Migrating SharePoint Lists to another tenant is a crucial procedure in several cases, like merging, acquisition, or rebranding. But the question is, how to do so? Since there is no native solution to migrate data to another tenant. Still, there are several other solutions to proceed with the transition. In this guide, we will explore all the possible solutions to migrate SharePoint Lists to another tenant in a few clicks. Let’s get started!
Why Move SharePoint Lists to Another Tenant?
There are various reasons why users want to transfer SharePoint lists to another tenant, i.e.
- In cases where a company splits into two or more independent entities, data including SharePoint lists must be separated and moved to their respective new tenants.
- Organizations with multiple Microsoft 365 tenants (due to past mergers or decentralized IT) may decide to consolidate into a single tenant for better management, cost-efficiency, and compliance.
- When a company undergoes rebranding or changes its primary domain, migrating content, including SharePoint lists, to a new tenant aligned with the new identity might be necessary.
- Sometimes, tenants are restructured to better align with how teams work together. Moving lists between tenants can enable more effective sharing, collaboration, and management across departments or business units.
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure the following:
- Admin access to both source and destination SharePoint tenants
- Appropriate permissions for the lists and sites
- Microsoft 365 licensing for both tenants
- A plan for handling lookups, attachments, version history, and metadata
How to Migrate SharePoint Lists to Another Tenant – Methods
1. Manual Export/Import Using Excel and List Templates
This is the simplest method, but not ideal for complex or export SharePoint Group Members to Excel. The steps are as follows:
- Export List to Excel
- Go to the SharePoint list > Click Export to Excel.
- Save the .iqy file and open it in Excel.
- Save as .xlsx.
- Import to New List
- In the destination tenant, go to the SharePoint site > New List > From Excel.
- Upload your Excel file and map the columns.
2. Use PnP PowerShell
PnP PowerShell is a powerful tool for SharePoint administrators. Download or update SharePoint Online Management Shell, then follow the below cmdlets:
Steps:
#Connect to the source tenant:
Connect-PnPOnline -Url “https://sourceTenant.sharepoint.com/sites/siteName” -Interactive
#Export list content:
Get-PnPListItem -List “ListName” | Export-Csv -Path “listitems.csv”
#Connect to the destination tenant and import:
Connect-PnPOnline -Url “https://destinationTenant.sharepoint.com/sites/siteName” -Interactive
Import-Csv -Path “listitems.csv” | ForEach-Object {
Add-PnPListItem -List “ListName” -Values @{
“Title” = $_.Title
“OtherField” = $_.OtherField
}
}
3. Use Automated Migration Tools
The Best SharePoint Online Migration Tool is an automated utility that helps in the migration of SharePoint content, including lists, from one Microsoft 365 tenant to another. It’s especially useful when manual methods or scripting aren’t scalable for large or complex environments.
Key Features
- It supports direct migration of SharePoint content, including lists, between Microsoft 365 tenants.
- The tool can migrate various types of SharePoint lists, including custom lists, document libraries, calendars, announcements, and task lists.
- During migration, it retains critical metadata such as created/modified dates, author/editor information, and also preserves list-level and item-level permissions.
- The Delta migration feature allows you to rerun the migration process later and only transfer items that were added or modified since the last run, saving time and bandwidth.
- It includes a mapping feature to match users and groups from the source tenant to their equivalents in the destination tenant, ensuring a seamless permission structure.
- Beyond the first full migration, you can run delta migrations to sync changes without duplicating content or overwriting data unnecessarily.
- You can filter data by date range or item type to migrate only what you need, reducing migration time and post-migration cleanup.
- The tool offers a clean, GUI-based interface that doesn’t require advanced technical knowledge.
Bottom Lines!
Migrating SharePoint lists between tenants requires careful planning and the right tools. For basic lists, manual export/import or Power Automate may suffice. However, for enterprise-level migrations with attachments, metadata, and permissions, using PnP PowerShell or automated tools is the most efficient and reliable option.
Always perform a test run and document your process to ensure a smooth migration.
