How to Move Files from One Google Drive Account to Another

From providing a safe, easily accessible place for your backups to sharing large files on the cloud with other people, Google Drive is a popular cloud storage service. But what if you use a different Google Drive account for a specific purpose and want to transfer files from a separate account to this one? You follow a few actions or adjust the owner. Here are your options.

Transferring Files from One Google Drive Account to Another is Performed in Different Ways

• You can copy the contents and paste them into a new document within the other user account, but that only works if the second account is yours since you need the password.
  
• You can make a copy and share it to another Google account, but that syncs all changes, including if the doc gets deleted.
  
• You can make a copy, share it, and then change the owner to the other account (or you if it is your account) to give them complete control.
  
• You can download the doc and upload it into another Google Drive account, but this also requires a password unless you send the file to the other recipient and let them upload it to their Drive account.

As you can see above, there are many ways to move a Drive file to another account, but each depends on where and why you are doing it. This article walks you through the file transferring process and the options to do it.

Sharing Google Drive Files to Another Account using a Browser

Windows PCs, Linux PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks may be vastly different, but browsing the web isn’t. Google Drive features a web app accessed via a browser. So, for any device, the principle remains the same. You can share a file with another account to give it access, which transfers the existing file over so that it resides in both Google Drive profiles. However, this process syncs changes to both locations, meaning all changes get saved, including file deletions.

Note: The recipient cannot be assigned to the owner when sharing a file. Both users have read/write access, depending on the role you gave them. If the file owner gets deleted from the doc or deletes it themself, the file is no longer accessible to the recipient(s).

Follow these steps to share files from one Google Drive account to another:

1. Open Google Drive in a browser. Ensure that you’ve signed in to the correct account by clicking the user photo in the upper-right corner of the page.
   
2. Navigate to the file/folder that you want to move. Hold down the Ctrl button on your keyboard and click each file you want to select.
   
3. Once all the files/folders have been selected, right-click on one of them. Then, choose Share. Alternatively, you can use the Share icon, located in the upper panel on your page.
   
4. Enter the email address of the second Google Drive account, find it on the list, and click the current role next to it. Select Editor, then select Send.
   

When you set the current role for the received account to “Editor,” they can edit the file. Remember not to delete the owner or the file within.

Copy Google Drive Files to Another Account using a PC Browser

Suppose you’d like to transfer the file to another Google account without keeping it in the original. You can choose the “Make a copy” option, paste it into the second account, and delete the source. To finalize the transfer, copy the files from the Shared folder and move them to a new one in the second account. The copy becomes independent of the original, and changes will not sync, including deletion. Here’s how to do it:

1. Press shift + left-click to select the files in Google Drive that you want to copy. If selecting only one, move to the next step.
   
2. Right-click on one of the selected/highlighted files.
   
3. Choose Make a copy.
   
4. Find and right-click the copied file (it will be labeled “Copy of…”) to open the options, then choose Rename to change the name.
   
5. Right-click (Windows) or two-finger tap (Mac) the renamed file and select Move to to move the copied files wherever you want within the same account, outside of the Shared folder.
   

When making a copy, renaming it, and moving a doc outside the “Shared” folder, you can edit and send it without affecting or syncing to the original file.

Note: You won’t be able to copy the entire shared folder—just the files in it. You can delete the files from the original location if they are no longer needed.

Transfer Google Drive Files to Another Account using Android or iOS/iPhone        

The principles of moving files to another drive are the same with iOS and Android devices. You select the files/folders, share them with the destination Drive, go to the destination Drive, make copies, and move them wherever you want. Still, the steps aren’t identical because Google Drive on iOS and Android look different. Just do the following:

1. Select the file that you want to move. Tap the horizontal ellipsis (three horizontal dots) in the upper-right corner of the file and select Share.
   
   
2. Enter the address of the target Google Drive account and select it from the list. Ensure that the account in question is labeled as Editor.
   
   
3. Log in to the receiving Google Drive account and select the file shared from the original. Tap the three-dot icon and select Make a copy from the list.
   
   
   
4. Select a location within the same account where you want to save the copied file.
   
5. Find and tap on the horizontal ellipsis (three horizontal dots) next to the file. Rename the copy according to your preference.

How to Download Google Drive Files To Your Device

In most cases, if you want to open Google Drive files that aren’t photos, videos, and such, you can do it directly on Google Drive. However, there are times when you may want to move the docs/files from Google Drive to your device. Here’s how to go about it.

Download and then Upload Google Drive Files to Another Account using a PC Browser

Once again, the principle of transferring files from Google Drive to the device’s hard drive is the same. You download them, then upload them to the second account. After that, you can delete the original since they are not linked/synced.

1. Select the file/files that you wish to transfer.
   
2. Right-click on any of the selected ones.
   
3. Select Download.
   
4. Download the file(s) as you would any other file.
   
5. Log into the second Google Drive account, then select My Drive towards the top.
   

Download then Upload Google Drive Files to Another Account using Android

The Google Drive app on Android allows you to download files directly to your phone by clicking on the file or selecting the option while the file is open. It’s almost identical to the browser steps. Here’s what you do:

1. Select the file you wish to download.
   
2. Tap the vertical ellipsis (three-vertical dots) icon in the upper-right section.
   
3. Select Download.
   

Download and then Upload Google Drive Files to Another Account using iOS

While Android may have a direct “Download” option within Drive, iOS does not.

1. Select the file or files that you want to download.
   
2. Tap the vertical ellipsis (three-vertical dots) icon in the upper-right section.
   
3. Choose Download.
   

How to Upload Google Drive Files From Your Device

You can also move files the other way around. This is called “uploading” the files, and it’s all pretty straightforward.

Browser

The principle remains the same for all three platforms. Start by opening your preferred browser and logging in to the destination Google Drive account.

1. Go to your Drive.
   
2. Select My Drive toward the top.
   
3. Click Upload files or Upload folder.
   
4. Select the files/folders that you want to upload.
   
5. The upload will start automatically.
   

Now, you can move the uploaded items to the desired folder. You can create a new folder by clicking My Drive and move the new files by selecting them and click-and-dragging them to the newly created folder or any other destination.

iOS/Android

Uploading from your iOS/Android phone or tablet to Google Drive is just as simple. This is how you do it:

1. Find the file that you want to upload to Google Drive.
   
2. Go to the file options.
   
3. Select Share.
   
4. Choose the Google Drive option.
   
5. Select the Google Drive account where you want to upload the file.
   
6. Select the location.
   
7. Upload the file.
   

Moving Files in Google Drive Accounts FAQs

How many owners do Google Drive files have?

Google Drive has three different roles: Owner, Editor, and Viewer. Every Google Drive item has to have at least one owner. By default, the “Owner” title belongs to the person who uploaded a file/folder. However, the owner can add more of them to the file. The number of owners is unlimited—everyone can be assigned the Owner title. Regardless, nobody, not even the original owner, can assign another owner using the mobile Google Drive app.

What is the size of Google Drive?

Every Google Drive account starts with a free plan with a 15 GB limit. This is enough for most non-professional Google Drive users. Upgrading to Google One will increase the storage limit to a minimum of 100 GB, depending on the plan. Upgrading to Google One gives you additional benefits, including advanced support.

Transferring Google Drive files to another account is not that difficult, yet it is slightly inconvenient. As long as you understand how to copy or duplicate a file and isolate it from the original, you can easily move a file to a different Google Drive account. Of course, there are times when you need a second account to have access. In that case, a simple share does just fine.