may still view and download them. If you need to work on a Box file that has not yet been copied to OneDrive, you can download it and save your changes locally, then upload it to OneDrive after your migration is complete.

What To Expect Next

• You will receive a confirmation email once your migration is complete.
• If your migration takes longer than a single day, you will receive regular updates on your migration status.

You will receive a confirmation email once your migration is complete.

Locating Your Migrated Files

Overview

After the move to OneDrive, migrated Box folders and files that you own will display in a OneDrive folder called “My Files” in a subfolder named "_BoxMigration".

Office 365 Web View

OneDrive App View

Box Migration File Location Matrix 

The table below shows where Box files reside based on who owns the file/folder on Box and whether the owner has been migrated to OneDrive.

Who owns the Box File/Folder?	Location if Owner's Migration Has NOT Occurred	Location if Owner's Migration HAS Occurred
Your Pitt account	Box	OneDrive - My Files (Also temporarily in Box as read-only)
Someone else's Pitt account	Box	OneDrive -Shared (Also temporarily in Box as read-only)
Someone Outside Pitt	Box	Box

Keep in mind the following important points:

• In Box, ownership is determined by who has the "Ownership" permission level for a Box folder or file. Note that a Box Co-owner is not the same as a Box Owner. 
• Only the Box files for which a user is the "Owner" will be copied to their OneDrive (My Files) at the time of user's scheduled migration.
• All other files and folders shared on Box are available in OneDrive (Shared) after the owner has been migrated.
• Externally owned folders in Box are designated by a gray folder icon: 

Troubleshooting

If you do not see a file in OneDrive that you expected to see, it is likely due to one of the following reasons:

• You may need to check both My Files and Shared Files: Unlike Box, OneDrive does not display all your files in a single location. Files you own (both private, unshared files and files you share with others) display in “My Files.” Files others have shared with you display in “Shared” under the "Shared with you" tab. Be sure to check both locations.

My Files

Shared Files

• The file's owner might not have moved to OneDrive yet: Only Box folders for which you are the owner are copied to your OneDrive account. If you do not see a file in your OneDrive that someone else is sharing with you, it may be because the file’s owner has not yet moved to OneDrive. Once the file’s owner moves to OneDrive, their shared file will display in your OneDrive “Shared with you” tab. Until then, you can continue to access the shared file in Box.
• You may need to create a shortcut to view a shared folder in your OneDrive app: Folders that others have shared with you display in Office 365 web view under the "Shared with you" tab. However, folders that others have shared with you do not display by default in the OneDrive app. You can add shortcuts to shared folders manually so that they also display in the OneDrive app. 

Steps to Take After Your Move

• Review your files in OneDrive to confirm your data looks as you expect it to look. Your Box files are stored in a OneDrive folder named “_BoxMigration”. Please report any issues to the Technology Help Desk so that we can address them promptly.  
• If you were notified that your migration included Flagged items that did not successfully copy to OneDrive, log in to the Box Migration Dashboard to view a report of your items and determine what actions you need to take. If you would like to move a Flagged item to OneDrive, please manually download it from Box and upload it to OneDrive. 
• Access and edit your files exclusively in OneDrive from this point forward and remind your collaborators not to use Box to view files you have shared. From this point forward, you will no longer be able to upload files to your Box account, and you and your collaborators will not be able to edit files on your Box account. 
• Learn how to get the most from OneDrive for collaborating and how to use OneDrive on mobile devices. Consider setting up the OneDrive sync client to manage files easily from your desktop.

Additional Steps for Those Who Shared Files on Box

• If you shared Box files with individuals outside Pitt, you need to resend external sharing permissions via OneDrive.
• If you shared Box files with individuals inside Pitt, notify them of your completed migration and remind them to access all your shared files in their OneDrive “Shared with You” tab.
• If you created shared links in Box, you need to recreate those shared links in OneDrive.

What To Expect Next

• You will no longer be able to upload new files to your Box account, and you and your collaborators will be unable to edit existing files on Box. 
• Please do not make any changes to your data in Box. Changes you make in Box from this point forward will not be copied to OneDrive.
• Your Box data will remain in Box for the time being. At some point before the University's contract with Box expires in summer 2022, your Box data will be permanently deleted from your Box account. You will receive a series of reminder emails before items in your Box account are permanently deleted.