During and After Your Migration
A guide to help you transition out of Box
During migration
If you have files in your Box account at the time of your scheduled migration, UIT will migrate your content for you. No action will be required of you during the migration unless your help is needed to resolve any errors (uncommon for most users). Migration is an automated process; there’s no need for you to leave your computer turned on. You can continue to access your content during the migration, but keep these points in mind.
Limit editing Box files
Continue accessing your files in Box as needed but do try to limit editing or adding or uploading new content as much as possible.
Refrain from moving or deleting files
Refrain from manually moving, renaming, deleting files and folders, changing permissions, and removing collaborators until the migration is complete.
Do not edit files in the migration folder
Do not edit the files being copied over in the migration folder on Google Drive or OneDrive until you get an email confirming that your data has migrated.
Post-migration
After your migration is complete, check that your content appears as expected and take a few steps to ensure uninterrupted collaboration. Visit the Post-Migration Quick Guide for Google Drive Users to learn how to access your content in Google Drive after the migration. If you migrated to OneDrive, visit the Post-Migration Quick Guide for OneDrive Users.
Access files and folders via the web
Locate the files in your Google Drive or OneDrive account and confirm your data looks as expected.
- Log into Google Drive: View content in the My Drive tab
- Log into OneDrive: View content in the My files tab
About shared files
If you don't see a file or folder, it may be because someone else at Stanford owns the file and it was shared with you. That shared content will become visible to you when its owner is migrated. Until that time, you can continue to view its contents in Box or encourage the owner to begin collaborating on the file in Google Drive or OneDrive.
Delete migration folder, if empty
If you did not own any content in Stanford Box, you will still see a folder created in your Google My Drive named “BoxMigration, ” but the folder will be empty. Once you receive an email confirming that the migration is complete, you may delete that empty folder.
Reshare files with external collaborators
Permissions for files and folders shared with people outside of Stanford will not be copied over. You'll need to re-share your files and folders with external collaborators after your migration.
Update Box links
Update sharing links that point to Box content. Links will continue to work after migration but will stop working when the service goes away in February 2023.
Review file permissions
We expect to be able to match permission levels across platforms for most users. However, permissions for top-level files in OneDrive accounts will need to be reset for all collaborators.
There may be cases where the permissions between Box and Google Drive or OneDrive do not align exactly. Ensure that sensitive content is shared appropriately.
Refer to the permissions mapping table.
Permissions after migration
Some Box permissions — such as Editor and Viewer — have equivalents in Google Drive and OneDrive, so these permissions are matched when files and folder are migrated from Box to the new platform. However, some Box permissions do not have an exact match in Google Drive or OneDrive. These permissions will map per the table below.
Note that some Box permissions — such as Viewer Uploader — will map to less-restrictive permissions in Google Drive and OneDrive. You may wish to change permission levels once your content has been migrated.
| Box | Google Drive | Google Shared drives | Microsoft OneDrive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Owner | Manager | Owner |
| Co-owner | Editor | Manager | Edit |
| Editor | Editor | Content Manager | Edit |
| Viewer | Viewer | Viewer | View |
| Viewer Uploader | Editor | Contributor | Edit |
| Uploader | Editor | Contributor | Edit |
| Previewer | Viewer | Viewer | View |
| Previewer Uploader | Editor | Contributor | Edit |
For more information about permissions in the various platforms, including how to change permissions see:
- Box: Understanding Collaboration Permission Levels
- Google Drive: Share files from Google Drive
- Google Drive: Share Google Files Securely at Stanford
- Microsoft OneDrive: Share files and folders in OneDrive
Frequently Asked Questions
To learn more about why we're transitioning away from Stanford University Box, and what you can expect before, during, and after the process, review our FAQs. Check back often as we'll continue to add information.
Additional information can be found on the Before You Migrate webpage.
Get help
If you have questions, please submit a Help request. If you have questions about your migration schedule or should you not be able to access your content as expected, please contact your local IT support team.
