Make Google Drive Folders Put Together – Expert Guide
There is no native built-in option of merge folders in Google Drive. You have to use workarounds to merge folders in Google Drive. In this blog, I will explain how to combine your Google Drive folders with proper steps.
Due to the lack of a direct feature, “merge folders”. The only way is to move your files from one folder to another. Manually, it is easy to do, but the results depend on how the files are transferred and who owns them. Many factors, like file ownership, sharing permissions, folder size, etc., can affect the process, especially when you are dealing with shared folders or multiple Google accounts. So, be careful when you are following the methods.
Merge Folders in Google Drive by Drag & Drop Option
If you have a few files in the folders that you want to combine. The drag-and-drop option is a simple method.
- Go to the Google Drive and choose the folder to move the files.
- Select the file, drag and drop it into the other folder to combine it.
- Repeat the above steps to move the other files.
For individuals, this method is easy, but there are also some issues, like
- Not suitable for large folders.
- You may miss hidden files.
- File permissions may not merge.
- It is time-consuming.
Use Move To Feature to Combine Google Drive
Move To is a built-in feature that can also help you merge your Google Drive folders. You can use this method when you have small folder sets, and combine the folders in a single account usage.
- Go to your Google Drive account and select the files that you are going to migrate.
- Either right-click on the selected file or press the more (three vertical dots) button.
- Select the Organize from the drop-down list. Click on the Move button.
- Choose the folder where you want to merge the files.
- Click the Move button.
This method also has limitations, such as.
- Disturbance in folder structure.
- Miss some files when bulk merging.
- For professional this method is hectic.
Merge Shared Folder with Google Drive Folder
If you want to merge your Shared folder with the My Drive folder, then you can do this by adding a shortcut. Remember, in the folder, the files are not owned by you, so you may face problems here.
- Go to the Shared with me section.
- Right-click the folder, choose Organize, and then Add shortcut.
- Choose the folder where you want to merge from My Drive.
- The shared folder will be present as a subfolder in My Drive. Meanwhile, the original owner still has the data of the file.
Drawbacks of this method
- Permission conflicts
- Miss some files
- Access loss of collaborators
The above methods are used to merge folders in Google Drive within the same account. Some users want to combine the folders from different Google Drive accounts. For this, I have a great method that you can use.
Combine Folders in Google Drive from Different Accounts
When you have to merge folders from two different Google Drives. You can manually download and upload the files. But this can create problems like missing folder structure, losing data, and issues with permissions. To avoid this, use the SysTools G Suite Merge Tool. An expert recommend tool to easily combine all data items of Google Drive, including the Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. It merges the files with permissions. Start the software by downloading the tool.
Working Steps of Software
- Choose the G Suite option from the source to destination section.

- Click the Documents option in the Workload section. Apply Date Filter to merge selective files.

- Provide Admin Email Service Account and Certificate File details of both source and destination accounts.

- Click on the Validate button to check the permission.
- Add User accounts in the tool using Fetch or Import Users.

- Lastly, press the Start button at the top to begin the merging procedure.

Concluding Words
Those who have multiple Google Drive folders need to merge them. This article provides you with ways to merge folders in Google Drive. Here, I have provided four methods that can completely combine your Google Drive folders. In this, I have explained all the methods with steps and the limitations. The manual method merges the folders within the same Google Drive. But if you want to combine the folders of two different Google Drives. Professional software will be great.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I combine files in Google Drive?
Ans. Yes, you can merge your files in Google Drive, but not using a single merge or combine built-in option. In Google Drive, you can use folders to merge. Using Copy-paste, drag-and-drop options to move the files from one folder to another. This does not handle duplicate files, so you have to remove them.
Q. How do I merge Google Drives?
Ans. To simply merge them, you have to move the files from one Drive to another. Because there is no native option, the only way is to move the files.
Q. Does permission change when I merge folders?
Ans. Yes, it depends on how the files are moved and who owns them. When you merge your folders, Google Drive usually inherits the sharing settings of the destination folder. If you combine shared folder where, you can lose access to the files. So, be careful when you merge the folders.