Need to move your Google data to a new account? Google Takeout offers a straightforward way to download and transfer your information. Whether you're switching jobs, creating a fresh online identity, or just organizing your digital life, this guide walks you through the entire process of transferring your Google Takeout data to another account.

I've personally gone through this process multiple times, and I'm going to share exactly how you can do it without any technical headaches. Let's jump right into this practical guide!

What is Google Takeout?

Google Takeout is Google's data export service that lets you download a copy of your data from Google products. This includes emails, photos, contacts, calendar events, and much more. The tool was created as part of Google's Data Liberation Initiative to make it easy for users to take their data with them.

With Google Takeout, you can:

• Download data from over 50 Google services
• Select specific data types to export
• Choose your preferred file format
• Set up regular exports (every 2 months for up to 1 year)

Why Transfer Google Data to Another Account?

There are several common reasons why you might need to transfer your Google data:

• Switching from a work account to a personal account
• Creating a new email address with a more professional username
• Consolidating multiple Google accounts into one
• Backing up important data before making major account changes
• Moving to a family account for shared services

Whatever your reason, the process remains the same. Let's break it down into simple steps.

Step-by-Step Guide to Transfer Google Takeout Data

Part 1: Creating Your Google Takeout Export

Step 1: Access Google Takeout

First, you need to create an export of your data:

• Go to takeout.google.com
• Sign in to the Google account that contains the data you want to transfer
• You'll see a list of Google products with data available for export

Step 2: Select the Data You Want to Export

Now you'll need to choose what data to include in your export:

• By default, all services are selected (you can use "Deselect all" and then pick specific services)
• Click the "All data included" button next to each service to customize exactly what gets exported
• For Gmail, you can select specific labels to export
• For Google Photos, you can choose specific albums
• For Google Drive, you can select specific folders

Take your time with this step. Only select what you actually need to transfer to avoid creating unnecessarily large files.

Step 3: Choose Export Settings

After selecting your data, scroll down and click "Next step" to configure your export settings:

• Delivery method: Choose "Send download link via email"
• Frequency: Select "Export once"
• File type: Usually .zip is fine, but .tgz is better for larger exports
• File size: Choose a size (1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 10GB, 50GB) - smaller sizes create multiple files but are easier to manage

Step 4: Create Your Export

Click "Create export" and Google will begin preparing your data. This process can take anywhere from minutes to days depending on how much data you're exporting.

You'll receive an email when your export is ready to download. The link typically remains active for about a week.

Part 2: Downloading Your Google Takeout Export

Step 5: Download Your Export Files

Once you receive the email notification:

• Click the "Download your files" button in the email
• You'll be asked to sign in again for security purposes
• If your export is split into multiple files, download each one
• Save these files in a location you can easily access

For large exports, make sure you have enough storage space on your device. You might want to use an external hard drive if you're exporting lots of photos or videos.

Step 6: Extract Your Downloaded Files

• Locate your downloaded .zip or .tgz files
• Right-click on each file and select "Extract" or "Extract All"
• Choose a destination folder where you want to extract the contents
• Wait for the extraction to complete

After extraction, you'll see folders organized by Google service (Gmail, Drive, Photos, etc.).

Part 3: Importing Data to Your New Google Account

Step 7: Sign in to Your Destination Account

Now it's time to transfer this data to your new Google account:

• Open a new browser window or use incognito/private mode
• Go to google.com
• Sign in to the Google account where you want to transfer the data

Step 8: Import Gmail Data

If you exported Gmail data:

• Go to mail.google.com
• Click the gear icon in the top right and select "See all settings"
• Go to the "Accounts and Import" tab
• Find "Import mail and contacts" and click "Import mail and contacts"
• Follow the prompts to upload your MBOX files from the Takeout export

For large email archives, this process might take several hours or even days to complete.

Step 9: Import Google Drive Files

For Google Drive content:

• Go to drive.google.com
• Click "New" > "File upload" or "Folder upload"
• Navigate to your extracted Takeout files
• Select the Drive files or folders you want to upload
• Click "Open" to begin the upload

You may need to repeat this process multiple times for different folders. For very large collections, consider using Google Drive for desktop to sync files.

Step 10: Import Google Photos

To transfer your photos:

• Go to photos.google.com
• Click the "Upload" button in the top right
• Select "Computer" and navigate to your extracted Photos folder
• Select the photos or albums you want to upload
• Click "Open" to start the upload

Google Photos maintains a high upload limit, but very large collections may take significant time to upload.

Step 11: Import Contacts

For your contacts:

• Go to contacts.google.com
• Click "Import" on the left sidebar
• Click "Select file" and navigate to the contacts.vcf file in your Takeout export
• Click "Import" to add these contacts to your new account

Step 12: Import Calendar Events

To transfer your calendar:

• Go to calendar.google.com
• Click the gear icon and select "Settings"
• Click "Import & export" on the left sidebar
• Click "Select file from your computer" and find the ICS files in your Takeout export
• Choose which calendar to add these events to
• Click "Import"

Service-Specific Transfer Methods

YouTube Content Transfer

YouTube data requires special handling:

• Videos will download as MP4 files in your Takeout export
• To upload to your new account, go to studio.youtube.com
• Click "CREATE" > "Upload videos"
• Select your downloaded videos
• Add titles, descriptions, and tags (these aren't preserved in Takeout)

Note that view counts, comments, and monetization status won't transfer to the new uploads.

Google Keep Notes

For your notes:

• Keep notes export as HTML files
• Go to keep.google.com
• You'll need to manually recreate important notes by copying content from the HTML files
• For many notes, consider using the "Take a note" field to quickly create new entries

Google Play Music/YouTube Music

Music transfers work this way:

• Purchased music downloads as MP3 files
• Playlists export as CSV files with song information
• You'll need to manually upload purchased music to YouTube Music
• Recreate playlists using the CSV file as a reference

Common Challenges and Solutions

Dealing with Large File Sizes

If your Google Takeout export is very large:

• Use a wired internet connection for more reliable downloads and uploads
• Consider splitting your export into multiple smaller exports by service
• Use an external hard drive or cloud storage as an intermediate storage location
• For Google Drive files, use the Google Drive desktop app for more reliable uploads

Handling Failed Downloads

If your download fails:

• Try downloading again using the same link from your email
• Use a different browser if you continue to have issues
• Try downloading at a different time of day when your internet might be faster
• Consider using a download manager application that can resume interrupted downloads

Managing Timeouts During Upload

For upload timeouts:

• Upload smaller batches of files rather than everything at once
• Close unnecessary applications and browser tabs to free up system resources
• Restart your computer and router before attempting large uploads
• Consider using Google's desktop applications where available (Drive, Photos Backup)

Comparison: Manual Transfer vs. Google Takeout

Feature	Manual Transfer	Google Takeout
Time Required	Very high for large accounts	Medium (mostly automated)
Data Completeness	Often incomplete	Comprehensive
Metadata Preservation	Limited	Extensive
Technical Difficulty	Low	Medium
Best For	Few files or specific items	Complete account transfers

Quick Tip to ensure your videos never go missing

Videos are precious memories and all of us never want to lose them to hard disk crashes or missing drives. PicBackMan is the easiest and simplest way to keep your videos safely backed up in one or more online accounts. 

Simply download PicBackMan (it's free!), register your account, connect to your online store and tell PicBackMan where your videos are - PicBackMan does the rest, automatically. It bulk uploads all videos and keeps looking for new ones and uploads those too. You don't have to ever touch it.

Tips for a Successful Google Takeout Transfer

Before You Start

• Clean up your original account first (delete unnecessary files, emails, etc.)
• Make sure both accounts have 2-factor authentication enabled for security
• Check your available storage in the destination account (you might need to purchase more)
• Create a plan for which services you'll transfer first

During the Transfer

• Keep track of what you've already transferred using a simple checklist
• Transfer one service at a time to avoid confusion
• Test each service after transfer to ensure data is accessible
• Keep your original account active until you've verified all transfers

After Completing the Transfer

• Double-check important data (contacts, critical documents, etc.)
• Update account information on websites and apps to use your new Google account
• Set up email forwarding from your old account if needed
• Consider keeping your Takeout archive as a backup

Limitations of Google Takeout Transfers

While Google Takeout is powerful, it has some limitations you should be aware of:

• Google Play purchases and subscriptions can't be transferred to another account
• YouTube channel subscribers and video stats don't transfer
• Google Pay transaction history and payment methods stay with the original account
• Google One subscriptions must be canceled and repurchased
• Some metadata and formatting may be lost in certain file types
• Shared documents permissions need to be manually reassigned

Security Considerations During Transfer

Keeping your data safe during transfer is critical:

• Use strong, unique passwords for both Google accounts
• Enable 2-factor authentication on both accounts
• Download Takeout files only on secure, private networks
• Consider encrypting your Takeout archive if it contains sensitive information
• Delete downloaded archives after successful transfer
• Check for any shared access to your Google services and update as needed

Conclusion

Transferring your Google data to another account might seem like a big task, but Google Takeout makes it manageable when you follow these steps. The process gives you complete control over what gets transferred and lets you start fresh without losing your important information.

Remember to plan ahead, be patient with large transfers, and double-check your most important data after the process is complete. While some manual work is still required, especially for services like YouTube and Google Keep, the overall process is much simpler than trying to manually move everything.

Keep your original Google account active until you're absolutely sure everything transferred correctly. This way, you'll always have a backup plan if anything goes wrong during the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Google Takeout export take to complete?

The time varies based on how much data you're exporting. Small exports might be ready in minutes, while large accounts with years of emails, photos, and Drive files could take several days. Google will send you an email notification when your export is ready for download.

Can I transfer my Google Play purchases to another account?

Unfortunately, Google Play purchases (apps, movies, books, music) are tied to your Google account and can't be transferred directly to another account. You can download content where permitted, but you'll need to repurchase items on your new account.

Will my Google Drive sharing permissions transfer to the new account?

No, sharing permissions don't transfer automatically. After uploading files to your new account, you'll need to re-share them with the same people. Consider creating a list of important shared documents before transferring to make this process easier.

Is there a storage limit for Google Takeout exports?

There's no limit to how much data you can export with Google Takeout. However, the exports are split into multiple files based on the file size you select during setup (1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 10GB, or 50GB). For very large accounts, you might receive dozens of separate download files.

What happens to my original account after transferring data?

Your original Google account remains completely intact after using Takeout. Google Takeout creates copies of your data rather than moving it. If you want to delete data from your original account after transfer, you'll need to do that separately.