How to Transfer Ownership of Google Drive Folders to Another User

When an employee leaves a company or changes departments, their Google Drive files must often be transferred to a new owner to ensure business continuity. While transferring ownership of an individual file is straightforward, transferring an entire folder hierarchy requires a specific understanding of how Google Workspace handles file permissions.

The Limitation of Folder Ownership

In Google Drive’s “My Drive,” changing the ownership of a folder does not automatically change the ownership of the files within that folder. If you transfer a folder to a colleague, they own the “container,” but you still own the documents inside. If your account is eventually deleted, those files will disappear, even though the new owner still possesses the folder.

How to Transfer Ownership (End-User Method)

If you are an end-user attempting to hand over files, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Drive and select the folder you wish to transfer.
2. Right-click the folder and select Share.
3. If the new owner is not already shared on the folder, add their email address and grant them Editor access.
4. Click Save.
5. Right-click the folder again and select Share.
6. Click the drop-down menu next to the new owner’s name and select Transfer ownership.
7. A warning will appear. Click Yes to confirm.

Crucial Step: To ensure they own the files inside, the new owner must now open the folder, select all the files (using Ctrl+A or Cmd+A), drag them out of the shared folder, and drop them into a folder they created themselves. Alternatively, a Google Workspace administrator must perform a bulk transfer.

How to Transfer Ownership (Admin Console Method)

If an employee is leaving, the only reliable way to transfer everything—both folders and the files within them—is for a Google Workspace administrator to execute a bulk transfer.

1. Log in to the Google Workspace Admin Console.
2. Navigate to Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs.
3. Click on Transfer ownership.
4. In the “From user” field, enter the email address of the employee who is leaving.
5. In the “To user” field, enter the email address of the person taking over the files.
6. Click Transfer Files.

Google will automatically move every file and folder owned by the departing user into a new, clearly labeled folder (e.g., “Files from John Doe”) inside the new owner’s My Drive. This ensures no data is lost when the original account is deprovisioned.