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IT Service Status
IT Service Status

During the Migration

Moving On

Learn what to expect while your Box content moves to its new Microsoft file-sharing environment. Box individual accounts will move to OneDrive. Box Organizational accounts (an account owned by a department, unit, or group) will move to SharePoint.

At this point, you will have received advance notice of your migration date, including a final reminder on the day of your migration. Migrations are scheduled on Fridays, beginning at noon (CDT). At that time, your Box account will be set to read-only. What is read-only mode?

Most migrations are complete by the following Monday. However, your migration could take longer depending on how much data you have in Box. You will receive an email from Northwestern IT confirming that your migration is complete.

During the migration, please keep the following items in mind:

  • The migration is an automated process, and at no time is data viewable to others.
  • Personal files in Box, for which you are the owner, will move to OneDrive into a single folder called _FromNUBox.
  • Box Notes will also move into OneDrive and convert to Word documents. Some documents may require minor formatting updates. Learn more.
  • Box Organizational account content will move to an existing SharePoint site. If one does not exist, a new SharePoint site will be created at the time of migration.
  • Folder structures and file versions will be retained during the migration. Permissions will also transfer for files and folders shared with specific invited individuals at Northwestern.
  • You will need to re-share content with external collaborators. If broadly sharing information with the Northwestern community is necessary, you will need to generate new links. However, we recommend limiting your use of the “People in Northwestern University with the link” option. Instead, focus on sharing with specific people or groups.
  • Comments in Box will not carry over to OneDrive and SharePoint. However, you can add new comments to OneDrive files.
  • Assigned Tasks in Box will not be replicated in OneDrive and SharePoint. However, you can use Teams to assign new tasks to your OneDrive files.
  • If you use SAFER, please know that SAFER-managed data in Box will move to a SharePoint Secure Site. If applicable to you, review SharePoint Secure Site features. 

About Shared Files

During your migration, files and folders for which you are the owner will be moved. After the migration, if you do not see a folder in your OneDrive or SharePoint account that you expect to see, it may be because someone else at Northwestern owns the folder and has shared it with you. That shared folder in OneDrive or SharePoint will become visible to you when its owner is migrated. Until that time, you can continue to view its contents in Box.

Learn More

  • Review several situations that will cause content to not migrate properly, including locked files, a 400-character limit to file paths, and a limit on the number of documents that can be in a single folder. View steps to ensure these issues do not impact your migration. 
  • Consider using OneDrive as your home base to access documents stored in OneDrive and SharePoint. If you haven't already done so, log in to OneDrive and activate your account. Once activated, you may wish to download and install the OneDrive app on your computer. Download for Windows and Mac. To access your content from a mobile device or tablet, download the OneDrive app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
  • Review the Frequently Asked Questions web page for answers to commonly asked questions.
  • Visit the Support and Education Resources page to find how-to guides, video tutorials, LinkedIn Learning online course offerings, and a short list of situations you may encounter with workarounds.

Support

If you experience issues accessing your files or folders after the move to OneDrive and SharePoint, please contact your school or department IT support.

Students, faculty, staff, and affiliates not supported directly by a school or department should contact the IT Service Desk at consultant@northwestern.edu or 847-491-4357 (1-HELP).