Transfer Ownership of Files and Folders in Google Drive

Environment

U-M Google, Drive, shared drives

Issue

How do I transfer ownership of files/folders I own in U-M Google Drive (My Drive) to another individual at the university or to a Google shared drive?

Resolution

Note: Ownership of Google Drive files/folders cannot be transferred between U-M Google accounts (i.e., @umich.edu) and personal Google accounts (i.e., @gmail.com). This is a Google restriction, and ITS has no control over it.

Refer to Transfer Ownership of Files and Folders in Google Drive for more information.

  • Remember: Ownership is not cascading in Google. If you only transfer ownership of a folder that contains other files/folders to another individual account, the ownership of all files/folders within that folder does not change. You will need to transfer ownership of every file and folder within the folder structure if you are transferring it to another individual.

  • Google allows you to move both files and folders you own from your My Drive to a shared drive:

    • To transfer FILES, you must be a Contributor, Content Manager, or Manager of the shared drive.

    • To transfer FOLDERS, you must be a Manager of the shared drive.

Additional Information

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

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