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You own the files you create or upload on Google Drive. You can transfer ownership of the files and folders you own to another account.
Before you transfer ownership
- You can only transfer ownership to someone you shared the file or folder with. Learn how to share files from Google Drive.
- When you make someone else the owner of a folder, you still own the files inside. Learn how to share folders in Google Drive.
- If you transfer ownership of a lot of files and folders at once, it may take some time for you to see the changes.
- To transfer all your Google Drive files and folders to another account, you can download your Google data.
If you use your Google Account for work or school:
- You can only transfer ownership of files and folders to someone in your organization.
- The transfer doesn’t require the new owner to accept.
After you transfer ownership
When you send an ownership transfer request:
- The pending owner is notified by email that if they accept the transfer request, they become the file owner. Until then, you remain the owner.
- The pending owner is upgraded to an Editor, unless they’re already an Editor.
- If the pending owner accepts, you’re downgraded to Editor. The new owner can remove you.
- If the pending owner declines, you remain the owner.
Change owners in Google Drive
Important: You can transfer ownership of a file to someone you previously shared the file with. Learn more about sharing files from Google Drive.
- On your computer, open Google Drive.
- Find the file you want to transfer then right-click.
- Click Share > click Share
.
- Next to the recipients name, click the Down arrow
Transfer ownership.
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Transfer ownership.Change owners in a Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Vids file
Important: You can transfer ownership of a file to someone you previously shared the file with. Learn more about sharing files from Google Drive.
To transfer file ownership in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Vids:
- On your computer, open Google Drive.
- Open a Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Vids file.
- At the upper right corner, click Share.
- Next to the recipients name, click the Down arrow
Cancel a transfer
Important You can't cancel a transfer after the new owner accepts the request.
To cancel file ownership transfer in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Vids:
- On your computer, open a file.
- At the upper right corner, click Share.
- Next to the recipients name, click the Down arrow
Accept or decline an ownership transfer request
You get an email when someone requests a file transfer. You can accept or decline the invitation. You can also search in Drive for files pending a response to an ownership transfer request.
- Open Google Drive.
- In the search bar at the top, enter
pendingowner:me. - Right click the file or files you want to respond to.
- Click Share
Important:
- You remain the file owner until the pending owner accepts your request. After the transfer, you can edit the file until your permissions change.
- You can’t transfer a file from your personal Google account to someone with a work or school account.
- If you send an ownership transfer request to a personal account and that account becomes a work or school account, the pending owner can’t accept the request.
- If you send an ownership transfer request and your personal account becomes a work or school account, the pending owner can’t accept the request.
- You can cancel the request.
- The pending owner can decline the request.
- When you transfer ownership of a file, it's no longer in My Drive and doesn't count towards your storage. It'll count towards the storage of the new owner.
