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Please read this article entirely BEFORE transferring your BC Google account data. Once you have reviewed this information, please proceed to https://services.bridgewater.edu/TDClient/2475/Portal/KB/Article/163964/Transferring-BC-Google-Account-Data-to-a-Personal-Google-Account
What You Can Copy & Transfer
The transfer process copies files from your BC account to another personal Google Account. The original files will remain untouched in your school account and any changes you make to the copied files will not change the originals.
You can copy and transfer:
- Gmail: All emails, excluding contacts, chats, or tasks.
- Google Drive: Any documents and files that you own in My Drive
- Google Photos: Photos, videos, and albums that you own.
What Will NOT Be Copied
Google Photos:
- Photos and videos currently in your Trash, Archive, or Locked Folder.
- "Favorite" (starred) status on photos and videos.
- Photo comments, album descriptions, Face Group names, and other metadata related to your media.
My Drive Files:
A file in My Drive will be skipped if:
- You only have Viewer permissions (you must be an Editor or Owner to copy it).
- The owner has turned off the "download, print, and copy" options for commenters and viewers.
Notes:
- When the copy process is complete, Google will email you a report listing any files in My Drive that could not be copied.
- If you you run this copy tool multiple times, a brand-new set of duplicate files will be created in your destination Google Account.
How to Prepare for Data Transfer
***Open a new private or incognito browsing window before following the steps below.***
1. Save Shared Files
Because the transfer tool only copies files you own, any files shared with you by others will not transfer automatically.
To keep these files, navigate to the Shared with me section in your Google Drive sidebar and manually make a copy of each file you want to save. This puts a copy under your ownership in "My Drive" so it can be transferred.
2. Check Your Destination Storage
Make sure your personal Google Account has enough free space to receive your data:
- Sign in to the personal Google Account where you want to copy your BC data.
- Check your storage space.
- If you do not have enough space, you can clear storage space or purchase more storage from Google before starting.
(Tip: If you have completed this copy process before, deleting those older copies is a great way to quickly free up space).
Alternative to transferring data: Downloading a Backup (Google Takeout)
This method is not recommended if you plan to import your data into another email account.
If you prefer to download a local backup of your BC account data to your computer rather than transferring it directly to another active Google account, you can use the Google Takeout method instead to download an MBOX file of your account. Information on Google Takeout can be found in following Google help article: How to download your Google data.
Please Note: If you decide to later try and import this file to a mail service or Google account, you will need to conduct your own research to do so. While we can try to help, importing these files is very tricky, which is why this method is not recommended.