Best Way to Migrate a 400 GB SharePoint Library into Multiple Document Libraries

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Posted on by MP-07010413-0

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for best practices for a SharePoint Online migration.

I have a 400 GB document library containing multiple folders, and each folder needs to be migrated into a different document library in another SharePoint site (not a one-to-one library migration).

My main concerns are:

What's the fastest and most reliable approach?

How can I avoid SharePoint throttling and API limitations?
Is PnP PowerShell suitable, or should I use SPMT, Migration Manager, or another tool?
Is it better to migrate folder-by-folder, library-by-library, or run migrations in parallel?
Any recommendations for preserving version history, permissions, and metadata while maintaining good performance?

I'd appreciate any best practices, lessons learned, or recommendations from anyone who has handled a similar migration.

Thanks in advance!

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MS.Ragavendar 7,613 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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@MP-07010413-0,

Based on your requirement, the approach of PnP PowerShell alone for the actual content migration is not a suitable / recommended approach.

Migration Tools

ShareGate - Best tool in the market

Metalogix

Avepoint

SPMT (Microsoft Migration Manager)

these are the tools available in the market for the migration of contents from source to destination based on the pricing you can choose the relevant tool.

If this is SharePoint Online to SharePoint Online with strict requirements for version history, permissions, metadata, and reporting, evaluate a third-party migration tool which i recommended from the above list.

If the requirements are simpler and the source scenario is supported, SPMT or Migration Manager can work, but validate with a realistic pilot phase.

For e.g., If you select the Migration tool as Sharegate all the queries which you have ask that tool itself will taken care (throttling / Permission / Version history / metadata) so it depends on the product.

Similar query in the past

https://community.powerplatform.com/forums/thread/details/?threadid=a0fc270b-a890-f111-8076-7c1e52fed964

✅If this helped, please Accept as Solution to help others ❤️ A Like is appreciated 🏷️ Tag @MS.Ragavendar for follow-ups.

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Valantis 7,006 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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Hi @MP-07010413-0,

Fastest reliable approach for SPO to SPO: Microsoft Migration Manager (built into SharePoint Admin Center > Migration) is free, built-in, and handles throttling automatically with retry logic. For 400 GB it's a strong first choice before paying for third-party tools. ShareGate is the gold standard if budget allows.

Throttling: both Migration Manager and ShareGate handle throttling internally. If using PnP PowerShell manually, you'd need to implement your own backoff logic which isn't worth the effort at this scale.

Folder-by-folder vs parallel: run migrations in parallel per folder/destination library. Each migration job is independent so there's no benefit to sequential. Migration Manager lets you set up multiple tasks running simultaneously. Aim for 4-6 parallel tasks to stay below throttle limits.

Version history: confirmed supported by Migration Manager and ShareGate. PnP alone doesn't preserve version history reliably.

Best regards,

Valantis ✅ If this helped solve your issue, please Accept as Solution so others can find it quickly.

❤️ If it didn’t fully solve it but was still useful, please click “Yes” on “Was this reply helpful?” or leave a Like :).

🏷️ For follow-ups @Valantis.

📝 https://valantisond365.com/ 💼 LinkedIn ▶️ YouTube

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Haque 4,004 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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Hi @MP-07010413-0,

I vote on ShareGate - if cost can be incurred! This is one of the best tools. The good part is users can be mapped (on-prem vs online). It handles throttling using ISV.

If cost is a factor, next comes Microsoft Migration Manager that Valantis mentioned.

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