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How to Transfer Your Entire Google Drive to Another Account: A Definitive Guide

So, you need to migrate your entire Google Drive – every file, every folder, the whole shebang – from one account to another. Maybe you’re switching jobs, consolidating personal accounts, or handling a delicate offboarding process. Whatever the reason, you’re in the right place. The direct answer is: The most reliable and comprehensive method involves sharing your entire Google Drive folder structure with the target account, then having the target account create a copy of all the shared files and folders into their own Google Drive. Let’s delve into the nuances of this process and explore some alternative approaches.

Understanding the Nuances of Google Drive Transfers

Before diving into the step-by-step process, let’s understand the inherent complexities. Google doesn’t offer a simple “Move Everything” button. This is primarily due to ownership considerations, permissions management, and the sheer volume of data some users store. Directly transferring ownership would fundamentally alter sharing settings and potentially disrupt collaborators. Our method focuses on achieving the same end result—a complete replica of your data in the destination account—while preserving data integrity.

Step-by-Step Guide: Share and Copy Method

This is the most robust and recommended method for transferring your entire Google Drive. It works whether you’re transferring from a personal Google account to another personal account, or from a Google Workspace account.

Log in to your Source Account: Access the Google account containing the Google Drive you want to transfer.
Locate Your Drive: Go to Google Drive (drive.google.com).
Select “My Drive”: In the left-hand navigation menu, click on “My Drive.” This ensures you’re sharing the root folder of your entire drive.
Share “My Drive”: Right-click on “My Drive” and select “Share.” A sharing dialog box will appear.
Enter the Target Account’s Email Address: In the “Add people and groups” field, enter the email address of the Google account you want to transfer your files to.
Set Permissions to “Editor”: Crucially, change the permission level from “Viewer” to “Editor.” This allows the target account to copy files and folders. Click “Send.”
Target Account Acceptance: Log into the target Google account. You should receive an email notification about the shared “My Drive” folder. Alternatively, find the shared folder in the “Shared with me” section of Google Drive.
Create a New Folder in the Target Account: In the target account’s Google Drive, create a new folder. This will serve as the destination for the copied data. Name it something meaningful, like “Copied from [Source Account Name].”
Copy the Shared Files/Folders to the New Folder: This is the most time-consuming part. Select all the files and folders within the shared “My Drive” folder (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A). Right-click and select “Make a copy.” Google Drive will create copies of everything in the shared folder. These copies will initially appear scattered throughout the “My Drive” of the target account.
Move the Copies to the Destination Folder: Select all the copied files and folders (they’ll have “Copy of” in their names). Right-click and select “Move to.” Choose the folder you created in step 8 (e.g., “Copied from [Source Account Name]”) and click “Move.”
Cleanup the Shared Folder: Once you’ve verified that all files have been copied and moved successfully, you can remove the target account’s access from the original “My Drive” folder of the source account. This ensures that the source account retains ownership and that the target account only has the copies. In the source account, right-click on “My Drive”, select “Share”, and remove the target account’s email address from the list of collaborators.
Verify the Transfer: Double-check the destination folder in the target account to ensure all files and folders have been copied successfully and that the folder structure is intact.

Important Considerations:

Time: This process can take a considerable amount of time, especially if you have a large Google Drive with many files and folders. The speed depends on your internet connection and Google’s server load.
File Ownership: The target account will own the copies of the files. This is important to understand.
Sharing Permissions: Sharing permissions are not automatically transferred. You’ll need to re-establish sharing permissions for documents that require collaboration.
Google Apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides): This method works seamlessly for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
External Files: Files that are not Google native files (e.g., PDFs, images, videos) will be copied as is.
Google Photos: Google Photos is not part of Google Drive and requires a separate transfer process (see FAQ below).

Alternative Methods (Use with Caution)

While the share and copy method is the most reliable, here are a couple of alternative approaches, though they come with caveats:

Google Takeout (Download and Upload): Google Takeout allows you to download your entire Google Drive as a ZIP file. You can then upload this ZIP file to the target account. However, this method often results in a loss of folder structure and can be problematic for large drives. It’s generally not recommended for complete drive transfers. It might be useful as a backup, but not for an active transfer.
Third-Party Tools: Several third-party tools claim to facilitate Google Drive transfers. Use these with extreme caution. Many are unreliable, may compromise your data security, and may violate Google’s terms of service. Thoroughly research any tool before trusting it with your Google Drive data. We do not recommend any specific third-party tools.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions to help you navigate the Google Drive transfer process:

1. Can I transfer ownership of the files instead of copying them?

Directly transferring ownership of an entire Google Drive is not a simple process and can disrupt existing sharing permissions. The “Share and Copy” method is the most practical way to achieve a complete data migration while maintaining control over ownership in the source account until the target account has successfully created copies.

2. How long will the transfer process take?

The transfer time depends on the amount of data, your internet speed, and Google’s server load. Smaller drives might take a few hours, while larger drives with hundreds of gigabytes could take several days. Plan accordingly!

3. What happens to sharing permissions during the transfer?

Sharing permissions are not automatically transferred. The new copies in the target account will not inherit the sharing settings from the original files. You’ll need to manually re-establish sharing permissions in the target account.

4. Will my Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides retain their formatting and functionality?

Yes. When you copy Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides using the “Share and Copy” method, they retain their formatting and functionality in the target account.

5. What about files I’ve shared from my drive with others? Will those links still work?

No. The original share links associated with files in your source account will no longer work once you’ve copied the files to the target account. You’ll need to re-share the copied files from the target account to generate new shareable links.

6. How do I transfer Google Photos?

Google Photos is separate from Google Drive. To transfer Google Photos, you can use Google Takeout to download your photos and videos, and then upload them to the target account.

7. What if I encounter errors or issues during the transfer?

Check your internet connection: Ensure you have a stable internet connection.
Clear browser cache and cookies: Sometimes browser issues can interfere with the transfer process.
Try a different browser: See if the issue persists in a different browser.
Contact Google Support: If you’re still experiencing issues, contact Google Support for assistance.

8. Can I transfer specific folders instead of the entire drive?

Yes. You can apply the same “Share and Copy” method to specific folders within your Google Drive if you don’t need to transfer the entire drive.

9. What happens to files that are “owned by others” within my drive?

Files owned by others but located in your drive will not be copied. The “Share and Copy” method only copies files that you own.

10. Is there a limit to the amount of data I can transfer?

Google Drive has storage limits based on your subscription. Ensure the target account has enough storage space to accommodate the transferred data.

11. Can I automate the transfer process?

While there are no built-in automation tools, technically savvy users might explore using Google Apps Script to automate parts of the process. However, this requires programming knowledge and is not recommended for beginners.

12. After the transfer, can I delete the original files from the source account?

Yes, but only after you’ve thoroughly verified that all files have been successfully copied to the target account and that the folder structure is intact. Deleting files from the source account before verification could result in data loss.

By following this guide, you can confidently and effectively transfer your entire Google Drive to another account. Remember to prioritize data integrity and carefully verify the transfer process at each step. Good luck!