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How to Transfer Files from OneDrive to Google Drive – Learn the Best Way to Switch

Michael ~ Modified: April 19th, 2024 ~ Google Drive, OneDrive ~ 5 Minutes Reading

After going through the Google Drive vs OneDrive comparison chart there are quite a few users who wish to transfer files from OneDrive to Google Drive. However, this task is easier said than done. As both the cloud storage solutions are quite different from each other there is no direct bridge that is used to pull data from one and place it in another. So to move their files users need to follow the tips outlined in the sections ahead.

Table of Content

Scenarios Pushing for File Transfer from OneDrive to Google Drive

  • Searching capabilities within One Drive are not suitable enough – The lackluster searching features are not hidden from any user of OneDrive. There have been times when users have complained that One Drive search is not working properly by either giving the wrong files or no files at all. So users have to manually search through the entire drive on their own. Unlike OneDrive Google Drive comes with robust searching capability. Moreover, this is refined by decades-long experience in managing the world’s most-used search engine.
  • Access to vast Google Workspace market space – Google is known for its community-centric apps. Additionally, this is taken up a notch as Google provides a platform for anyone to publish third-party plugins for various apps 
  • Three times more storage in the free version – This goes without saying that the vast majority of users prefer more free storage over all else. So they naturally gravitate towards the one that offers them more storage. When OneDrive for Business Does Not Have Enough Free Space then users face issues like OneDrive Slowing Down Computer. So Google Drive continues to gain more users due to this simple reason. It has 15 GB of space in comparison to the 5 GB available in OneDrive. 
  • Multi-account addition in Google Drive desktop app – Another plus point of using Google Drive instead of OneDrive is the number of accounts allowed on their desktop apps. Unlike Microsoft which doesn’t allow more than one account to be linked at once Google has no set limit regarding this. So users can add as many accounts as they want each with its own 15 GB of storage. As long as all the accounts are in active use Google won’t delete them.

Method 1: Download and Upload Files to Switch from OneDrive to Google Drive

Step 1. Log in to the source OneDrive for Business account – https://onedrive.live.com/login/ using the valid credentials.

Step 2. Inside the My Files option select all files/folders you wish to move.

Step 3. This transforms the toolbar to show the Download option click on it.

Step 4. Once downloaded unzip the file contents.

Step 5. Now login to the destination Google Drive account – https://www.google.com/intl/en-US/drive/ using the valid credentials.

Step 6. Click on “New” on the top of the left side pane.

Step 7. In the dropdown pick either File upload or Folder upload option.

Step 8. Choose the file/folder inside the window and click Open.

Step 9. Repeat the steps for other files.

Why Not to Use the Download / Upload Method?

There can be several shortcomings of this approach, some of them are as follows:

  • With this method, you can end up creating a file folder mismatch issue.
  • It is a time-consuming and repetitive task.
  • Files end up transforming into zip format.
  • It does not maintain the data and folder structure and integrity. 

Method 2: Use Desktop Apps to Send Data from OneDrive to Google Drive

  • Step 1. Install both OneDrive and Google Drive desktop variants on the same device.
  • Step 2. Complete the account setup inside both apps.
  • Step 3. Drag the required folders from the OneDrive app.
  • Step 4. Drop the same files into the Google Drive app.

Problems With Desktop Apps for File Movement

There can be several shortcomings of this approach, some of them are as follows:

  • Apps may take time to load the data on the cloud depending on your bandwidth
  • Drag-and-drop feature is not feasible for a large number of files.
  • OneDrive only supports one account at a time slowing down the transfer process significantly.

Method 3: Professional Method to Transfer Files from OneDrive to Google Drive

The only tool in the market that provides error-free switching between the cloud storage providers is the Migrator Wizard OneDrive to Google Drive Migration utility. The unique user-friendly design allows anyone to quickly become familiar thus reducing training time. It provides separate columns for selecting workload and specifying Date Filters.

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  • Step 1. Install the tool on your computer, begin by picking the source that is Office 365 and target G Suite.
  • Step 2. Move on to Workload selection here only mark the box next to documents. Then mark the start and end date inside the Date filter.  
  • Step 3. Login with source and destination admin credentials. Validate the required permissions.
  • Step 4. Complete the user mapping by using Fetch Users, Import CSV, or Download Template 
  • Step 5. Preview the user list on the dashboard screen, Select the ones you want to move, Validate them, and Start Migration.

Conclusion

In this guide on how to transfer files from OneDrive to Google Drive users got to know 3 separate methods. Using the methods outlined here one can gain the ability to shift files between the two cloud storage providers. 

However, as none of the manual methods are designed to handle bulk transport where multiple users are involved it is better to use an alternative instead. So for that users have the option to follow the instructions on using automated utility.