As a Google Workspace administrator, transferring Google Drive data from one account to another can be necessary in several scenarios. For example, when an employee leaves the organization, you may need to transfer their Drive files to a manager or replacement person to ensure ongoing access to critical documents, preventing potential data loss. This is also helpful during role transitions or when consolidating data under a team account, allowing for easier access control and centralizing project resources. In organizational restructures, mergers, or acquisitions, transferring data ensures alignment with the new structure, maintaining continuity and minimizing disruption to workflows.
Legal and compliance requirements may also necessitate a transfer, especially if records retention, legal holds, or audit obligations are in place, as moving files to a designated account can help satisfy these requirements. Storage management is another reason; when accounts with limited storage (e.g., users with Google Workspace Business Starter license assigned) face capacity issues, moving data to accounts with more storage can help optimize space without additional costs. Finally, transferring files to accounts with stricter access controls or dedicated project owners can improve data security and enforce better access control, especially for sensitive information.
Before moving the Google Drive from one account to another, you need to ensure that both source and target accounts meet the data transfer prerequisites:
1. Login to Google Workspace Admin Console at admin.google.com
2. Navigate to Directory > Users.
This screenshot demonstrates the process of logging into the Google Workspace Admin Console and navigating to the "Directory" section, then selecting "Users" to manage user accounts.
3. From the list, select the target user account and use a filter if needed.
4. Scroll down and select Apps.
This image illustrates how to select the target user account from the list in the Google Workspace Admin Console and use a filter if necessary. It also shows the navigation to the "Apps" section for further configuration.
5. In the list of apps, ensure that Drive and Docs have status On.
The image captures the Apps section in the Google Workspace Admin Console, where the status of Drive and Docs is set to "On," confirming that these services are active for the selected user account.
The image displays the Storage Use and Settings section in the Google Workspace Admin Console, where you can review the storage usage of the target account to ensure sufficient free space is available.
When you ensure the prerequisites are met, the movement process can be started. To transfer all the files from one Google Drive account to another, you need to perform the following actions:
1. Contact both users and ask them not to add new files and not to change the folder hierarchy during the movement. If you need to move data from the Trash folder, ask the owner of the source account to move files from Trash to another location (because the content of the Trash folder is not being moved.
2. In Google Admin Console, navigate to Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs.
This image demonstrates the process of accessing the "Drive and Docs" section in the Google Workspace Admin Console under Apps > Google Workspace. This is the first step in initiating the file transfer process from one Google Drive account to another.
3. Scroll down and select Transfer Ownership.
It shows the transfer ownership option in the Google Workspace Admin Console, allowing administrators to transfer file ownership from one user to another during the Google Drive data transfer process.
4. Fill in the From user and To user fields and press Transfer Files.
The image demonstrates the process of filling in the “From user” and “To user” fields in the Google Workspace Admin Console. Once completed, clicking the "Transfer Files" button initiates the file transfer between users.
5. On the confirmation window, press OK.
The image displays the confirmation window in the Google Workspace Admin Console, where administrators can confirm the file transfer by pressing the "OK" button to finalize the process.
5. Wait for the confirmation email about the transfer completion. Notification will be sent to both users and to the admin who initiated the movement.
Usually, the user offboarding process contains data transition as one of its steps. Because of this, Google included Drive movement into the user deprovisioning wizard. To transfer the data during the user account removal, perform the following steps:
1. On the left side of Google Admin Console, navigate to Directory > Users.
The image shows the navigation path to "Directory > Users" in the Google Admin Console, a crucial step in the user offboarding process, which includes transferring data as part of account removal.
2. Select the user account you want to delete. Go to More Options> Delete selected users.
The image illustrates how to select a user account for deletion in the Google Admin Console and access the "More Options" menu to choose "Delete selected users" as part of the user offboarding process.
3. Delete User wizard opens. On the first page of the wizard, in the Data in Other Apps section, configure the transport of information from Drive: use the search field to select the target user account and decide whether to include files that are not shared.
The screenshot shows the "Delete User" wizard in the Google Admin Console, where the admin selects the target user and chooses whether to include unshared Drive files.
4. Review the other options on the page; they can be used to preserve the data from other applications, such as Gmail, Calendar, and Looker Studio, then select Delete User.
5. Press Done on the confirmation window.
The image highlights the "Done" button in the confirmation window of the Google Admin Console, which finalizes the user offboarding process.
You may need to move individual or multiple files, change ownership of shared files, perform movement of bulk drives, etc. Let’s review several movement scenarios and the options Google Workspace administrators have.
Sometimes, the movement of the entire Google Drive to another account is not exactly what you are looking for, you may need to only move individual files and folders.
The simplest way to transfer selected data from one Google Drive account to another is by using Google Drive's built-in sharing functionality. This method doesn’t require exporting or downloading files but rather involves sharing files with the target account and adjusting the permissions. Later, the recipient can simply copy the data to their drive. Here's how the current owner of the file can do it step-by-step:
1. Login to Google Drive at drive.google.com.
2. Select the file or folder that needs to be shared.
3. Press on the three dots button to access the drop-down menu and go to Share>Share.
It shows how to select a file or folder in Google Drive and access the "Share" option from the drop-down menu to initiate sharing with another user.
4. The sharing wizard opens. Use the search field at the top to select the account to which you want to transfer files.
The image shows the Google Drive sharing wizard with the search field active, allowing the user to search for and select the target account to which files will be transferred.
5. After the selection, use the drop-down menu to the right to select the permission level. Additionally, you may add an expiration date for the sharing and customize the notification message. After completing the configuration, select Send.
The image shows the Google Drive sharing settings, where the user configures permissions, sets an expiration date, and customizes the notification before clicking "Send."
6. Note that the shared icon appeared near the file name to ensure that the sharing was successful.
This screenshot highlights the shared icon next to the file name, confirming that the file has been successfully shared with the selected account.
7. Optionally, you may want to transfer the ownership of the file or folder. To do it, open a sharing wizard again. Use the drop-down menu to select the Transfer Ownership option.
This screenshot shows the Google Drive sharing wizard, where the user selects the "Transfer Ownership" option from the drop-down menu to transfer ownership of the file or folder.
8. Confirm the ownership change by pressing Yes.
The image highlights the "Yes" button in the Google Drive sharing wizard, which is used to confirm the transfer of ownership for a file or folder.
9. Back on the sharing wizard, select Done.
Information management is an important part of corporate IT services. Therefore, Google Workspace administrators face the need to perform data transfer to/from Google Drive to ensure business continuity, especially in cases of staff changes, organizational restructuring, or legal requirements. Whether you're managing a full account transfer, moving individual files, or handling user offboarding, understanding the best practices and prerequisites will help you maintain control over corporate data and ensure smooth transitions. By adopting the proper methods for each scenario, you can streamline data management, optimize storage, and enhance security—all while staying compliant with your organization's policies.
