Direct Messages Migration: Teams, Google Chat, and Slack
Understand how direct messages are migrated between collaboration platforms and the technical considerations involved.
Direct Message Migration Flow
Overview
Direct messages (DMs) and private chats between users present unique challenges during platform migrations. Unlike channel or group messages, direct messages are personal conversations that require special handling to preserve context while working within API limitations.
Cloudiway supports migrating direct messages between Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, and Slack, ensuring conversation history is preserved even as users move between platforms.
How It Works
Messages are injected into chats using the administrator account defined in the target connector. Here's the technical process:
Admin Creates Group Chat
The administrator account creates a group chat containing both conversation participants plus the admin.
Messages Are Injected
Historical messages are posted into the chat with original sender name and date metadata.
Admin Is Removed
The administrator account is automatically removed from the chat, leaving a normal peer-to-peer conversation.
API Limitations
Message Attribution
While messages technically appear to come from the administrator account, crucial context is preserved:
Preserved Information
- • Original sender's name
- • Original message date
- • Message content and formatting
- • File attachments
Technical Limitations
- • Visible timestamp shows migration date
- • Messages appear sent by admin
- • Original metadata is in message body
Example Migrated Message
Each message includes the original sender and timestamp as part of the message header.
Deduplication
The platform employs intelligent duplicate prevention to avoid migrating the same conversations multiple times.
Smart Detection
When migrating User B's messages after User A's migration is complete, the system will detect that the chat with User A has already been created and skip re-migrating those conversations.
Migration Order
Known Limitations
Deleted Content
Once messages are removed from the target platform, they won't be re-injected during subsequent migrations. The system recognizes the prior migration status.
Chronological Issues
Expanding the message injection range post-migration can create out-of-order messaging since injections follow migration dates, not original timestamps.
Chat Topic Labeling
Group chat topics may omit initiating users' names from other participants' perspectives. Manual topic editing may be required as a workaround.
Link References
Links to content from the source platform (like shared files or other messages) may not work after migration if that content wasn't also migrated.
Best Practices
📋 Planning
- • Decide on message range before migration
- • Consider which conversations are critical
- • Communicate changes to users
⚙️ Configuration
- • Set appropriate message limits
- • Configure HTML export for older messages
- • Verify admin account permissions
🧪 Testing
- • Pilot with a few users first
- • Verify message visibility
- • Check attachment accessibility
📢 Communication
- • Inform users about message format
- • Explain timestamp differences
- • Provide support for questions