Transfer ownership of files in G-Suite drive that are owned by external user

[Nils Toedtmann dl]

Hi

We use GAM with our G-Suite account (say @example.com), and it works just fine.

Recently some...@example.com left our team. Unfortunately he had the habit of using his private external account some...@gmail.com (which had been granted write permissions to high-level folders) within our G-Suite drive. How should I deal with files owned by his external id some...@gmail.com? So far I failed to transfer ownership to a @example.com id.

I fear that Google's API do not allow me such transfer - correct? Would it be possible with the assistance of the current owner some...@gmail.com? How?

Otherwise I can only think of cumbersome sets of operations like this one: 

    for each filed within our G-Suite drive that is owned by some...@gmail.com

        - copy original file with all its permissions, except with new owner othe...@example.com

        - remove any access for some...@gmail.com from copy

        - empty original file, and remove old revisions (how?)

        - remove original file from our G-Suite folder

        - repair copy's title

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards, Nils

[+KimNilsson]

Copy is the only way to go.

You will never be allowed to transfer a document from a Gmail account to a G Suite account with GAM.

GAM has no say over non-GSuite accounts.

There's also very little, if anything, you are allowed to do with files shared into your domain. Again, because GAM does not control Gmail accounts.

[Nils Toedtmann dl]

Hi Kim

Not the answer I hoped for, but thank you for confirming my apprehension.

I know this is not a GAM question, but if anyone knows some other way to mass-transfer file ownership from an external non-GSuite user to one of my GSuite users without having to create copies, I'd love to hear it.

Cheers /nils

[Kim Nilsson]

Not possible, ever.

I'm sorry, but that's how Google Drive is built. I'ts not a limitation of GAM.

There are workarounds, which all have their own problems.

You can do a Take Out from your Gmail account, and then import that to your G Suite account.

That will convert all your content to Microsoft compatibles, which will then import nicely.

You can use an addon called Copy Folder.

You share a folder from your Gmail account to your G Suite account, and then run the Copy Folder tool with your G Suite account.

If your source is another G Suite account there's a Take Out Transfer-option.

It will always be a copy of your files.

[Alberto Martínez]

Hi,

So, there is no way to do this with GAM but the API applies to Gmail accounts as well, right?

Maybe the OP can use the API to share those Drive root objects with the G Suite account and make the G Suite account owner of those objects?

[Kim Nilsson]

No.

There's no transfer of Drive content in our out of a G Suite domain.

Only different ways of copying the content.

Google Sites is, afaik, an exception. There you can transfer ownership.

[Andrew Birchler]

Kim is correct... There is no way to transfer that ownership. 
This is one of the many many reasons why sharing outside G suite should be disabled for almost everyone. And the best reason in the world to force use of team drives. 

There is one more work around that hasn't been mentioned. 
If you create a Team Drive and make the Gmail user an owner of that drive. They can than move all the owned content in to that team drive. It will transfer ownership of the content to the G Suite domain, Than you can move it back to the My Drive locations where they were originally and the ownership would effectually change to that of the G Suite user. I have used this method on several occasions for this exact reason.

--Andrew Birchler

[Andrew Birchler]

Misstated... they do not need Owner (Full), but they have to have at least Edit Access to the team drive. Unless you have the correct Admin privileges to move other users owned files to Team Drives. 


--Andrew Birchler

[Kim Nilsson]

Moving folders to Team Drives may also need specific admin role settings for that.

I have created a separate admin role for "moving folders to TD".

[Shai Climer]

Doesn't actually allow for moving folders just copying them over. Only individual files can be transferred. So this is a great solution for individual files but it's less straight forward for folders.  

[Kim Nilsson]

As I said, I have created a separate admin role for "moving folders to TD".

You must do that, and assign it to anyone you want to be able to move folders to Team Drives. 

[Remmigiosh]

You're awesome KimNilsson! Thank you for the info about the "Copy Folder" addon. That saved me a lot of work!

I used it to get ownership of folders on my personal account imported from a G Suite account.