Overview
Distribution lists (also known as distribution groups) are essential for organizational communication. Cloudiway's mailbox migration tool includes specialized features for identifying and provisioning distribution lists between Office 365 tenants.
What Gets Migrated
- Distribution list name and display name
- Email address and aliases
- Member list (users and nested groups)
- Owner information
- Moderation settings
Key Features
The distribution list migration feature provides:
Automated Detection
Automatically identify all distribution lists in your source environment
Bulk Import
Import distribution list mappings via CSV for large migrations
Pre-Processing
Automatically create target distribution lists before migration
Flexible Mapping
Configure custom address transformations for target lists
Prerequisites
Before beginning distribution list migration:
- Configure connectors - Set up both source and target Microsoft 365 connectors
- Verify permissions - Ensure admin accounts have Exchange Administrator role
- Plan domain strategy - Determine target email domain for distribution lists
- Review documentation - Familiarize yourself with Microsoft 365 mail migration processes
Domain Constraint
Migration Steps
- Access the Migration Area
Navigate to Mail Migration in your Cloudiway project
- Open Distribution List Section
Locate and expand the Distribution List section
- Populate the Migration List
Use the Manage dropdown to add entries:
- CSV import for bulk additions
- Manual entry for individual lists
- Automated detection via "Get List"
- Configure Mapping Rules
Set target email addresses and matching rules
- Run Pre-Processing
Create distribution lists in the target tenant
- Verify Results
Confirm lists were created with correct members
Automated Detection
The Get List option scans your source environment to identify all distribution lists automatically.
- Select Migration → Get List
- Choose your source connector
- Choose your target connector
- Configure the target email address format
- Set matching rules (avoid "Mail Exact Match")
- Specify the target domain name
- Click Get List
Configuration Options
Matching Rules
Define how source addresses map to target addresses:
- Prefix Match - Uses the part before @ with new domain
- Custom Pattern - Apply regex-based transformations
- CSV Defined - Use explicit mappings from import file
Target Domain
Specify which verified domain in the target tenant should be used for distribution list email addresses.
Best Practices
Ensure user mailboxes are migrated before distribution lists so member mappings resolve correctly.
Migrate parent groups before nested/child groups to maintain proper hierarchy.
After pre-processing, verify that all members were added correctly to target lists.
External contacts in distribution lists may need manual handling after migration.