Google Chat to Google Chat Migration Prerequisites

Overview

Cloudiway enables migration of Google Chat data between Google Workspace tenants. This cross-tenant migration is useful for mergers, acquisitions, domain consolidations, or organizational restructuring where you need to move Google Chat Spaces and conversations from one Google Workspace environment to another.

Migration Scenario

Source: Google Workspace Tenant A → Target: Google Workspace Tenant B

What Gets Migrated

Cloudiway migrates the following Google Chat content between tenants:

Google Spaces

Space channels and structure
Space settings and configuration
Space members

Messages & Content

Text messages and replies
Images and attachments
Emoji and mentions

Files

Shared files
File metadata
File permissions

Direct Messages

1:1 direct messages
Group conversations
Conversation history

Prerequisites

Before starting the migration, ensure both source and target tenants are properly configured.

Source Tenant Configuration

Required Setup for Source Tenant

1
Google Workspace Admin Access
Super Admin access to the source Google Workspace domain
2
Service Account with Domain-Wide Delegation
Create a service account in Google Cloud Console and enable domain-wide delegation
3
Google Chat API Enabled
Enable the Google Chat API in the Google Cloud Console project
4
Cloudiway Source Connector
Configure a Google Workspace connector as source in Cloudiway

Target Tenant Configuration

Required Setup for Target Tenant

1
Google Workspace Admin Access
Super Admin access to the target Google Workspace domain
2
Service Account with Domain-Wide Delegation
Create a separate service account for the target domain
3
Google Chat API Enabled
Enable the Google Chat API in the target tenant's Cloud Console
4
Users Provisioned
Ensure target users exist and have Google Chat enabled
5
Cloudiway Target Connector
Configure a Google Workspace connector as target in Cloudiway

Two Separate Connectors Required

You must create two separate Google Workspace connectors in Cloudiway: one for the source tenant and one for the target tenant. Each connector requires its own service account with domain-wide delegation configured in its respective Google Workspace Admin Console.

Google Chat API Configuration

The Google Chat API must be configured correctly in both source and target tenants. Follow these steps for each tenant:

Step 1: Enable Google Chat API

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Select your project (or create a new one)
3. Navigate to APIs & Services → Library
4. Search for "Google Chat API"
5. Click Enable

Step 2: Configure Chat App Settings

1. In Google Cloud Console, go to APIs & Services → Google Chat API
2. Click on Configuration
3. Set the App name (e.g., "Cloudiway Migration")
4. Set an Avatar URL (can use Cloudiway logo URL)
5. Under Interactive features, enable the app
6. For Connection settings, set the App URL
7. Set Authentication Audience to Project Number

Step 3: Configure Domain-Wide Delegation

1. Go to Google Admin Console
2. Navigate to Security → API Controls → Domain-wide Delegation
3. Click Add new
4. Enter the service account's Client ID
5. Add the required OAuth scopes (see below)
6. Click Authorize

Required OAuth Scopes

The following OAuth scopes must be authorized for domain-wide delegation in both source and target tenants:


https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.spaces
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.spaces.readonly
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.messages
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.messages.readonly
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.memberships.readonly
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.admin.spaces
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.admin.spaces.readonly
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.admin.memberships
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.admin.memberships.readonly

Additional Scopes for Files

If migrating files shared in Google Chat, you may also need Google Drive scopes. See the Google Workspace Connector Configuration article for the complete list.

Limitations

Be aware of the following limitations when migrating Google Chat between tenants:

Not Migrated

• Reactions on messages
• Read/unread status
• Message editing history
• Pinned messages status
• Scheduled messages

Considerations

• Message timestamps preserved
• Author attribution maintained
• External users need re-invitation
• Space URLs will change
• Integrations/bots not migrated

Best Practices

Plan Your User Mapping

Create a comprehensive mapping between source and target users before migration. Ensure all Space members have corresponding accounts in the target tenant.

Run a Pilot Migration

Test with a small subset of Spaces before migrating your entire Google Chat environment. This helps identify any configuration issues.

Communicate with Users

Inform users about the migration schedule and that they'll need to access their conversations in the new tenant after migration.

Verify Licenses

Ensure all target users have appropriate Google Workspace licenses with Google Chat enabled before starting migration.

Schedule During Low Usage

Plan the migration during off-peak hours to minimize disruption and ensure optimal migration performance.

Ready to Start?

Once you've completed all prerequisites, create your source and target connectors in the Cloudiway platform and begin mapping your Google Chat Spaces for migration.