Migrate OneDrive to Google Drive

Moving from OneDrive and SharePoint to Google Drive brings better collaboration and clearer storage, but an improvised drag-and-drop breaks shared links and creates duplicates. You can move entire folder trees while preserving the structure and losing nothing — as long as you audit what you have, pick the right tool and verify permissions on arrival.

What gets migrated — and why people switch

A file migration is not just copying documents: several things must move, each with its own constraints.

• Files and folders: all documents from OneDrive for Business and SharePoint libraries, with their folder tree.
• Sharing permissions: who can read or edit each folder, plus internal / external shares.
• Shared links: the URLs sent to colleagues or clients, which will change after cutover.
• Versions and metadata: modified dates and, depending on the tool, version history.

People switch for real-time collaboration in Docs, Sheets and Slides, powerful search and clearer pooled storage through shared drives. Note: moving OneDrive files to Drive is a file migration — it touches neither the mailbox nor the MX records. If you are also migrating email, see our Microsoft 365 → Google Workspace guide, where the DNS cutover comes into play.

Step 1 · Audit what you have before touching anything

A successful migration starts with a precise inventory:

• the total volume and the number of files (millions of small files take longer than a few large ones);
• the very large files and specific formats (Office files, PDFs, executables);
• the active shares, internal and external, and the distributed links to preserve;
• the Google limits to plan for: the 750 GB per day upload cap per account, and the maximum number of items per shared drive.

This audit drives the timeline and the batching: the larger the volume, the earlier you should start and the more you spread uploads to stay under the quotas.

Step 2 · Provision Google Drive

Create the user accounts in Google Workspace and the shared drives that will receive the SharePoint libraries, with the groups and roles (viewer, commenter, contributor, manager) that match the current organisation. Decide in advance which OneDrive folder goes to a user's My Drive and which SharePoint library goes to a shared drive.

Step 3 · Transfer the files

Two approaches depending on scale. For small volumes, sync OneDrive locally (the OneDrive client), then re-upload the folders to Google Drive using the Google Drive for desktop client — the folder tree is preserved. For a whole estate, the official tool is Google Workspace Migrate: it supports OneDrive for Business and SharePoint as sources, transfers documents and libraries into shared drives, logs every item and handles retries. Work in batches, let it run in the background, then run a delta pass to catch files changed since the first transfer.

Step 4 · Formats, conversions and shared links

Office files stay readable in Drive and can be converted as needed to Docs, Sheets and Slides for collaborative editing. Above all, warn users that the old OneDrive/SharePoint links change: after cutover, you must re-share the new Drive links and update any embedded in documents or signatures. Recreate external shares on the Drive side, since a share is never carried over one-to-one automatically.

The secret to a clean cutover: never delete the source until the destination is verified. Keep OneDrive read-only for a few days while everyone finds their files in the right place.

Step 5 · Switch access and freeze the source

Once the initial transfer and the delta are done, make Google Drive the official repository: set OneDrive/SharePoint to read-only so work does not continue in the wrong place. Communicate the cutover date, point shortcuts and favourites to Drive, and keep the source archived for a few weeks before any deletion.

Step 6 · Verify and reconfigure clients

After cutover, spot-check that the file count and volume match, that critical folders are complete and that permissions are correct. Deploy the Google Drive for desktop client on machines, with selective sync so disks are not saturated, and verify mobile access.

Common pitfalls

• 750 GB/day limit: once exceeded, uploads are suspended until the next day — spread large volumes.
• Duplicates: re-running a full transfer instead of a delta duplicates files. Stay in incremental mode.
• Broken links: OneDrive/SharePoint URLs embedded in documents do not follow — list them and update them.
• Sharing permissions: rights do not map one-to-one; re-verify sensitive and external access.
• Locked or open files: files being edited may be skipped — check the migration log.

How much it costs: Yuna7 vs an IT contractor

Having a contractor migrate OneDrive to Google Drive often costs several hundred dollars, with quotes and lead times. Yuna7 automates the cutover and you only pay for what you actually use — you can even try it for free.

Let Yuna7 migrate OneDrive to Google Drive for you

Describe your migration in one sentence: Yuna7 audits your volume and shares, provisions the shared drives, maps each source folder to its destination, transfers files in batches (initial transfer then delta), recreates permissions and verifies the item count on arrival — you simply approve the sensitive steps. Far cheaper than a technician, and launched in minutes.