How to Migrate from Firmex: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Why Teams are Leaving Firmex

The most common reasons why customers leave Firmex are pricing transparency, file-storage friction, and vendor uncertainty. Firmex was acquired by Datasite in 2021, and while Firmex remains operational, some teams are wondering if the platform will be retired. 

What teams are considering when looking at Firmex: 

1. Rumors of Firmex Sunsetting: Peony, a competing VDR provider, published a piece in March 2026 claiming that Firmex is being actively sunsetted, citing stalled product development, staff reductions, and what they describe as the possible dissolution of Firmex's corporate entity into Datasite's structure
2. Activity tracking stops at the document level. Firmex can show you which documents each buyer opened, when, and whether they downloaded, but not which pages they read, how long they spent on each section. Teams that want engagement signals at the page or section level need a different tool.
3. They are factoring long-term vendor risk, since Firmex is now owned by Datasite and some buyers interpret that as a sign the product could eventually be deprioritized or even retired.
4. Unpredictable costs, Firmex uses fully custom, quote-based pricing with no published rates. Storage overages, per-user add-ons, and early termination fees.
5. Duplication of files. Firmex hosts files inside its own environment,which means teams already working in Google Drive or Dropbox must maintain two parallel file systems and manually re-upload documents every time they’re updated..
6. Internal reviews suggest the product has slowed innovation in recent years, with most resources focused on efficiency improvements rather than new features.

If you're still evaluating options, see our full breakdown of Firmex alternatives. 

Exiting Firmex Safely

Step 1: Inventory Your Current Room

Before finding another platform, document the full scope of what exists in Firmex. Gaps discovered later are far more disruptive than spending a few hours to understand your current Firmex deployement.

For each active project, capture:

1. The complete folder hierarchy and any naming conventions used to guide recipients
2. The full document list, identifying active deal materials 
3. Group user permissions at the folder and sub-folder level as per the Firmex permission guide
4. Document-level restrictions: view-only access, print/download blocks, watermarks, expiry dates, check firmex’s document protection options
5. Which external parties, buyers, investors can see which folders hiding content from users

Export the Firmex Access Report first. It lists content roles, protections, expiry settings, and hidden items across the project, and becomes the spreadsheet blueprint for rebuilding access in the new VDR. Find it under Project Reports.

Step 2: Decide What Needs to Move

Not every document in Firmex needs to migrate. Re-check what’s currently needed going forward.

1. Must-move: folders and documents tied to current or upcoming transactions
2. Reference material: useful but not deal-critical; decide whether it follows you or stays archived
3. Stays in place: content with regulatory, contractual, or internal policy requirements

Use Firmex's folder management tools to isolate current-deal content before export. 

Step 3: Export Everything You Need

Here is what you should aim to export from Firmex before closing the room:

For large projects, Firmex recommends splitting the ZIP into multiple smaller exports. 

Step 4: Rebuild your Folder Structure in the New Platform

Using the exported Firmex index as your map, recreate the room structure in the destination platform. Standard top-level folders for most deal processes: Corporate, Financial, Legal, HR, Tax, Commercial. Sub-folder naming does not need to match Firmex exactly, but staying close reduces disorientation for recipients. 

Set base permissions on top-level folders first, then layer exceptions at lower levels using the access report from Step 3 as your reference.

Step 5: Rebuild and Test Permissions

Work through the access report group by group:

1. Define groups mirroring your Firmex setup: Seller, Buyer 1, Buyer 2, Legal Advisors, and so on
2. Set default access rights at top-level folders based on the report
3. Layer exceptions for folders restricted to specific parties, mirroring the No Access and hidden-from-group logic used in Firmex
4. Replicate watermarks, expiry dates, and download or print restrictions from your Firmex account.

Before inviting any external parties, have a small internal group validate the room:

1. Each audience sees only what it should
2. Links behave correctly across devices and scenarios
3. Audit logs are capturing actions as expected

Step 6: Run Both Platforms in Parallel

Keep Firmex live for a short overlap period, typically one to two weeks depending on deal complexity, before completing the migration

1. Maintain full Firmex access for all existing users as a fallback
2. Invite a small internal group and ideally one trusted external party into the new room first
3. Have them work normally and collect feedback, real usage surfaces issues that checklists miss
4. Monitor activity tracking, adjust structure or permissions as needed, then expand access once everything is confirmed

Step 7: Communicate the Change to External Stakeholders

Send a clear message before sending access, not at the moment of it.

State that you are moving on a new data room platform

1. That all documents and access rights have been replicated and validated
2. The specific date the new room becomes primary and when Firmex access closes
3. Any practical benefits recipients will notice, keeping the emphasis on continuity

Keep in mind that new access links need to be sent to your newly created data rooms. It’s recommended that you do this individually for each stakeholder so they understand the change.

Step 8: Close out your Firmex Environment

Once all active stakeholders have been given access to your new data rooms

1. Download a final archive of the data room structure and any activity reports not yet exported
2. Lock or close the project so no new access can be granted
3. Speak with your Firmex account representative about contract terms and formal account closure

Do not discard the exports from Step 3. The Firmex index, user list, access report, and activity logs are the permanent historical record of what was in the room, who saw it, and when.

How to setup Orangedox as an Alternative

What Orangedox does Differently

Traditional VDRs host your files inside their own environment, requiring manual re-upload for every document change. Orangedox sits as a secure layer on top of your Google Drive or Dropbox storage, turning folders your team already manages into virtual data rooms with page-by-page tracking, access controls, watermarking, NDA gating, team management, and branding. Any changes made in Drive or Dropbox sync automatically to the data room, no upload step, no duplicate file versions.

Setting up your Orangedox Data Room

1. Recreate the folder structure in Google Drive or Dropbox. Using the Firmex index, create a top-level deal folder, for example, Deal Project Atlas and recreate the familiar sub-structure underneath it. Unzip the Firmex export and move files into the corresponding folders. 
2. Connect Orangedox and create the data room. Sign in, authorise Orangedox to access your storage, select the top-level deal folder and for your data room. There is no upload step and no separate copy of your files to maintain.
3. Rebuild your permission model. Using your Firmex access report as the reference, create separate Orangedox links or rooms for each buyer group or advisor audience. For each group, configure which subfolders are visible, download or preview-only access, dynamic watermarks, and expiry settings. Orangedox supports NDA gating if your process requires it before granting access.
4. Run the parallel period. Keep Firmex live while a small internal group validates the Orangedox room. Because Orangedox syncs directly from Drive or Dropbox, any documents updated during the overlap period are already current in the room, no re-upload required.

Firmex Export Checklist

Before closing any Firmex room, confirm you have pulled all of the following:

Store all five alongside your new data room as a permanent archive.

Orangedox Setup Checklist - Firmex Migration

Conclusion

Migrating from Firmex to Orangedox is a manageable process when approached in phases. The core principle is simple: export everything before you close anything, validate before you send out access, and communicate changes to external stakeholders.

The eight-step exit process ensures your historical audit trail, permissions model, and document structure are fully preserved. Using Orangedox setup eliminates the biggest friction point of traditional VDR migrations, because your files live in Drive or Dropbox, there is no parallel file system to maintain and no re-upload required when documents change.

Teams that run the parallel period seriously, with real users doing real work, will catch edge cases that checklists miss. Those that skip it tend to discover problems at the worst possible moment, mid-deal, in front of a buyer.

Done properly, the cutover should be invisible to your recipients. That is the benchmark worth aiming for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will recipients lose access to documents during the migration? Not if you follow the parallel period in Step 6. Keep Firmex live until all stakeholders have been moved across and confirmed access in the new room. 

Do I need to re-upload all my files into Orangedox? No. Orangedox connects directly to your existing Google Drive or Dropbox storage. Once you recreate your folder structure there and create a data room from the top-level folder, your files are live immediately, no upload step required.

How long should I run both platforms in parallel? One to two weeks is typical for most deals. More complex rooms with many buyer groups or tight permission structures may warrant a longer overlap. The deciding factor is not time, it is confirmation from real users that everything works as expected.

Does Orangedox support NDA gating and watermarks like Firmex does? Yes. Orangedox supports NDA gating natively, dynamic watermarks, expiry dates, and download or preview-only restrictions. These are configured per link or per room, allowing you to set different rules for each buyer group or advisor audience.

What if document changes are made during the migration overlap period? Because Orangedox syncs directly from Drive or Dropbox, any updates made to files during the overlap period are automatically reflected in the data room. There is no need to re-upload revised versions.