/ GUIDE
How to move your files from OneDrive to Google Drive
Living in Google more than Microsoft these days, with Gmail, Google Photos and a Google One plan? Then keeping your files in OneDrive as well may mean paying for storage twice. There are three ways to move them to Google Drive. The right one depends on how much you have and how much time you want to spend checking it.
IN THIS GUIDE
Before you start: check your Google storage and Personal Vault
A free Google account comes with 15 GB, shared between Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos. Compare that with how much you use in OneDrive:
- Go to onedrive.live.com/?v=managestorage to see how much OneDrive space you use.
- Go to one.google.com/storage to see how much Google space you have left.
If OneDrive uses more than you have free in Google, buy more Google storage first, or clear out what you no longer need. Running out halfway is the most common reason a move goes wrong.
Personal Vault: files in OneDrive’s Personal Vault are locked behind an extra sign-in, and the vault locks itself again after a few minutes of not being used. It is easy to forget about it. Unlock it, and move anything you want to keep into a normal OneDrive folder before you start.
Way 1: Download from OneDrive, upload to Google Drive
Best for: a few folders, a few gigabytes. Free, nothing to install.
- Sign in at onedrive.live.com.
- Select a folder, then choose Download. OneDrive gives you a .zip file.
- On your computer, open the .zip and choose Extract all.
- Go to drive.google.com, choose New → Folder upload, and pick the extracted folder.
- Repeat for each folder.
Watch out: OneDrive’s .zip downloads are limited to 10 GB per .zip file, 20 GB in total and 10,000 files (Microsoft Support). Bigger folders have to be downloaded in parts, and it is up to you to keep track of which parts are done. Your computer also needs enough free space to hold the download and the extracted copy at the same time.
Way 2: Use the OneDrive and Google Drive apps on your PC
Best for: people comfortable with File Explorer, with enough free disk space for all their files. Free.
- OneDrive is already part of Windows 10 and 11: sign in to it with your Microsoft account. Install Google Drive for desktop and sign in to your Google account.
- In File Explorer, make sure your OneDrive files are really on your PC. Files marked as online-only (a cloud icon) are just shortcuts: right-click the OneDrive folder and choose Always keep on this device, then wait for the download to finish.
- Open the Google Drive folder (usually the G: drive) and go into My Drive.
- Copy (don’t move) your OneDrive folders into My Drive. Google Drive for desktop uploads them in the background.
- Leave the PC on until Google Drive shows that everything has been uploaded.
Watch out: use Copy, not Cut. If you cut files out of the OneDrive folder, OneDrive deletes them from your account too. And if a few files fail to upload, it is easy not to notice among thousands. Google Drive also lets each person upload up to 750 GB a day, so a very large OneDrive can take more than one day (Google Help).
Way 3: Let an app copy and check it for you
Best for: years of photos and documents, or anyone who wants proof that nothing was missed before they downgrade.
We are building NexMove for exactly this. You pick “OneDrive → Google Drive”, sign in to both, press one button, and it copies everything into a “From OneDrive” folder in your Google Drive. It runs on your own Windows PC with no servers in between — not ours, not anyone’s — and needs no free disk space, because your files are never saved to your hard drive. It never deletes anything from OneDrive. If it stops halfway, it copies only the files that are still missing next time, so you never have to compare folders by hand. At the end, it checks every file against the original. It cannot copy files that are still in Personal Vault, and it tells you if you have any. It will cost a one-time $19.99, with a free test copy up to 200 MB. The first 100 early-access members get it for $14.99.
NexMove is not out yet, and its OneDrive moves are still being tested. Join early access and we’ll email you when it launches.
If you use Google Workspace at work, your administrator may also be able to move OneDrive data with Google’s own data migration tool in the Admin console.
Which way should you choose?
| WAY | COST | EFFORT | DISK SPACE | IF IT STOPS HALFWAY | CHECKS EVERY FILE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Download and upload | Free | High for large amounts | Room for the download and the extracted copy | Download that folder again | No, you check by hand |
| 2 · Both desktop apps | Free | Medium | Room for all your files | Usually carries on, but you check by hand | No, you check by hand |
| 3 · NexMove | $19.99 once | One click | None for your files | Copies only what is left | Yes |
Checklist before you change your OneDrive plan
Whichever way you choose, go through this list before you change your plan:
- Compare the totals. Check that the number of files and the total size in Google Drive roughly match OneDrive, folder by folder for the ones that matter most.
- Open a few files. Pick some old photos and documents at random and make sure they open in Google Drive.
- Personal Vault. Check it one last time. Anything still in there has not been copied.
- Folders shared with you. Folders other people shared with you belong to them. Copy anything you want to keep, because you may lose access later.
- Links you shared. Links you sent to others point to OneDrive. Share the files again from Google Drive if people still need them.
- Phone photo backup. If the OneDrive app uploads your phone’s photos, turn on backup in Google Photos instead, so new photos don’t go missing.
- Version history and deleted files. These are not copied. If you need an older version of a file, restore it in OneDrive before you leave.
- Wait a week. Use Google Drive for a few days before changing your plan, so you notice anything missing while OneDrive still has it.
Cancel, or just change plan?
Most OneDrive storage comes with a Microsoft 365 subscription, which also includes Word, Excel and Outlook. If you still want those apps, you may only need a smaller plan, not to cancel. Without a subscription you are back to the free 5 GB, shared with your Outlook.com attachments. If you are over that, Microsoft says you can’t upload, edit or sync new files, Outlook.com can stop sending and receiving email, and after six months Microsoft might delete your OneDrive and all files in it (Microsoft Support). So finish moving, then delete what you no longer need from OneDrive, before your plan ends.
Moving from Dropbox instead? See Dropbox to Google Drive, Dropbox to OneDrive, or all our guides.