Migrate OneDrive Changes to Another OneDrive with Delta Sync

If OneDrive data constantly changes during migration, then only delta migration can keep it in sync.

Migrating OneDrive to another account is often required in Enterprise IT for events such as mergers, tenant consolidations, and security-driven restructures. Moving OneDrive from one account into another becomes a lot more complex in an enterprise environment due to complexities around identities, permissions, throttling, and ongoing user activity.

This is where delta/incremental migration comes in. In this article, you will learn how to execute a delta migration of OneDrive to OneDrive, why it is important to an enterprise, and how the IT team can accomplish it without losing data.

Why Delta Migration Is Important for Large Organizations to Migrate from OneDrive to OneDrive

With Delta migration (also known as a delta sync or incremental migration), the IT teams are able to:

• Continuously synchronize incremental changes: new, modified, or deleted files
• Perform final cutover with zero downtime

For enterprises migrating files from one OneDrive account to another, delta migration provides assurance that no user changes are missed, even when users continue to work throughout the migration window.

Why Microsoft Recommends Incremental Approaches

As per the migration guidance provided by Microsoft for Microsoft 365

• OneDrive is an active workload
• Users still change files in the process of migration
• Migration with a single cutover can lead to data inconsistency

Without delta migration:

• User loses access to files edited recently
• Files diverge between source and target
• Business disruption increases

Microsoft cross-tenant OneDrive native migration is a one-time move with no support for incremental/delta syncs, resulting in a redirect at the source. For an active enterprise environment, it becomes a real concern when it comes to cutover risks.

Source: Microsoft Learn

Key Challenges Faced by Enterprises Without Delta Migration

Major challenges with large OneDrive to OneDrive migrations in the absence of delta migration:

• Missed changes due to ongoing user activity
• Broken sharing links & permission changes
• Data inconsistency between tenants
• Forced downtime during final cutover
• Rework due to repeated full migrations

This creates difficulties in reliably moving files from one drive to another within large Microsoft 365 environments.

How We at CloudFuze Address Delta Migration Challenges

At CloudFuze, we enable true delta migration for OneDrive to OneDrive, helping enterprises migrate without disrupting day-to-day business operations.

With our platform, IT teams can:

• Run an initial one-time migration to move OneDrive files to another account
• Perform continuous delta syncs for capturing new, modified, and deleted files
• Permissions, sharing links, file versions, and metadata
• Automatically respect Microsoft 365 API throttling limits
• Perform a zero-downtime final cutover

Unlike native Microsoft approaches, our migration engine tracks file-level changes and synchronizes only what has changed. This way, both environments (source & tenant) are perfectly in sync until migration is finished.

Step-by-Step: How to Migrate OneDrive to Another OneDrive with Delta Migration

1. Pre-Migration Assessment

At CloudFuze, we initiate any OneDrive to OneDrive migration with a deep pre-migration analysis. Before transferring OneDrive files to another account, our platform analyzes:

• Total storage consumption per user
• File versions and existing sharing links
• External sharing and permission models
• Identity mapping across the tenants: UPNs, domains, Entra ID

This approach follows Microsoft’s best practices for full workload inventory before migration and therefore helps us eliminate early risks.

2. Identity and Permission Mapping

When organizations move OneDrive to another account, user identities often change. Our tool handles:

• Source UPN to target UPN mapping
• Domain and tenant changes
• Guest users and scenarios of shared access

We make sure that permissions are correctly remapped so that the users can access their files without any delay after the migration.

3. Initial Data Transfer in OneDrive

Our platform pre-migrates through a bulk OneDrive data transfer:

• File and folder structures
• File versions
• Timestamps
• Metadata

It lets companies move files from one OneDrive to another at scale while maintaining data integrity and security.

4. Delta Sync for Incremental Changes for Moving Files from OneDrive to Another

After one-time migration is complete, turn on delta migration in job type to capture the ongoing changes:

• New, modified, and deleted files will be continuously synced.
• Only the changed data is transferred – it reduces the load.
• Automatically manages Microsoft 365 API throttling with intelligent retries

This enables enterprises to transfer files between one OneDrive and another without losing data, while users continue working.

5. Validation and Final Cutover

Before final cutover, we support validation by IT through the following ways:

• Comparisons of file count and size
• Permission and access validation
• Link sharing verification
• Detailed audit logs and migration reports

The following CloudFuze’s migration report provides a detailed breakdown of the automated delta passes, verifying that all incremental changes were synced with full fidelity:

Only upon successful validation do we execute the final cutover, making sure that transition to the target OneDrive environment is smooth.

CloudFuze: A #1-Rated Tool for OneDrive to OneDrive Migration

While native OneDrive migration capabilities are provided by Microsoft, they are limited to:

• Large-scale automation across thousands of users
• Cross-tenant identity and permission remapping
• True incremental (delta) sync orchestration
• Enterprise-class reporting and auditing

At CloudFuze, we built our OneDrive to OneDrive migration solution to overcome these gaps and enterprise-level challenges.

Our OneDrive to OneDrive delta migration solution enables automated, unlimited delta incremental syncs post-initial one-time migration, capturing only changes like new, modified, or deleted files.

This approach enables the users to continue working in the source tenant while the data is synced securely to the target tenant, including all permissions (root, sub-folder, file-by-file), versions, timestamps, and sharing links.

Our tool is a preferred choice for large high-growth enterprises, as it caters to large volumes (TBs to PBs) with real-time dashboards, CSV/auto user mapping, and post-migration validation reports.

So, for an enterprise company that asks the question “what is the best way to migrate OneDrive to another OneDrive,” the answer is very clear: our delta-driven migration tool, CloudFuze Migrate, does it with ease.

What Data will be Preserved in Transferring OneDrive Files to Another Account?

This is particularly important for enterprise OneDrive migrations.

How to Validate OneDrive Tenant to Tenant Migration Success

A successful migration means:

• No missing files
• Permissions preserved
• Sharing links intact
• Users can immediately access data

Validation is a must-have feature for enterprise migration projects.

Best Practices for Enterprise OneDrive to OneDrive Delta Migration

• Avoid “big bang” migrations
• Schedule syncs during off-peak hours.
• Monitor Microsoft 365 throttling limits
• Maintain coexistence until final cutover
• Use reporting for compliance validation

These are best practices for tenant-to-tenant OneDrive migration as recommended for enterprise organizations.

Run Unlimited Delta Passes Until Cutover with CloudFuze!

By using delta migration for OneDrive migration to another OneDrive, an IT team can:

• Move OneDrive from one account to another safely
• Handle continuous user activity
• Eliminate downtime and data gaps
• Meet compliance and audit requirements

Speak to a CloudFuze migration expert today!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the common limitations with OneDrive delta migrations?

Limitations include Microsoft API throttling, identity mismatches, permission mapping gaps, and a lack of true delta support in native cross-tenant migrations. One-time migrations often miss file changes as they are ongoing during the time of cutover.

2. Can I transfer OneDrive from one account to another while users are active?

Yes. Delta migration provides a mechanism for IT teams to migrate files between OneDrive, without requiring the end user to stop working on them. New or modified files are synced automatically before cutover.

3. How can IT teams troubleshoot failed delta syncs in cross-tenant OneDrive migrations?

IT teams should review the migration log, validate UPN and identity mappings, confirm target tenant licensing, and monitor throttling errors. Using automated tools with retries and reporting minimizes failures in delta syncs, which is possible with tools like CloudFuze Migrate.

4. What are the best practices for pre-staging versus final delta passes?

Do an early pre-staging migration, followed by frequent delta syncs scheduled, and a final delta pass right before cutover. After each sync, run the file count, permissions, and sharing links through validation.