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How to Transfer Google Docs Ownership with Ease

Wondering how to transfer file ownership in Google Drive effortlessly? Thankfully, you will learn how to transfer file ownership in Google Drive and why can't you transfer ownership in certain situations. Meanwhile, there is a tip for you to transfer Google Docs to another account/cloud directly without downloading. Keep reading to learn the details.

January 26, 2024

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User Case: Can I Transfer Ownership of a Google Doc

 

I have a Google doc on my personal Google account that I want to give ownership to on my colleague. I've been able to share the doc to her and make her as an editor but not give ownership over. How to accomplish this goal? Thank you!

Understanding Google Docs Ownership Transition

Google Docs allows you to collaborate with teammates and colleagues on projects easily. It offers many convenient features, such as online editing and modifying, which makes it easy to collaborate in real-time.

But sometimes circumstances alert, and the document that you created needs to be transferred to someone else. Then you need to make others take ownership of it. So, can I change ownership of a Google Doc? The answer is YES. And in this article, you will learn how to complete this task in a hassle-free way.

How to Transfer Google Docs Ownership

In this section, we will walk you through detailed steps to transfer the ownership of a Google Doc to another person. But before getting started, there are some info you should know. Ownership transfer is limited to individuals with whom you've shared the file or folder. Even when you designate someone else as the owner of a folder, you retain ownership of the files within it. Additionally, if you transfer ownership of many files and folders simultaneously, it might take some time  to become visible.

Tip: If you are utilizing your Google Account for work or school, you can exclusively transfer ownership of files and folders to individuals within your organization. The process of transfer does not necessitate the new owner to formally accept it.

Now, you can read the following content to make Google Drive transfer ownership of multiple files:

Step 1: Open the Google Doc you want to transfer the ownership, then click on the Share button on the top right corner.

Share Google Docs

Step 2: In the pop-up window, you will see a list of people. And you can select the person whom you want to give ownership. Then click the downward arrow to select the Make owner button.

Make Owner

Step 3: Then confirm the operation by hitting the Yes button.

Yes

Step 4: Then that person will get an email. And he/she can choose to accept or decline the invitation. If he/she agrees, then he/she immediately becomes the owner of the document. And your permission will change to Editor.

The prospective owner will receive an email notification informing them that accepting the transfer request will designate them as the file owner, while you retain ownership until acceptance. The pending owner is elevated to the role of an Editor unless they already hold that status. Upon acceptance, your role is downgraded to Editor, and the new owner gains the ability to remove you.

Note: There are some limitations to this feature. For example,  can you transfer ownership of a Google Doc on mobile? The answer is NO. Additionally, if you use Google Account for work or school, ownership transfer is restricted to individuals within that organization, and cannot be extended to those outside of it.

Why can't I transfer ownership of a Google Doc then? Maybe it is because the pending user is not in your organization. Or, if you are utilizing the enterprise version of Google Workspace and don't have contractors under the same account, there is no direct method to change the ownership of files.

Bonus Tip: How to Transfer Google Docs to Another Account

As mentioned before, you are not allowed to transfer ownership to people who are out of your oganazition. To handle this, you can simply transfer the Google document to another account or cloud drive, such as Google Workspace, OneDrive, etc. Then the recipient can own the document directly. However, transferring Google Docs between clouds can be such a problem as if you have many Google Docs. In this case, you can utilize a smart cloud transfer service, MultCloud, to ease your work.

MultCloud

This service allows users to manage multiple cloud storage services in one platform. It supports many popular individual and business cloud services like Google Drive, iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, Google Workspace, Google Photos, OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, Dropbox, Dropbox Business, Flickr, MEGA, Box for Business, Box, NAS, and so on.

Users can perform many features when using MultCloud to manage those cloud services. For example, users are able to upload, download, share, rename, copy, rename, delete, move, etc. At the same time, when users want to make connection between cloud services, MultCloud can offer help. For instance, you are able to transfer files between cloud storage services directly.

Why choose MultCloud to transfer files across cloud services? Well, there are some advantages:

  • Migrate Data between Clouds without Downloading. With MultCloud, users don’t need to download and upload files across cloud drives. Instead, it can be accomplished on the web. And files can be moved directly.
  • Transfer Files across Clouds Automatically. MultCloud allows users to move files at regular intervals, including running tasks at a regulated time, daily, weekly, or monthly. Users can choose the schedule options they want.
  • Offline Transfer in the Background. MultCloud can transfer files even though your computer shuts down suddenly since it consumes data traffic instead of bandwidth. So, once it gets started, it won’t be affected by the internet connection. For instance, you can transfer all Google Drive files from one account to another in the background.
  • No Limitation on Clouds to Add. MultCloud offers the flexibility to integrate an unlimited number of cloud services or accounts into its platform, and the best part is that this service is provided completely free of charge when adding accounts/clouds.

In the next part, we will show you how to transfer Google Docs to another account via MultCloud. If you are interested, keep reading.

Step 1: Sign up for an account on the website of MultCloud by your email. Or you can sign in with your Google or Facebook account.

Sign Up

Step 2: Head to Add Cloud on the left-hand sidebar. Then press the icon of Google Drive to add and grant MultCloud permission by hitting the Allow button in the pop-up window. Next, perform the same steps to add another Google Drive account.

Add Google Drive

Step 3: Then go to Cloud Transfer button on the left upper side. Click on the first box to choose the Google Docs in Google Drive, and hit the second box to select another Google Drive account. Finally, you can start the task by tapping the Transfer Now tab.

Transfer Google Drive to Another Account

After that, selected documents can be moved from Google Drive to another account as quickly as possible. This service offers 10 threads of data transfer, which means large files can still be moved quickly and easily. Similarly, when you want to copy Google Drive to OneDrive, you can apply the same way. The only difference is the target cloud storage service.

On top of transferring files between cloud drives, MultCloud also allows users to sync and back up files from one cloud to another directly and effortlessly. When syncing files across clouds, users can enjoy 9 smart sync models, such as one-way sync, two-way sync, and real-time sync. When backing up files across clouds, users are able to Restore files easily without costing a penny.

  • Versatile: MultCloud supports basic and advanced features, including downloading, uploading, cloud-to-cloud transfer/sync/backup.
  • Secure: MultCloud utilizes a cutting-edge encryption techonology, protecting files in rest and transit. For instance, you can safely transfer Google Photos to iCloud.
  • Smart: Offline/Automatc Transfer/Sync/Backup are supportive so that the process can be easily accomplished.

In the End

That’s all about how to transfer Google Docs ownership. In a nutshell, you cannot change Google Docs ownership on Mobile phones. Also, it is not available to change ownership of a Google Docs to someone who is out of your organization. To solve this, you can simply move the document to the recipient's account/cloud via a cloud-to-cloud transfer service - MultCloud.

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