Access Denied for Google Groups Migration
Resolve authentication errors during Google Groups to Office 365 migration.
Error Message
Fatal error during migration process: Initialization of Office 365 Unified [Group Name] [...] Access Denied.
Problem
During Google Groups migration to Office 365, users encounter an "Access Denied" error that prevents the migration from completing. This error occurs during the initialization phase when the platform attempts to create or connect to the target Office 365 Unified Group.
Symptoms
- • Migration fails immediately during initialization
- • Error status shows "Access Denied" in logs
- • Multiple groups may fail with the same error
Root Cause
Authentication Issue
The migration platform cannot establish a connection to your target Office 365 administrative account due to authentication issues. This typically occurs when the admin account has advanced security features enabled that interfere with programmatic access.
Solutions
1 Verify Credentials
Check that the admin credentials configured in your target connector are accurate and properly entered.
Checklist:
- ✓ Username is correct (full email format)
- ✓ Password has not expired
- ✓ Account has Global Admin or Exchange Admin role
2 Disable Security Features
The migration platform does not support certain security features. These must be deactivated for the migration admin account:
✗ Not Supported
- • ADFS/SSO authentication
- • Two-step verification (MFA)
- • Conditional Access policies
- • Security Defaults
✓ Required
- • Standard username/password
- • Basic authentication
- • Direct cloud authentication
3 Create Dedicated Migration Account
If your organization requires MFA for all admin accounts, create a dedicated migration account with appropriate exclusions:
- Create a new admin account in Office 365
- Assign Global Admin or Exchange Admin role
- Exclude from MFA and Conditional Access policies
- Use this account in your Cloudiway connector configuration
- Disable or delete the account after migration completes
4 Restart Migration
After correcting credentials and security settings, restart your migration process. The groups that previously failed should now migrate successfully.
Prevention
Best Practices
- • Test connector configuration before starting large migrations
- • Use a dedicated migration admin account
- • Document security exclusions for audit purposes
- • Verify authentication works with a small test group first
Pre-Migration Checklist
- Admin account credentials verified
- MFA disabled for migration account
- ADFS/SSO bypassed for migration account
- Conditional Access exclusion configured
- Test migration completed successfully