How to Migrate Google Drive to OneDrive: A Step-by-Step Guide

MigrateClouds provides a step-by-step guide for migrating Google Drive to OneDrive, detailing secure cloud service connection, file transfer via File Explorer, and advanced features like scheduling, while noting limitations like native format conversion and permission non-preservation.

Alyan S
6/21/2025
7 min read
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How to Migrate Google Drive to OneDrive: A Step-by-Step Guide with MigrateClouds

Migrating your precious files and documents from one cloud storage service to another can seem like a daunting task. Whether you're shifting from Google's ecosystem to Microsoft's, consolidating data, or simply prefer OneDrive's integration with Office 365, a smooth and secure transition is crucial. This guide will walk you through the process of migrating your Google Drive data to OneDrive effortlessly using MigrateClouds, a powerful cloud data migration platform.

Why This Matters

Transitioning between cloud storage providers often becomes necessary for various reasons:

  • Ecosystem Shift: Moving to a Microsoft-centric environment (Windows, Office 365) makes OneDrive a more integrated choice.
  • Collaboration: OneDrive's robust sharing and collaborative features, especially within a business context, might align better with your team's needs.
  • Storage Limits & Pricing: You might find better value or more suitable storage tiers with OneDrive.
  • Consolidation: Merging personal and work accounts, or consolidating data from multiple sources into a single, organized OneDrive account.
  • Specific Features: OneDrive offers unique features like Files On-Demand and deeper integration with Microsoft Office applications, which might be beneficial.

Manual migration involves tedious downloads and re-uploads, risking data corruption, missing files, and consuming significant time and bandwidth. MigrateClouds streamlines this process, ensuring data integrity and efficiency.

Step-by-Step Methods with MigrateClouds

MigrateClouds simplifies cross-cloud transfers, allowing you to move files directly between Google Drive and OneDrive without needing to download them to your local device first. Here's how:

Method 1: Connecting Your Cloud Services

Before you can migrate, you need to connect both your Google Drive and OneDrive accounts to MigrateClouds. This is a secure process using industry-standard OAuth 2.0, meaning MigrateClouds never stores your actual cloud service credentials.

  1. Create Your MigrateClouds Account: If you don't have one, visit migrateclouds.com/signup and follow the steps to create and verify your account. MigrateClouds offers a free Basic plan with 30GB of transfer quota, perfect for getting started.

  2. Connect Google Drive:

    • Log in to your MigrateClouds dashboard.
    • Click on "Connect a Cloud Service" (or locate the Google Drive card in the "Connected Services" section).
    • Select the Google Drive icon.
    • You will be redirected to Google's authorization page. Sign in with your Google account.
    • Grant Permissions: Review the requested permissions (e.g., "View and manage files in your Google Drive") and click "Allow". These permissions are essential for MigrateClouds to access and transfer your files. For Google Workspace accounts, administrator approval might be required.
    • You will be redirected back to MigrateClouds, and Google Drive will now appear in your "Connected Services".

  3. Connect OneDrive:

    • From your MigrateClouds dashboard, click "Connect a Cloud Service" again.
    • Select the OneDrive icon.
    • You will be redirected to Microsoft's authentication page. Sign in with your Microsoft account (for both personal and business OneDrive accounts).
    • Grant Permissions: Review and "Accept" the requested permissions. As with Google Drive, these are crucial for MigrateClouds to function correctly.
    • You will be redirected back, and OneDrive will be listed under your "Connected Services".

Method 2: Performing the Migration

Once both services are connected, you can initiate the file transfer using MigrateClouds' File Explorer.

  1. Access the File Explorer:

    • From your MigrateClouds dashboard, navigate to the "File Explorer" section (usually in the sidebar).

  2. Select Source Files (Google Drive):

    • In the File Explorer, use the cloud service dropdown at the top to select "Google Drive".
    • Browse through your Google Drive folders and files to locate the data you wish to migrate.
    • Select Files/Folders: Check the boxes next to the individual files or folders you want to transfer. You can use Shift+Click for a range selection or "Select All" for the current folder.

  3. Initiate Copy or Move:

    • Once selected, click the "Copy" button in the toolbar. (You can also choose "Move" if you want to remove the files from Google Drive after a successful transfer. Be cautious with "Move" as deletion behavior varies by provider).

  4. Select Destination (OneDrive):

    • Now, switch the cloud service dropdown in the File Explorer to "OneDrive".
    • Navigate to the desired destination folder within your OneDrive where you want the Google Drive files to land. You can also create a new folder if needed.

  5. Start the Transfer:

    • Click the "Copy Here" (or "Move Here") button to begin the migration. MigrateClouds will process the transfer on its secure servers, meaning you can close your browser or log out, and the transfer will continue uninterrupted in the background.

  6. Monitor and Verify:

    • Navigate to the "Transfers" section in your sidebar to view the progress of your ongoing migration.
    • After completion, you'll receive a notification, and a detailed Transfer Report will be available in the "Transfer History" section, showing successful transfers and any issues encountered.

Additional Approaches (Advanced Features)

MigrateClouds offers advanced features to enhance your migration experience, especially for large or recurring transfers:

  • Scheduled Transfers: For large datasets, schedule your migration to run during off-peak hours (e.g., overnight or weekends) to minimize bandwidth impact and ensure speedy transfers. You can set up one-time future transfers or recurring migrations (daily, weekly, monthly) for ongoing synchronization.
  • Batch Operations: Efficiently handle multiple files or entire folder structures. MigrateClouds processes these in the background.
  • File Filtering: Selectively migrate files based on criteria like file type, size range, or date modified. This is useful if you only want to move specific types of documents or recent files.

Important Considerations & Limitations

When migrating from Google Drive to OneDrive, be aware of these points:

  • Google Native Formats: Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides documents are transferred in exported formats (e.g., DOCX, XLSX, PPTX). Their native Google formats cannot be preserved in OneDrive.
  • File Size Limits: Google Drive supports files up to 5 TB. OneDrive has a maximum file size limit of 250 GB. Files exceeding OneDrive's limit cannot be transferred.
  • Permissions & Sharing: File and folder sharing permissions, as well as comments or version history, are generally not preserved during the transfer process by MigrateClouds. You will need to reconfigure these settings in OneDrive post-migration.
  • Special Characters: While MigrateClouds handles most filenames, some special characters in Google Drive filenames might be replaced or modified to comply with OneDrive's naming conventions.
  • API Rate Limits: Cloud providers impose API rate limits. MigrateClouds intelligently manages these, but for extremely large migrations, transfer speeds might be throttled by the source or destination provider's API limits.

FAQs

  • Q: What happens to my Google Docs/Sheets/Slides after migration?
    • A: They will be converted and transferred as their Microsoft Office equivalents (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX) to OneDrive. They will no longer be in Google's native editable formats.
  • Q: Are file permissions and sharing settings transferred?
    • A: No, file permissions, sharing settings, and comments are typically not preserved during the transfer. You will need to reconfigure these in OneDrive after the migration is complete.
  • Q: Can I schedule my migration for a specific time?
    • A: Yes, MigrateClouds allows you to schedule one-time or recurring transfers, making it convenient for large migrations or ongoing synchronization.
  • Q: What if I have more data than the free plan's quota?
    • A: MigrateClouds offers various paid plans (Pro I, Pro II, Pro III) with significantly higher transfer quotas (up to 2TB) and additional features like dedicated servers and priority support.
  • Q: Is my data secure during the transfer?
    • A: Yes, MigrateClouds uses bank-grade security, including TLS 1.3 encryption for data in transit and AES-256 encryption for data at rest. Your cloud service credentials are never stored; OAuth tokens are used instead.

With MigrateClouds, the complexities of moving data between Google Drive and OneDrive are significantly reduced, providing a secure, efficient, and user-friendly experience. Start your migration today and enjoy the benefits of your new cloud environment!