Let graduating students transfer data

Google Takeout for Drive, Gmail, and Photos

This article is for administrators of Google Workspace for Education.

Let students and staff use Google Takeout to copy their Google Drive files, Gmail messages, and Google Photos content to another Google Account. For example, graduating students can copy and transfer data to their personal Google Account.

Learn about how users copy content from a school account to another account

To manage data transfer for other Google services, such as YouTube or Photos, go to Allow or block Takeout for users.

What users can copy and transfer

By default, the Takeout transfer permission is turned on for all organizational units. The permission lets users download their Gmail and Drive data:

  • Drive: Users can transfer copies of documents and folders they own in My Drive.
  • Gmail: Copy and transfer their email (not contacts, chats, or tasks).
  • Photos: Users can transfer photos, videos, and albums they own. Album titles in the destination account will include the original owner's email address.

Note: No documents, emails, or photos are deleted during the process; copies are created in the new account while the original files remain unchanged. Drive files cannot be copied if you turn off file sharing outside of your domain.

Step 1: Set transfer permissions

For this step, you need admin privileges for Organizational Units (top-level), and Service Settings.

  1. In the Google Admin console, go to Menu and then Data and then Data import & export and then Google Takeout.

    Requires having the Service Settings administrator privilege.

  2. Click Additional transfer permissions.
  3. Check or uncheck the transfer access box.
    • Note: Checking this box lets your users access the tool and start transferring their data.

  4. In the Data transfer services section, turn Drive, Gmail, or Photos on for each service you want to allow users to transfer.

    Important: Users can only access the Transfer your content tool if the checkbox in step 3 is selected and at least one of the services listed in step 4 is turned on. If all services are turned off, users can't access the tool even if Additional transfer permissions is turned on. Learn more about turning services on or off.

  5. (Optional) To apply these settings to a specific group of users, select the organizational unit in the Organizational units pane before changing the settings.

  6. Click Save.

Step 2. Make sure your settings allow data transfer

Make sure Google Takeout is turned on for your users. If the service is turned off, users cannot access the tool even if you have allowed them to transfer their content.

Note:

  • Drive sharing: For users to transfer files they own, external sharing must be turned on for Drive.
  • Destination storage: The destination account must have enough storage to store the transferred data.

For more information, go to Allow or block Google Takeout, View which apps are turned on for a user, group, or organizational unit, and Manage external sharing for your organization.

Step 3. Let students know about the transfer process

If students are getting ready to transfer or graduate, they can set up the transfer on their Google Account pages. Share the instructions, Copy content from your school account to another account to help students get started.