Fix SharePoint Migration Tool Missing Files After Success
Question details
The user needs to understand why certain files are skipped during a migration to Microsoft 365 and how to resolve the issue to ensure all data is transferred.
- Product
- SharePoint Migration Tool
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Migrating files and folders to SharePoint Online or Microsoft 365 using the official migration tool.
- Observed behavior
- The migration tool completes the process and reports success, but specific files and folders are missing in the destination SharePoint environment.
Ensure you have access to the migration log files generated by the SharePoint Migration Tool and sufficient permissions to rename or move the source files.
Review Migration Reports and Correct File Restrictions
Identify the skipped files using the migration logs, then correct their names, path lengths, or sizes to comply with SharePoint Online restrictions before running the migration again.
SharePoint Online enforces strict rules regarding file formatting. If a file violates these rules, the migration tool will skip it to prevent server errors, yet it will still mark the overall migration process as successful.
Navigate to the folder where your SharePoint Migration Tool saves its logs. Open the 'ItemFailureReport.csv' or 'ScanSummary' file to view the details of the migration.
Filter the report to show skipped or failed items. Note the source paths and the specific error codes provided for each missing file.
Locate the affected files on your local drive. Remove unsupported characters such as asterisks, colons, question marks, and angle brackets from the file and folder names.
If the report indicates a path length error, flatten your folder structure or shorten folder names to ensure the entire URL path stays well under the 400-character limit.
Once all problematic files have been corrected, launch the SharePoint Migration Tool and re-run the migration job to safely transfer the previously skipped files.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the SharePoint Migration Tool report success if files are missing?
The tool evaluates the overall migration job. If the process finishes without a fatal crash, it reports success, treating files that violate SharePoint policies (like invalid names) as successfully skipped rather than failed.
What characters are invalid in SharePoint Online file names?
SharePoint Online restricts certain characters in file and folder names. You must remove characters such as " * : < > ? / \ | and leading or trailing spaces before migrating.
How do I fix the SharePoint file path length limit?
SharePoint Online has a URL path limit of 400 characters. To resolve this, you should flatten deep folder structures, shorten the names of parent folders, or migrate the data directly into a top-level document library.
Can a dropped network connection cause files to be skipped?
Yes, temporary network timeouts or connectivity interruptions during the migration process can cause the tool to skip files. Running the migration again typically resolves these network-related omissions.
