How to Transfer Google Drive Files to Another Account 🔗

Transferring files from one Google Drive account to another is a common task many users have to perform. Whether you’re switching accounts, consolidating multiple Drives, or sharing files with someone else, moving files between accounts is simple with the right method. In this guide, I’ll walk you through several ways to transfer files between Google Drive accounts efficiently.

Use the Share Feature

The easiest way to move files to another Drive account is by using Google Drive’s built-in sharing feature. Here’s how:

1. Log into the source account and locate the files/folders you want to transfer.
2. Select the files/folders, right-click and choose “Share”.
3. In the sharing window, enter the email address of the destination account you want to transfer the files to.
4. Set permissions to allow edit access. This allows the other account to become the owner later.
5. Click Send. The files will now be shared with the other account.

Once shared, to transfer ownership:

1. Ask the new account owner to log into their Drive account.
2. Locate the shared files, click the three-dot menu > Make owner.
3. The files now belong to the new account!

The share method works great for transferring ownership of files while preserving edits and revisions history. However, you can only transfer files one by one, so it’s not ideal for migrating entire Drive accounts.

Use Google Takeout

Google Takeout lets you export all files from one Drive account, then re-import them into another. Here’s how it works:

1. In the source account, open Google Takeout.
2. Deselect all data and only select Google Drive.
3. Click All Drive data included, then Deselect all.
4. Tick the boxes next to My Drive and any Shared Drives you want to transfer.
5. Scroll down and click Next. Choose export format .zip file.
6. Wait for the export to complete. This can take hours or days depending on how much data you have.
7. Once ready, download the .zip file to your computer.
8. Log into the destination Drive account, go to My Drive > Upload, select the .zip file.
9. Unzip the folder to import all files into the new account.

Takeout maintains the original folder structure and shares files exactly as they were, making it easy to replicate an entire Drive in a new location. Just be mindful of the 2-3 day export time for large Drives!

Use a Cloud Sync Service

Using a dedicated cloud sync service is the fastest way to copy entire Drive accounts. Services like MultCloud and Mover offer direct account-to-account transfer without downloads or uploads.

The process looks like this:

1. Connect both source and destination Drive accounts to the cloud sync service.
2. Select which files/folders to transfer. You can choose entire accounts or specific files.
3. The service will directly copy files between the two accounts over the cloud.
4. You can track sync progress and re-sync anytime.

Cloud sync services transfer files far quicker than Takeout by leveraging direct account access instead of exports. This makes them ideal for large migrations of hundreds of GBs or more. Most services have free tiers, so you can test them out without paying.

Manual Download and Re-Upload

If you only need to migrate a few files, a manual download and re-upload is quick and straightforward:

1. In the source Drive account, select the files and download them to your computer.
2. Log into the destination account and access the My Drive area.
3. Upload the files from your computer to the new Drive location.
4. The files are now available in the destination account!

While easy to do, the manual method has some downsides to consider:

• Re-uploading means losing original upload dates and edit histories.
• You must individually select each file to transfer, making it time consuming for many files.
• Your local storage must have enough free space to temporarily store all files.

So while fine for small transfers, use one of the other methods for migrating larger Drive accounts.

Transfer Ownership in Admin Console

If you manage a G Suite/Workspace domain, you can transfer file ownership of user Drives in the Admin Console. This allows administrators to easily migrate Drive content between accounts.

To transfer ownership:

1. Go to Admin Console > Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs.
2. Click Transfer ownership.
3. Enter the current owner’s username in the “From” field.
4. Enter the new owner’s username in the “To” field.
5. Click Transfer ownership.

All owned files in the source account will become owned by the destination account. Keep this admin power handy for bulk user transfers or offboarding!

Best Practices When Transferring Files

Keep these tips in mind for smooth Google Drive migrations:

• For entire accounts, use Takeout or a sync service instead of manual transfers.
• When using Takeout, export just Drive data instead of other Google products.
• Sync services transfer ownership and sharing links automatically.
• Share files instead of transferring to keep revision history intact.
• Clean up and organize Drives first before transferring data.
• Make copies of files before attempting a transfer, in case issues come up.

Summary

I hope this overview gives you a better grasp of the main methods to securely transfer Google Drive files between accounts. Whether you need to migrate your personal Drive or manage company file transfers, one of these options should fit the bill nicely. Just remember to use the share feature for individual files, Takeout or sync services for entire accounts, and Drive admin tools for managed company transfers.

Transferring files from one Google Drive account to another is a common task many users have to perform. Whether you’re switching accounts, consolidating multiple Drives, or sharing files with someone else, moving files between accounts is simple with the right method. In this guide, I’ll walk you through several ways to transfer files between Google Drive accounts efficiently.

Use the Share Feature

The easiest way to move files to another Drive account is by using Google Drive’s built-in sharing feature. Here’s how:

1. Log into the source account and locate the files/folders you want to transfer.
2. Select the files/folders, right-click and choose “Share”.
3. In the sharing window, enter the email address of the destination account you want to transfer the files to.
4. Set permissions to allow edit access. This allows the other account to become the owner later.
5. Click Send. The files will now be shared with the other account.

Once shared, to transfer ownership:

1. Ask the new account owner to log into their Drive account.
2. Locate the shared files, click the three-dot menu > Make owner.
3. The files now belong to the new account!

The share method works great for transferring ownership of files while preserving edits and revisions history. However, you can only transfer files one by one, so it’s not ideal for migrating entire Drive accounts.

Use Google Takeout

Google Takeout lets you export all files from one Drive account, then re-import them into another. Here’s how it works:

1. In the source account, open Google Takeout.
2. Deselect all data and only select Google Drive.
3. Click All Drive data included, then Deselect all.
4. Tick the boxes next to My Drive and any Shared Drives you want to transfer.
5. Scroll down and click Next. Choose export format .zip file.
6. Wait for the export to complete. This can take hours or days depending on how much data you have.
7. Once ready, download the .zip file to your computer.
8. Log into the destination Drive account, go to My Drive > Upload, select the .zip file.
9. Unzip the folder to import all files into the new account.

Takeout maintains the original folder structure and shares files exactly as they were, making it easy to replicate an entire Drive in a new location. Just be mindful of the 2-3 day export time for large Drives!

Use a Cloud Sync Service

Using a dedicated cloud sync service is the fastest way to copy entire Drive accounts. Services like MultCloud and Mover offer direct account-to-account transfer without downloads or uploads.

The process looks like this:

1. Connect both source and destination Drive accounts to the cloud sync service.
2. Select which files/folders to transfer. You can choose entire accounts or specific files.
3. The service will directly copy files between the two accounts over the cloud.
4. You can track sync progress and re-sync anytime.

Cloud sync services transfer files far quicker than Takeout by leveraging direct account access instead of exports. This makes them ideal for large migrations of hundreds of GBs or more. Most services have free tiers, so you can test them out without paying.

Manual Download and Re-Upload

If you only need to migrate a few files, a manual download and re-upload is quick and straightforward:

1. In the source Drive account, select the files and download them to your computer.
2. Log into the destination account and access the My Drive area.
3. Upload the files from your computer to the new Drive location.
4. The files are now available in the destination account!

While easy to do, the manual method has some downsides to consider:

• Re-uploading means losing original upload dates and edit histories.
• You must individually select each file to transfer, making it time consuming for many files.
• Your local storage must have enough free space to temporarily store all files.

So while fine for small transfers, use one of the other methods for migrating larger Drive accounts.

Transfer Ownership in Admin Console

If you manage a G Suite/Workspace domain, you can transfer file ownership of user Drives in the Admin Console. This allows administrators to easily migrate Drive content between accounts.

To transfer ownership:

1. Go to Admin Console > Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs.
2. Click Transfer ownership.
3. Enter the current owner’s username in the “From” field.
4. Enter the new owner’s username in the “To” field.
5. Click Transfer ownership.

All owned files in the source account will become owned by the destination account. Keep this admin power handy for bulk user transfers or offboarding!

Best Practices When Transferring Files

Keep these tips in mind for smooth Google Drive migrations:

• For entire accounts, use Takeout or a sync service instead of manual transfers.
• When using Takeout, export just Drive data instead of other Google products.
• Sync services transfer ownership and sharing links automatically.
• Share files instead of transferring to keep revision history intact.
• Clean up and organize Drives first before transferring data.
• Make copies of files before attempting a transfer, in case issues come up.

Summary