Migrate from OneDrive to Google Drive: Bulk Migration Guide 2026

What to Check Before You Move from OneDrive to Google Drive

A few quick changes before moving the first file will save you a lot of cleanup effort in later stages.

Confirm destination storage: Google Drive takes individual files up to 5 TB, but uploads for regular users and Google One accounts are limited to 750 GB in a running 24-hour window, so you may need to spread out very large batches over the day or over additional days.

Verify administrator access for bulk transfers: To use the built-in Google data import tool, you must be a Google Workspace Super Administrator on the destination side and a Microsoft Global Administrator on the source side. Additionally, each user included in the import requires a Workspace license.

Check file size on the source side: Microsoft currently has limits on individual uploads to OneDrive and SharePoint up to 250 GB. You know, this is useful because Google Drive has a 5TB limit, so file size doesn’t stop you from going this way.

Check filename compatibility: Google Drive’s native web interface does not enforce the character restrictions enforced by OneDrive, so valid file names in OneDrive are typically uploaded without renaming. If the local sync client reaches the operating system’s path length limit, it is likely to cause problems later.

Individual Notebook Permissions: OneDrive and Google Drive work with different identity systems (Microsoft Entra ID and Google Account), and OneNote laptops don’t have their own Drive equivalents. Both require manual verification after the transfer is complete.

What Actually Moves: Files and Native Microsoft Formats

Ordinary files carry across without significant issues. A few Microsoft-specific formats need a closer look before you assume everything lands the way you expect.

OneDrive Item	Google Drive Equivalent	Key Considerations
Files (PDF, image, video, ZIP)	Same format	Confirm integrity after transfer
Folders	Folders	Verify that the hierarchy stayed intact
Office files (.docx/.xlsx/.pptx)	Same format, opens directly in Docs, Sheets, or Slides	No forced conversion, but formatting can shift if you later convert to native Google format
OneNote notebooks	Plain folder of files	Notebook structure and tags don’t carry over
Shared files/SharePoint libraries	Shared files in My Drive	Permissions rarely map one-to-one
Version history	Only the current version	Don’t assume older versions transfer

Manual Method to Transfer OneDrive files to Google Drive

These are the three mostly used methods for moving files, with a simple explanation of each method and its steps.

Method 1: The Google Workspace Data Import Service (Admin Tool)

Official Google documentation confirms that this process requires two distinct CSV files—one to list the accounts to scan and a second to map source accounts to their destination emails.

Move from OneDrive to Google Drive using the Admin Tool:

1. Connect your account: In the Google Admin console, select Menu > Data > Data import and export > Import data > Microsoft OneDrive > Import. Click Sign in to Microsoft OneDrive or sign in using your Microsoft Global Administrator credentials.
2. User list: Create a CSV file with the original OneDrive users as the header and add all the OneDrive email addresses you want to migrate. Please download.
3. Map Accounts: Create a CSV with source and destination email columns. Add each source account mapping to Google and upload it as an ID card.
4. Start import: Apply filters such as date range, click Start import, and monitor progress from the dashboard.

Method 2: Local App Sync (Desktop Drag-and-Drop)

Official Microsoft and Google documentation recommends using Copy rather than Cut/Move. Copying ensures your original files remain safely in OneDrive until you verify the Google Drive sync is complete.

Transfer OneDrive to Google Drive Steps using Local App Sync:

1. Get desktop apps: Download, install, and connect to OneDrive Sync and Google Drive desktop clients.
2. Open your workspaces: Open two separate file browser windows (Finder on Windows or Finder on Mac).
3. Find your cloud folder: In the first window, open your synced OneDrive folder. The second step is to open a folder in Google Drive.
4. Copy files: Select the files or folders you want to move, right-click, copy, and paste them directly into your Google Drive window. Keep your computer turned on until the sync icon indicates that all items have been downloaded.

Method 3: Browser Download & Upload (Manual Transfer)

This is the most direct method for a small batch of files since it requires no admin access or local software setup.

When you download multiple files or entire folders from OneDrive, the web browser packages them into compressed .zip files. The official support documentation emphasizes that this .zip file must be extracted before uploading to Google Drive so that the file and subfolder structure is preserved.

Steps to Migrate OneDrive to Google Drive using Manual Transfer:

1. Access OneDrive: Go toonedrive.live.com or your company’s custom portal and sign in.
2. Download the content: Select the files or folders you want to transfer, right-click, and select Download.
3. Unzip downloaded data: If OneDrive downloads your files as .zip archive, go to your local Downloads folder, right-click on the file, and extract it.
4. Upload to Google Drive: Open a new tab, go to drive.google.com, and sign in, then open your unzipped folder locally and drag your files directly into the Google Drive tab.

Where Manual Migration Methods Fall Short

All of the three approaches above work, but each carries trade-offs worth knowing about upfront when you transfer OneDrive to Google Drive.

• Permission Mapping Remains Approximate: Even the built-in Data Import tool does not provide a true one-to-one match. Writer access becomes Editor, while Reader, Reviewer, and Can’t Download permissions are all mapped to Viewer. Custom permission levels are mapped to the closest available Drive equivalent.
• OneNote Notebooks Lose Their Structure: Notebooks are imported as standard folders containing files rather than as live, navigable notebooks. As a result, section tabs and page hierarchy are not preserved.
• Older Versions and External Content Are Excluded: Only the latest version of each file is migrated, and content owned or last modified by an external user is excluded from the native import process.
• Local Storage Can Become a Bottleneck: The desktop sync method requires sufficient free hard drive space to run both sync clients simultaneously, as files pass through the local disk during the OneDrive-to-Google Drive migration.
• Browser Transfers Lack Automatic Recovery: Large downloads and uploads performed through a browser can be affected by timeouts on slow connections. Neither the browser-based method nor the desktop sync method provides automatic retries or a completion report.
• Admin Access Requirements Limit Availability: The Data Import service requires a Workspace super administrator, a Microsoft Global Administrator, and a paid license for each migrated user. As a result, individual and personal-tier accounts cannot use this method.

Migrate from OneDrive to Google Drive using MailConverterTools

The MailConverterTools OneDrive Migration Tool is a Windows and Mac utility built specifically to move data out from MS OneDrive personal or business account into Google Drive. It signs into source and destination accounts through the browser, previews the full folder tree before anything moves, and applies file extension, date range, and duplicate filters so only the data you actually want gets migrated. Because it works at the individual account level, you can run migrations whether you have Workspace admin or Microsoft Global Administrator access.

Professional Steps to Migrate from OneDrive to Google Drive:

1. Now, install and open the OneDrive Migration Tool, choose the OneDrive account type Personal or Business, and sign in.
2. Let the tool scan your OneDrive folders, then expand the tree hierarchy and select the folders you want to migrate. Click Next.
3. Apply filters, file extensions, date ranges, or duplicate handling, as needed, and click Next.
4. Choose Google Drive from the destination drive dropdown and sign in with the destination account.
5. Assign a name to the resulting folder and click Next to begin the migration.
6. Monitor progress on screen, and once it finishes, download the migration report for your records.

Manual vs. Professional Method to Migrate OneDrive to Google Drive

Criteria	Manual Method	MailConverterTools
Best for	One user, a limited number of files	Personal or business accounts, larger folders
Local storage needed	Usually, Yes	Not required
Filtering options	None	File extension, date range, duplicate handling
Progress tracking	None, or basic console metrics with Data Import	Live preview plus a downloadable report
Resuming after failure	Start Over	Stop and resume; skip already-migrated files

Best Practices Before You Begin a Bulk OneDrive to Google Drive Migration

A little preparation can prevent a bulk transfer from becoming a cleanup project.

Check your source data: Review OneDrive storage and sharing before choosing a bulk import or manual transfer.

Protect the originals: Keep OneDrive files intact until you verify the migration. Data Import copies files without deleting the originals.

Test first: Migrate a small sample with a shared file and an Office document to confirm permissions and formatting before the full transfer.

Conclusion

Choosing the right method to migrate from OneDrive to Google Drive, It depends on data volume, permissions, and post-migration cleanup. For individual users, manual downloads and desktop sync work well for small folders but do not preserve permissions, older file versions, or detailed progress tracking. For organization-wide migrations, Google’s built-in Data Import tools provide a cost-effective option, though administrator access is required. The Software efficiently handles large migrations while offering filtering, folder previews, and migration reports for greater control and manageability.

Frequently Asked Questions

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