How to move a downloaded file into google drive?

Want to move files from one Google Drive account to another without downloading and re-uploading them? We show you how.

Google Drive gives a generous 15GB of free storage. It sounds a lot but let's remember that this space is shared by your files on Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. So, when you run out of space on one of your Drive accounts, you can transfer files to another.

Most of us have more than one Google Drive account, but Google hasn't yet given us an easy way to transfer files from one Google Drive to another seamlessly. You have to rely on a workaround to move files from account to another.

If you're more concerned with how to get files from your computer to your phone, check out this list of the fastest file transfer methods between PCs and mobile devices.

How to Transfer Files Between Google Drive Accounts

If you want to move files from one account to another without downloading and re-uploading them, here's what you have to do:

1. Open your primary Google Drive account.
2. Locate the files or folders you want to move to your secondary Google Drive account.
3. Right-click on the file or folder and select Share. Or click on the Share icon (marked as "1" in the screenshot).
4. Type your secondary Google username. Click on Advanced.  Under Sharing settings, change the permission to Is Owner. Hit the blue Send button.
5. Log into your secondary Google Drive account. Click on the Shared with me filter on the left sidebar to quickly locate the shared folder.
6. Google Drive won't allow you make a copy of the folder, but you can make a copy of the files inside it and then move them into a new folder or sub-folder to replicate the hierarchy of the original. Right-click on each file (or select them all) and click on Make a copy. Rename the files appropriately and move them into a new folder.
7. Go back to the primary account and delete the original folder from your drive and also from its bin.

You can also use Google Takeout to transfer the complete archive of your data to another account.

Note: If you're going to transfer sensitive files, look into add-on Google Drive encryption tools. If you're looking for other ways to get more out of Google Drive, check out these tools to supercharge your Google Docs, Sheets, and more.

Saikat Basu (1538 Articles Published)

Saikat Basu is the Deputy Editor for Internet, Windows, and Productivity. After removing the grime of an MBA and a ten year long marketing career, he is now passionate about helping others improve their storytelling skills. He looks out for the missing Oxford comma and hates bad screenshots. But Photography, Photoshop, and Productivity ideas soothe his soul.

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