How to Transfer Ownership of a Google Doc in 2024?

You need to follow three easy steps to transfer ownership of a Google Doc in 2024. You need to:

1. Share access to the file ->
2. Send an ownership invite (promote to owner)->
3. Accept the ownership invite (become the owner)

This process may seem simple when you just look at these three steps. But they’re exactly what they seem like.

If you want the steps in text, you can find an easy-to-follow method for transferring ownership of Google Drive files.

How to Transfer Ownership of a Google Doc?

Google Workspace tools, such as Google Docs, make collaborating with friends and colleagues easier with the Share feature. 

These documents have different access levels for members with access, but the owner has the most control over them.

As mentioned earlier, you need to share access to a Google file, then send an ownership invitation through Google Drive, and finally accept the invitation through the recipient’s Gmail to transfer ownership of a Google Doc.

The process is the same for Google Docs, Sheets, and most other Google Workspace tools.

Share Access to the File

You can only transfer ownership of Google Docs files or folders to the users who already have access to those files. For those with no access, you need to first share the file and then send the invitation to transfer ownership.

The method to share Google Docs, Sheets, or other files is mentioned below:

On Web Browser

1. Open Google Drive on your Browser
2. Navigate to the target file or folder.
3. Right-click on the file and click on Share. Or, click the Share icon at the top of the page.
   
4. Click on the textbox and type in the email address of the recipient.
   
5. Click on the Access tab next to the email address to change the access.
6. Click on Send.
   

On Mobile

1. Open Google Drive on your smartphone.
2. Navigate to the target file or folder 
3. Click on the three dots next to the file name.
4. Click on Share.
   
5. Input the recipient’s email address in the textbox.
   
6. Click on the Access tab to change the recipient’s access to the file.
7. Click on the Send icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.

You can change access for a user as an Editor, viewer, or commenter by clicking on the Access tab. Furthermore, you can click on the Remove access button to remove the user’s access to the file.

Send Ownership Invitation 

Only PC users can change or transfer ownership of a Google Doc, normally. However, you can also use the Desktop site feature on your Android devices. The method to send an ownership invitation to another person is mentioned below.

(Before you follow these steps, you need to know that you can only transfer ownership of files and folders to the users who already have access to those files. You can click here to learn how to share the access to the doc before you transfer ownership)

On Desktop

1. Open Google Drive on your Browser
2. Navigate to the target file and right-click on it.
3. Click on Share button or the Share Icon at the top of the page.
   
4. Click on the dropdown menu next to the account you want to transfer ownership to.
   
5. Click on Transfer ownership.
   
6. Click on Send Invitation.

The method of transferring ownership of Google Sheets is the same as mentioned above.

On Mobile

1. Open Google Chrome on your phone.
2. Type in drive.google.com 
3. Click on the three dots at the top right corner of the screen.
   
4. Scroll down and tap on Request Desktop Site.

When you open the desktop version of Drive on your phone, you can then transfer ownership of your files and folders. To do so, you can use the same steps mentioned earlier for a desktop. 

You cannot transfer ownership of your files and folders in Drive if you use an iOS device. The Desktop view method is only applicable to Android devices.

Accept Ownership invitation

How to accept ownership of Google Docs? Well, the notification is sent to your Gmail account.

1. Open Gmail on your browser or your mobile app.
2. Locate the mail with the transfer invitation.
3. Open the mail and click on Accept.
   

The previous owner will receive a confirmation email on their email address when the ownership transfer is complete. Similarly, that owner will now have the Editor access to the file.

The new owner will be able to change access, transfer ownership, or remove access to the file as they see fit.

Can I Regain Ownership of the File I Transferred?

If you successfully transfer ownership of files to your drive, you can not undo it. The new owner will have full access to the file.

You’ll get the ownership only if they transfer it back using the method mentioned above. If you click on the Share button of a Google document, you can see who owns the file.

If you have access to both accounts, you can follow the steps in this article to transfer ownership back and forth as you see fit.

How to Share Google Docs From Within a Document?

Google docs, slides, sheets, and other Google files have a Share similar to Google Drive. You can share your files but cannot transfer ownership of a Google doc using the share button.

Follow the steps mentioned below to share files using this method.

1. Open the Google document on your browser. (Suppose docs)
2. Click on the Share button at the top right corner of the window.
3. Enter the recipient’s email address in the textbox.
   
4. Click on the access tab next to the email address to change the access.
5. Click on Send.
   

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is it possible to transfer Google Docs to another account?

Yes, it is possible to transfer Google Docs to another Google account through Google Drive. You can follow these steps to transfer ownership of the Doc or these steps to share the doc.

Why can’t I transfer ownership of a Google file?

You can face issues while transferring ownership of a Google file if you use a personal Google account and the receiving user is using a company email or school account.

Another reason why you can’t transfer Google doc ownership is simple misunderstanding. What I mean by that is you may not be the actual owner of the Doc you’re trying to share. It’s common to mistake that you own a Google Doc when you’ve already transferred the ownership.

Wrapping up the Method to Transfer Google Doc Ownership

So, that’s it for our guide on how to transfer ownership of a Google Doc. You can refer to the images next to the steps to do the steps yourself.

If you like this guide, we also have guides on how to enable Google Chrome dark mode, how to highlight duplicates in Google Sheets, how to recover unsaved Word Documents, and more.

If you have anything else to add, feel free to leave a comment below.