Transfer Ownership of Google Shared Drive Files and Folders to Your My Drive

Environment

U-M Google, shared drives, My Drive

Issue

How do I change ownership of files and folders in a Google shared drive to my individual account / My Drive?

Resolution

Important: You must be a Manager of the shared drive to move files or folders out of it and to your My Drive. If you are not a Manager, you won't be able to move data out.
  1. Open the shared drive
  2. Select the folders or files you'd like to move
  3. Right-click on a file/folder, hover over Organize from the drop-down menu and select Move.

Tip: You can also drag your cursor over all the files and folders you want to move to select them, and drag-drop them into your My Drive located in the left navigation.

  1. Select My Drive under All locations and click Move.

Moving files/folders out of a shared drive and into your My Drive will make you the new owner of them. Once you are the owner, you can transfer ownership to another U-M Google account, if desired.

If the shared drive is no longer needed, follow Delete a Google Shared Drive (Article ID: 7041) to delete the drive.

Additional Information

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.

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