Introduction
When an employee leaves an organization or changes roles, their Google Drive files must often be transferred to a manager or a replacement employee to prevent data loss. While users can transfer ownership of individual files manually, this is impractical for thousands of documents. Google Workspace administrators can use the Admin console to transfer ownership of an entire Google Drive in bulk. This guide explains how to perform a complete Drive data transfer.
Prerequisites
You must have Super Administrator privileges in Google Workspace. Both the current owner (the source) and the new owner (the destination) must be active users within the same Google Workspace domain. You cannot transfer ownership to a standard @gmail.com account.
Important Considerations Before Transferring
- The transfer process moves all files owned by the source user, including Docs, Sheets, Slides, and uploaded files (PDFs, images). You cannot pick and choose specific folders via the Admin console bulk transfer tool.
- The source user’s account must remain active during the entire transfer process. Do not suspend or delete the account until you receive confirmation that the transfer is complete.
- Files stored in Shared Drives are not affected, as those files are owned by the organization, not the individual user.
Step 1: Access the Data Transfer Tool
Log in to the Google Workspace Admin console (admin.google.com). From the main menu, navigate to Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs.
Scroll down and click on Transfer ownership.
Step 2: Define the Source and Destination Users
The interface requires only two inputs:
- From user: Enter the email address of the employee who currently owns the files.
- To user: Enter the email address of the employee who will receive the files.
Double-check both addresses to ensure accuracy, as bulk transfers cannot be easily undone.
Step 3: Initiate the Transfer
Click the Transfer Files button. Depending on the volume of data in the source user’s Drive, the process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Google will process the transfer asynchronously in the background.
Step 4: How the Destination User Receives the Files
The transferred files do not overwrite the destination user’s existing “My Drive” structure. Instead, Google creates a new, dedicated folder in the destination user’s “My Drive.”
The folder will be named using the source user’s email address (e.g., [email protected]’s files). Inside this folder, the entire original folder structure of the source user is perfectly preserved. The destination user now has full edit and delete permissions, and the files count against their storage quota.
Step 5: Verify and Delete
Once the transfer is complete, both the administrator and the destination user will receive a confirmation email. After confirming the files are accessible in the destination Drive, you can safely suspend or delete the source user’s Google Workspace account.