Box Migrations: Your Top Questions Answered

The information in this article applies to Stanford University Box only. It does not apply to Stanford Medicine Box.

Stanford’s move from Stanford University Box to alternate solutions is well underway. Several groups have successfully completed their migrations and many others will move their content in the upcoming months.

Here’s a short article to answer some basic questions about what to expect.

How will I move the content stored in my Box account?

While you have the option to move the content you own manually, you don’t have to.

University IT (UIT) provides a centrally-managed, automated solution to migrate files and folders from Stanford University Box to Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive on your behalf. 

Migrations are scheduled on a rolling basis, with groups moved together.

Only the files that you own will be moved. If you are listed as a “co-owner,” “editor,” or another permission level, someone else is the owner and the file will not be migrated with the content you own. Instead, these files will appear in your “Shared with me” tab if you’ve migrated to Google Drive or the “Shared” tab in OneDrive after the owner has migrated.

How will I know when it’s my turn to migrate, and what should I expect after migration?

You’ll receive email notifications from UIT ahead of your migrations. These emails will link to resources to guide you along the way. The table below shows the timeline of events.

Where will I find my migrated content?

After your migration is complete, you can access the content you own in a folder named “BoxMigration” located in your Google My Drive, or in My Files if you’ve migrated to OneDrive.

Shared content owned by a workgroup will appear in your Google Shared drives after your workgroup migrates. You will see a new Shared drive with the prefix “BOX_” followed by your workgroup name.

Content that others have shared with you will be located in the “Shared with me” tab in Google Drive or in the “Shared” tab in OneDrive.

To learn more, refer to Post-Migration Quick Guide for Google Drive Users.*

Will permissions for files and folders shared with collaborators be copied over from Box?

Permissions for Stanford collaborators will be preserved. But you may want to let your collaborators know to access the files in a new location. Sharing with people outside of Stanford won't be preserved. You’ll need to re-share your files and folders with external collaborators after your migration. We expect to be able to match permission levels across platforms for most users. However, there may be cases where the permissions between Box and Google Drive or OneDrive do not align exactly. It’s recommended that you review file permissions after the migration to ensure that sensitive content is shared appropriately. Refer to the permissions mapping table for guidance.

What resources are available to help me transition to a new solution?

A number of support materials are available on the UIT and IT Community websites to help you prepare for your migration, navigate the transition, and get comfortable collaborating in your new platform.

Refer to the table below to find the information you need.

*The majority of Stanford Box users have indicated they will migrate to Google Drive; however, more training resources for those migrating to Microsoft OneDrive will be available soon!