Transferring Google Drive Files to a Personal Account

Summary:

  • Good news:  You can easily transfer your data to another Google account and it is an easy procedure.
  • Bad news: You might have to purchase more storage space on the personal account you are transferring to and the process is slow.

How to transfer:

The process is easy however very, very slow.  So I recommend that you start working on it ASAP.    Also, you need to ensure that the account you are transferring to has enough disk space.  If not, you might have to purchase more space from Google BEFORE starting the transfer.  It will stop in the middle of the process, if you don’t have enough space for the files and emails you have designated for transfer.  To see how much data you have and how to purchase more space on a personal account, go here https://support.google.com/drive/answer/6374270?hl=en#:~:text=To%20see%20how%20much%20space,delete%20files%20to%20clear%20space.

  1. Using a computer or Chromebook, log into your Google account and  from within any Google app (Drive, Classroom, Docs, etc), click on the upper right where your picture or icon is for your Google Account.
  2. Click on “Manage Account“.
  3. Located in the top under the Data and Privacy heading you will see  “Transfer your content”.
  4. When you click on “Start Transfer”, you can specify exactly what you want transferred and to where.  Once again, make sure the target account has the space!  You can’t transfer some items to one Google account and others to a different one.

The process is done in the background of Google operations and mostly takes place in off-peak hours.  Therefore, depending on how much data you have, this could take days or even a few weeks to complete.  So I recommend that you give enough time for this to occur.