Let graduating students transfer data

This article is for administrators of Google Workspace for Education.

Let students and staff use Google Takeout to copy their Drive files and Gmail messages 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 Google 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:

• Gmail: Copy and transfer their email (not contacts, chats, or tasks).
• Drive: Users can transfer copies of documents and folders they own in My Drive.
  
  No documents are deleted during the process; copies are created in the new account while the original documents remain unchanged. No data is 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. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2.  In the Admin console, go to Menu  AccountGoogle Takeout.

3. Click Additional transfer permissions.
4. Check or uncheck Allow users in this organizational unit to access Transfer your content.
5. (Optional) To allow or not allow an organizational unit:
   1. At the left, select the organizational unit.
   2. To change, check or uncheck the setting.
   3. Choose one:
      • If the Service status is set to Inherited and you want to keep the updated setting, even if the parent setting changes, click Override.
      • If the Service status is set to Overridden, either click Inherit to revert to the same setting as its parent, or click Save to keep the new setting, even if the parent setting changes.

        Learn more about organizational structure

6. Click Save.

Step 2. Make sure your settings allow data transfer

Make sure Google Takeout for Gmail and Drive is turned on for users. Otherwise, users won’t be able to access the Transfer your content tool even when it is enabled. Additionally, external sharing must be turned on for Drive for users to copy and transfer the Drive files they own to a consumer Google account.

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.