I'm in the process of migrating from an older Windows Server 2016 RDS server to a new Windows Server 2025 RDS server using side-by-side migration. I need to transfer existing user profiles so that users retain their data, application settings, and browser data. What's the most effective method to do this? Is using the User State Migration Tool (USMT) a good choice for this task?
4 Answers
Have you thought about doing an in-place upgrade instead? It's becoming a much easier option these days, and it could save you some hassle.
USMT can work, but I found it can add more headaches than it's worth during RDS migrations. When we switched from 2016 to 2022, we faced issues with profile bloat and broken applications like Outlook. Instead, we started using FSLogix profile containers, and it made things much smoother. Everyone's profiles stayed consistent across different hosts, login times improved, and we had fewer user complaints. For specific data needs, we opted for robocopy rather than migrating entire profiles. Just a tip: test the migration process with a small group of users first to catch potential problems with things like OST rebuilds or browser profiles.
When migrating profiles on RDS, don’t go overboard and try to move everything. Just copy the essential folders that users care about, like Desktop, Documents, and bookmarks, and let the rest renew on first login. Starting fresh will help avoid the profile bloat issue you might encounter moving from 2016 to 2025.
Have you checked out this tool? [https://www.forensit.com/move-computer.html](https://www.forensit.com/move-computer.html) It might be worth a look! Just keep in mind that it can be a bit unpredictable. Sometimes profiles migrate fine, but there are times you'll end up having to set things up manually anyway.
Yeah, I've tried TransWiz and it definitely has its quirks! It claims to be for desktops and not servers, so results may vary. Just a heads up!