How to Transfer Ownership of Google Wokspace Account?
Some users may have trouble moving their G Suite file ownership. Therefore, in this article, I will provide you with ways to transfer Google Workspace ownership easily. So, properly follow them.
What is File Ownership in Google Workspace?
File ownership in Google Workspace is used to decide who has complete control over a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or any file that is stored in Google Drive. Here, the owner of the file holds the highest level of authority. They are the ones who can edit, share, transfer, and delete the file. Whereas, editors can edit the file content, but don’t have the power to change ownership or remove access for others. Meanwhile, viewers can only read the file; they can’t make any changes to the file.
These roles: owners, editors, and viewers help determine how a document should be handled in the organization. IF an employee leaves the company or role changes, transferring the file ownership is very crucial.
Why You Needed to Transfer Google Workspace Ownership?
The purpose of ownership transferring is to maintain business continuity, control the data, and properly manage access to the file. So, there are many instances where it is needed to migrate the ownership authority.
- A common scenario where an employee leaves or their account is deleted. In that case, a transfer of ownership is needed so that they can easily access and organize important files, documents, and shared resources.
- Change in the role of an employee or moving to another department. Arises the need to migrate the file ownership to their successors.
- When there are project transitions, ownership is also migrated so that the new project lead or team has full control over the related files.
- Before deleting the Google account, it is important to move the ownership to prevent data loss and maintain the accessibility of the file.
- Some users have to shift their ownership from individual to shared accounts for better control and visibility of the files.
- Migration of ownership is also needed for compliance reasons. Because certain documents are owned and managed by IT admins or department heads.
How to Migate G Suite File Ownership?
Transferring Google Workspace file ownership depends on in which way you want to move. Users can migrate the ownership within the same domain or move from one domain to another. Both scenarios contain different methods, which I will explain to you in simple steps. First, I am going to discuss the methods to move the ownership to the same domain.
Move G Suite File Ownership to Google Drive
Google Drive is a great way to migrate G Suite file ownership. To use this, you need to first share the file with another user and then update the permission level. Below are the steps to move the permission.
- Open Google Drive on the computer and find the file you want to transfer.
- Right-click the file, and click on the Share option. Select the Share button again.
- Enter the email address in the Share with people and groups field.
- Next to the new owner’s name, click the drop-down arrow and choose Transfer ownership. The option is visible when the transferred file has editor permission.
- Click on the Send invitation button to send the email to the destination user to accept or decline the ownership request.
- Lastly, confirm the transition.
Transfer Google Workspace Ownership via Admin
From the Google Admin Console, users can transfer ownership of G Suite files. But both users must have active accounts. The file should not be in the trash folder, and it is recommended to suspend the source account to prevent it from creating or moving the content during the migration process.
- First, log in to the Google Admin Console using an administrator account.
- From the Menu, click on Apps and the Google Workspace.
- Select the Drive and Docs. To transfer the permission, you must have the service settings administrator privilege.
- Click on Transfer ownership. From the user section, provide the current owner’s email address.
- Then, select the user. For to user, type the email address and select the user that is shown.
- Press the Transfer files.
- Wait to complete the transfer process. After that, a confirmation email is sent to the new owner, the previous owner, and the admin
After the process, you can restore the current owner’s account that you have suspended at the start of the process. This is also a way to move your file ownership within the organization. If you want to transfer the ownership from one domain to another.
Google Workspace Transfer Ownership from One Domain to Another
G Suite does not provide a way to directly move your file ownership from one domain to another for security reasons. The only way to do that is to move the files with the owner’s permission. Manually, you save the account data and then move it to another account. But, SysTool Google Workspace Migration Tool makes the process much easier. The software easily migrates complete G Suite documents with permissions.
Steps to Transfer Google Workspace Data with Permissions
- First of all, download and install the software.

- Choose G Suite and G Suite from the source and destination sections.

- Select Documents and allow the migrate document permissions option.

- Provide Admin Email, Service Account, and Certificate File from your source domain.

- Enter the same details of your destination domain.

- Now, add the user accounts by choosing import users or fetch users.

- After that, click on the Start Migration button.

Concluding Words
To easily transfer Google Workspace ownership. I have provided multiple ways. So, whether you want to move your file ownership within the same domain or from one domain to another. I have provided methods for both scenarios. So, by following these solutions, you can easily move your G Suite ownership to another account.