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Transferring Google Drive Files from Personal to Workspace: A Step-by-Step Guide

A process that allows you to take organizational control of personal Google files

Giuseppe Morgana avatar
Written by Giuseppe Morgana
Updated today

The Problem

If you've ever tried to transfer file ownership from a personal Gmail account into Google Workspace, you've probably found that Google makes it nearly impossible. Google treats personal accounts and Workspace accounts as fundamentally different:

  • You can transfer files between two personal accounts

  • You can transfer files between two Workspace accounts in the same organization

  • You cannot directly transfer ownership from personal to Workspace

Attempting to change ownership will either fail or force you to make copies (losing version history, comments, and sharing permissions).

This is a common scenario for organizations that...

  • Started with personal accounts before setting up Workspace

  • Have contractors or former employees with personal accounts holding important files

  • Need to consolidate organizational documents into a managed environment

  • Want true organizational ownership of critical files

Why This Matters for Security

If your organization has important documents, client data, or sensitive information stored in personal Gmail accounts instead of your Google Workspace, you have a significant security gap. Personal accounts lack the security controls, audit trails, and organizational oversight that are essential for protecting your data.

The Solution: The Unmanaged-to-Managed Bridge

The key is using Google's unmanaged-to-managed account conversion feature. Here's the complete process:

Step 1: Configure Email Routing

  1. Go to Admin Console → Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → Routing

  2. Create new routing rule:

    • Match: [email protected] (or whatever temporary name you want to use - it must be @yourdomain.com)

    • Action: Forward to your actual work email

  3. Save and test by sending email to [email protected]

Why: You need to receive verification codes sent to the bridge account.

Step 2: Create Bridge Account

  1. Go to https://accounts.google.com/signup (incognito window)

  2. Click "Use my current email address instead" (don't use @gmail.com)

  3. Enter: [email protected] (or whatever you decided on in step 1)

  4. Check forwarded email for verification code

  5. Complete signup and verify login

⏱️ Wait ~1 day before Step 4 - new accounts need time to be recognized by Google's conversion system. Use this time to complete Step 3.

Step 3: Transfer All Files to Bridge Account

⚠️ CRITICAL: Get ALL files now. After Step 4, you cannot add more. If you discover forgotten files after Step 4, you'll need to repeat this process with a new bridge account ([email protected]).

Ask those who own the files in their personal Google Accounts to do the following:

  1. In Google Drive, search: owner:me

    1. To search within a specific folder: navigate to the folder first, then search owner:me

    2. To find all your files shared with the organization: owner:me to:[email protected]

  2. Select files to transfer (Ctrl/Cmd+A for all)

  3. Right-click → Share → Advanced

  4. Change owner to [email protected]

If there are select files you need, you can also send the user a list of files and ask them to transfer them one-by-one.

Once they ownership transfer request has been started, accept ownership transfers in the bridge account ([email protected])

Tip: Use owner:me type:document or owner:me to:[email protected] to filter.

Step 3.5: Create Backup (Recommended)

  1. Log into [email protected]

  2. Go to https://takeout.google.com

  3. Select Drive → Create export

  4. Download and store securely outside Google

  5. Set reminder to delete in 30-90 days

Why: Insurance against retention policy surprises or conversion issues.

Step 4: Convert to Managed Account

⚠️ BEFORE this step: Check Admin Console for auto-delete/retention policies. You may wish to disable certain rules temporarily.

  1. Admin Console → Directory → Users → More options → Transfer tool for unmanaged users

  2. Find [email protected]

  3. Actions → Email Transfer Request

  4. Go to your email account (where you setup routing to in step 1) and accept the conversion invitation

  5. Account becomes managed, keeping all data

If this fails: Wait 24-48 hours for account recognition, then retry.

Step 5: Transfer to Shared Drive

  1. Create Shared Drive (if needed)

  2. Add [email protected] as Manager

  3. Log into temp account → Select all files → Move to Shared Drive

Result: Files become organization-owned with independent retention policies.

Step 6: Clean Up

  1. Verify files accessible in Shared Drive

  2. Delete Google Takeout backup

  3. Remove email routing rule from Step 1

  4. Delete/suspend temp account

  5. Notify stakeholders

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