In this article I will show you how to transfer/migrate Google Drive to another Google Drive account. This is done without downloading and reloading again files and folders.
We will see the difference of moving files and folders from a Google Workspace account and from a free Gmail account.
The reason why you need to follow different steps is because Google Workspace has restrictions to move files outside the organization.
It means that you can move files to another user within the same organization or domain name, but not to another domain name or to a free Gmail account.
This type of restrictions does not apply to free Google Drive that comes with your Gmail account. These steps will work to migrate a complete Google Drive or just a few folders on files.
When you are moving Google Drive, you need to consider if your present drive is going to be deleted or if you are going to lose access in the future.
This may change the way how you complete the transfer of your files. For the purpose of this article, we will refer to the original drive which is the drive where we are migrating from, and then the new drive, which is the drive where we are migrating to.
Organize all the files and folders in a single folder
Create a new folder in the original drive where we will move all the files and folders that we are going to move to the new account. A folder that you can easily recognize after you have moved your files into the new drive.
In our example this is going to be our original drive or current drive where we are going to migrate the files from. So we have here the folders on files that we want to move.
The first step as we said before is to organize the files on folders that we want to move. We will start by creating a new folder.
You can click on “New” button then click “New Folder” option.
Then you give it a name for your folder like “moving drive” then click on create.
So you have successfully created new folder.
So where we are going to do next is moving all the files and folders that we want to migrate to a single folder which is the new folder that we just created.
As an example, You can simply drag and drop the folder here inside moving drive. You can also select more than one file or folder at a time.
If you press control key and click on each folders and files, Then you can move it over the moving drive folder.
If you have any folder and file, you not interested in moving this folder so you will leave it there.
If you double click you will open the folder and you will see there your folders and files. If you look on every single folder you will see the files that are in every folder.
If you click again on your drive and you will find your folder here. Once you have moved all the folders within this new single folder, you will be ready for the next step.
Google Drive is a cloud based
storage solution that allows you to save files online and access them anywhere
from any smartphone, tablet or computer.
Google Drive gives you the power
to upload and save a range of file types such as documents, photos, audio and
videos to Google servers or the cloud using a Google account.
It is very easy to change Google
Drive file ownership.
By default, you own any file you
create in or upload to Google Drive.
If you use a personal Google
account, these are the conditions that apply.
You can invite another person
with a personal Google account to take ownership of your files and folders.
You can't invite another person
with a work or school account to take ownership of your files or folders.
The person you invite to own the
file or folder must accept your request to complete the transfer.
Now let's go to the steps to
transfer ownership of Google Drive file.
Open Google Drive, Google Docs,
Google Sheets, or Google Slides. In our case, we have moved all our files and
folders to the new folder.
Right click the file/folder you
want to transfer to someone else and then select the share menu.
Type in the e-mail address that
you want to transfer the file ownership to.
Currently, the new e-mail address
is listed as an editor.
Click the Send button.
There is now an icon to indicate
that this file is being shared.
Open the share options again.
Drop down this field and select
Transfer Ownership.
Remember that you are still the
owner of the file until the other person accepts ownership.
Click on Send Invitation.
The other person receives an
invitation to own e-mail where the person can choose to accept or decline the
transfer.
Click on Accept to approve it.
The new account now has the file
in its Google Drive account.
In the new account, check the
share access.
The new account is now the owner
in the original account is now an editor.
As a new owner of the file, the
new account can remove the original account's access to the file.
As you have read in this article tutorial,
it is an easy step to move files to another Google Drive.
In this blog, I write useful and
easy to understand article on technology related topics.
Thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon.