What transferring ownership means and when you need to do it
Transferring ownership of a Google Drive folder means giving another person full control over that folder and everything in it. The new owner can edit files, delete them, share them with others, and transfer ownership again. You keep access only if the new owner shares it back with you.
You might transfer ownership when you leave a job and need to hand off project files to a colleague, when you're collaborating with someone who should manage a shared folder, or when you want to move files to a family member's account. Google Drive does not have a single "transfer ownership" button — instead, you share the folder with the new owner as an editor, then remove your own access.
This is different from straightforward sharing a folder. When you share a folder, you stay the owner and control who sees it. When you transfer ownership, you give up that control entirely.
Key Takeaways
- Google Drive ownership transfers require you to share the folder with the new owner as an editor, then remove yourself — there is no direct transfer button.
- The new owner must have a Google account (personal, Workspace, or other Google account type) before you can share the folder with them.
- After you remove yourself, you lose access to the folder unless the new owner shares it back with you.
- Files inside the folder stay in the original owner's storage quota until the new owner moves them to their own Drive.
- If the folder contains shared files owned by other people, those files do not transfer — only the folder itself changes hands.
Step-by-step process to transfer a folder
Start by opening Google Drive in a web browser and locating the folder you want to transfer. Right-click the folder name and select Share from the menu. A sharing dialog will open.
In the sharing dialog, type the email address of the person who will become the new owner. Make sure you have their correct email address — Google will not send the invitation to the wrong person, but it will send to a similar-looking address if you mistype it. Click the dropdown that says Viewer and change it to Editor. Editors can modify files and share the folder with others, which is what the new owner needs. Click Share.
Google will send the person an email notification that the folder has been shared with them. They need to open that email and click the link to access the folder in their own Google Drive. Until they do, the folder appears in their "Shared with me" section but not in their main Drive.
Once they have opened the folder and confirmed they can see all the files, you can remove yourself. Right-click the folder again, select Share, find your own name in the sharing list, click the three dots next to it, and select Remove. You are now no longer the owner.
What happens to files and storage after transfer
When you transfer a folder, the files inside stay in your Google Drive storage quota until the new owner takes action. This means the storage space is still counted against your account, even though someone else owns the folder. If you are running low on storage, transferring a folder does not free up space on your account.
The new owner can move the folder to their own Drive, which transfers the files to their storage quota. They do this by right-clicking the folder and selecting Move, then choosing a location in their own Drive. Once moved, the files count against their storage instead of yours.
If the folder contains files that other people own — for example, files that were shared with you by a colleague — those files do not transfer. The new owner will see them in the folder, but ownership stays with the original creator. The new owner can only edit or delete those files if the original owner gave them permission to do so.
Transferring ownership when you use Google Workspace
If you use Google Workspace (the business version of Google Drive), your organization's administrator may have set policies that affect folder transfers. Some Workspace accounts restrict who can share files outside the organization, or require that all files stay within the organization's control.
Before transferring a folder to someone outside your Workspace organization, check with your administrator. If you transfer a folder to a personal Google account instead of another Workspace account, your organization may lose access to it, and your administrator may not be able to recover it.
If both you and the new owner use Workspace accounts in the same organization, the transfer works the same way as with personal accounts. The folder and files move to their ownership, and they can manage access from their account.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is removing yourself from the folder before confirming the new owner can actually see it. If you remove yourself and the new owner never opened the sharing email, they will have access to the folder but you will not, and you will not be able to help them troubleshoot. Always ask the new owner to confirm they can open the folder and see all the files before you remove your own access.
Another mistake is transferring a folder that contains files you do not own. If a colleague shared a file with you and you put it in a folder, you cannot transfer that file to someone else — only the folder itself transfers. The new owner will see the file but will not own it, and the original owner's permissions still explore. If you need the new owner to have full control of those files, you need to ask the original owner to share them directly.
People also sometimes transfer a folder and then expect to still have access to it. Once you remove yourself, you are no longer the owner and you cannot see the folder unless the new owner shares it back with you. If you think you might need to access the folder later, ask the new owner to share it with you as a viewer before you remove yourself.
Transferring ownership on mobile devices
You can transfer folder ownership using the Google Drive app on Android or iPhone, but the process is slightly different. Open the Google Drive app, find the folder, tap the three dots next to its name, and select Share. Type the new owner's email address and change their permission from Viewer to Editor. Tap Share.
To remove yourself after the new owner confirms access, tap the three dots next to the folder again, select Share, find your own name, tap it, and select Remove. The mobile app performs the same actions as the web version, just with a different layout.
What to do if the transfer goes wrong
If you removed yourself but the new owner says they cannot see the folder, the most likely reason is that they never opened the sharing email. Ask them to check their email (including spam and promotions folders) for a message from Google Drive. If they find it, they should click the link to open the folder. Once they do, they will see it in their Drive.
If the new owner opened the email but the folder still does not appear, ask them to go to drive.google.com and look in the Shared with me section on the left sidebar. The folder should be there. They can right-click it and select Organize to move it to a specific location in their Drive, which makes it easier to find.
If you removed yourself and now cannot access the folder at all, you will need to ask the new owner to share it back with you. They can do this by right-clicking the folder, selecting Share, typing your email address, and setting your permission level. You will receive a sharing notification and can then access the folder again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer a folder to someone who does not have a Google account?
No. The person must have a Google account to receive shared files in Google Drive. If they do not have one, they can create a free personal Google account using any email address. Once they have an account, you can share the folder with them.
What if I transfer a folder and then change my mind?
Ask the new owner to share the folder back with you as an editor. Once they do, you can edit files again. However, they will still be the owner — you cannot take ownership back without them removing themselves and sharing it with you as an editor, then you removing them.
Does transferring a folder transfer the sharing settings?
No. The new owner controls all sharing settings after the transfer. If the folder was shared with ten people before the transfer, those people still have access, but the new owner can change or remove those permissions. They can also share the folder with new people.
Can I transfer a folder that is inside another shared folder?
Yes, but the parent folder's sharing settings still explore. If the parent folder is shared with a group of people, those people will still see the subfolder even after you transfer it. The new owner can only change permissions on the subfolder itself, not on the parent folder.
What happens to comments and version history after transfer?
Comments and version history stay with the files. The new owner will see all previous comments and can view the full edit history of each file. This information does not change when ownership transfers.