The Countdown is On: Get Content Exported from MS Teams Wiki Before it's Too Late

Are you frustrated like thousands of MS Teams Wiki users, who have been storing their data in the wiki tab for years and don't want to lose a single file? Well, you're not alone! As you may have heard, MS Teams will be suspending its built in Wiki support as of June 2023 and this has left many people wondering what to do next and how to manage their data. This is why we have dedicated our today's blog post to exploring the export options available to MS Teams Wiki users who don't want to manually copy paste everything. Keep on reading and find out all the possible solutions to ensure none of your data gets lost!

💡 Unanswered questions remain. What are the export options? We're suggested by the Microsoft to use OneNote. But Could this be the perfect solution to the problem of exporting data? We know that OneNote is the obvious option for exporting data from MS Teams Wiki, but there is an even more efficient solution that is yet to be revealed! The team of Perfect Wiki developers has something even better and more efficient than the export options OneNote offers. And how much user effective and comfortable is Perfect Wiki than OneNote? Stay tuned to find out!

What's the timeline for Wiki's deprecation?

So, let's start with the stages of the support suspension. Wiki will be retired along the following stages: 

Stage 1: February 2023 to March 2023

Users won't be able to create new wikis, but they will be able to access—that is, read and write for—their existing wikis. Users can also export their content to OneNote. Once a user has done so, the Wiki version will be read-only.

After exporting, each wiki in a channel will appear as a separate section in OneNote, and each wiki page will be a separate OneNote page.  

Stage 2: Mid-2023

In this stage, channels' Wiki tabs will no longer be supported. Users will still be able to access—that is, read and write—content in the Wiki app. It will be easy to navigate from the deprecated channel Wiki tabs to the Wiki app. Users will also be able to export their content to OneNote. As in Stage 1, it will no longer be possible to create new wikis. 

Stage 3: January 2024

From this point onward, neither Wiki tabs nor the Wiki app will be accessible through Teams. Users will no longer have the ability to export their wikis. However, users will still be able to download their wiki files from SharePoint

It may seem like you have all the time in the world to get started, but don't let the clock tick away! Don't wait until the last minute, because the support for the Wiki will be phased out starting June 2023. So why not take advantage of the time and resources you have now? Invest in yourself, take action and get started!

How are things with the Wiki now?

So, let's see what MS Teams built in Wiki looks like now.

The first thing you're about to see now is the notification banner, saying that Wiki tabs will go away in June 2023:

We also get the suggestion to export content of the Wiki to a Notes tab (OneNote). 

But you can also get a different message for your private channels, suggesting just copying and pasting the info to One Note, not very convenient, isn't it? 

Anyway, let's find out what export to OneNote has in stock for us.

Export to OneNote

How to export MS Teams Wiki to OneNote 

Before converting your Wiki pages, we strongly recommend:

• Running a backup and downloading an archive from SharePoint
• Exporting data per channel or tab, rather than as a bulk, gives you more control over the process, and lets you track any losses. 
• Before the actual conversion, it's important to do a test run. 

The process is really easy and will take just a couple of clicks:

Step 1: Click ‘Get details’ button and we're immediately suggested to start the export procedure to OneNote

Step 2: Hit ‘Export to Notes button’

Step 3: After the loading is over, hit ‘Finish’ button and you're done

💡 But be careful! After Finishing the Export Procedure, your Wiki tab will become just a reader-only version of your data: no editing rights or adding new content, all that is to be done in OneNote/Notes tab. See picture below.

OneNote Structure

Talking about the structure in OneNote: your Teams name becomes the name of the Notebook, channel name - section name, page and section is still the same.

Bottom line 

When it comes to exporting, there are some key factors to keep in mind:

• The quality of the export may not always be up to standard. In some cases, images may not be exported (as it was in my case), leaving only plain text on the page which can make it difficult to export more complex structures. 
• Linking between Wiki pages will be lost during the export, just as well as all your comment section. 
• Your comments will be moved to the post tab in the same channel, nevertheless as soon as the Wiki pages will be deleted - your comments will be gone forever as well. 

On the one hand, OneNote is unable to provide the essential features inherent to a wiki, such as searching, importing and exporting files, as well as the ability to assign access rights to team members and track changes. These features are essential to any collaborative project, and their absence in OneNote severely limits its potential as a powerful tool for such a purpose.

On the plus side, having all your notes in one place and not having to switch between different channels and tabs in MS Teams can be a real time-saver.  All in all, the process is swift and easy - just a few clicks! 

However, you may not be entirely satisfied with the quality of the data conversion. Is there an alternative that will be more precise? Rest assured - we have a solution that's just right for you.

Export to Perfect Wiki

Perfect Wiki is an internal knowledgebase integrated into MS Teams, just as built in Wiki is. But with Perfect Wiki made a step further in the development, enabling lots of new functions and functionalities that built in Wiki lacked.

Now, when the built in Wiki is being phased out - it's about time to try new solutions! You can export all your data from MS Teams Wiki to Perfect Wiki within a couple of minutes and here's how:

How to export MS Teams Wiki to Perfect Wiki

• Add Perfect Wiki to the channel with your built-in wiki content (just hit ‘+’ and find Perfect Wiki in the Apps)
• Open Perfect Wiki and choose ‘Import pages’ option (bottom left hand corner)
• Follow the link to open built in wiki files in SharePoint
• In SharePoint, select a folder with the name of your channel. Click “...“ then “Download”
• Click “Import” button below and select recently downloaded zip archive
• You're done!
• All your data will be automatically transformed to Perfect Wiki format

Perfect Wiki Structure

The page remains the same with the exact same title and sections becoming headings (that are transferred into an interactive table of contents). All tables and images will be converted, however, comments may not be preserved. The formatting remains largely the same, with some minor differences. The transition may require some more effort, but the result is an organized and professional page. 

Bottom line

What's more, Perfect Wiki offers a number of amazing features to help you streamline your workflow and take control of your data. You'll have access to a quick typo-tolerant search function, a variety of professional templates, media embedding and an AI generator. Plus, you'll be able to export and import your data in HTML and PDF formats, share your content with others and track changes with the version history.

Experience the power of Perfect Wiki with a 14 days free trial of the Premium plan and see just how much easier managing your workflow can be! There's no obligation, so why not give it a try today?

Try Perfect Wiki today!

Conclusion

Importing data from Built in Wiki to other solutions is essential in order to ensure data continuity and successful development. There are numerous tools to make the process easier, but it's important to remember that migration is time-consuming and requires careful planning and testing. Perfect Wiki offers a streamlined, user-friendly and comprehensive knowledgebase, with vast capabilities to ensure your team can store, access and share information quickly and efficiently. Try Perfect Wiki today to unlock its full potential.
 

References

• Official MS Guide On How-to ‘Export a wiki to a OneNote notebook’ Export a wiki to a OneNote notebook - Microsoft Support