Getting Started With the ITS Google Storage Transfer Tool

Table of Contents

• Overview
• First Steps
• Transfer Data to U-M Dropbox
• Transfer Data to ARC Storage Services
• Limitations
• Additional Resources

Overview

As part of the U-M Google Storage Project, ITS created a transfer tool to help faculty, staff, and students copy data from U-M Google Drive, Photos, and shared drives to U-M Dropbox. This document provides instructions for transferring your data using the tool to U-M Dropbox.

Note: Eligible faculty members may choose to transfer their data to an ARC Storage Service (Turbo, Locker, Data Den) using the tool. Additional information can be found in the Transfer Data to ARC Storage Services section below.

First Steps

Prepare your data

To begin, you should review the files and folders you own in Google Drive. There is very likely data you own that is no longer needed, so reviewing your files before transferring will help determine which data should be kept and which should be deleted. This will not only help reduce your Google Drive storage usage but also shorten the time it takes the tool to transfer your data and prevent you from exceeding your 5TB storage limit in your U-M Dropbox account.

The tool allows you to transfer:

• Any folder you own at the root level of your My Drive

  If you need to transfer an entire folder structure that contains different owners of files and folders, you must be at least the owner of the parent folder to transfer it all to Dropbox.

  Note: Folders with the terms "personal" or "private" anywhere in its name will not appear in the list. (Additionally, "personal"/"private" is not case-sensitive and can include names with no spaces between words. E.g., "MYpersonaLFolder" will still not appear in your list.) If you want to transfer one of these folders, you must rename it.

• Any shared drive of which you are assigned a Content Manager or Manager

  Tip: If you intend to transfer a shared drive, you should speak with the other Content Managers and Managers to confirm that only one of you will be transferring the data to Dropbox. This will prevent unintended data duplication if multiple people transfer it.

• Your Google Photos library

  ​Note: Photos/videos stored in your Locked Folder in Google Photos will not transfer with your library. If you would like these items to be transferred, you will need to move them out of the Locked Folder to your main library.

You can only transfer one item per request. You are unable to select for transfer:

• Individual files from your My Drive, only folders you own.
  • We recommend copying multiple folders at once by creating a new folder in My Drive and moving all the folders you wish to transfer into it.
  • To further organize your data, you can also sort it into folders by subject, event, project, etc., making it easier to organize once in Dropbox.
• Empty folders. Folders must contain data.
• Individual files/folders from a shared drive. Everything in the drive transfers.
• Individual photos/albums from your Google Photos library. Everything in Google Photos transfers.

Lastly, the tool does not maintain sharing or permissions on transferred files and folders. Once the data is copied to Dropbox, you can use the original files/folders in Google to re-establish correct sharing/permissions within Dropbox (before deleting the data in Google).

Authenticate your accounts

After preparing your Google data for transfer, you can authenticate your U-M Google and U-M Dropbox accounts with the tool.

Note: Some steps may differ slightly depending on whether you are currently logged in to U-M Google and/or U-M Dropbox when you open the tool. For this reason, read each step carefully.

If you need to transfer data from your individual U-M Google account to your individual U-M Dropbox account, follow these steps to authenticate:

1. Go to the ITS Google Storage Transfer Tool.
2. Log in to U-M Sign In with your uniqname and UMICH password, and authenticate with multi-factor authentication (if prompted).

3. Click Authenticate Dropbox on the Dropbox Authentication page.

   You must authenticate to Dropbox even if you are a faculty member transferring your data to an ARC storage service.

   If you do not have a U-M Dropbox account, refer to the instructions for creating your account.

4. Enter your @umich.edu email address in the Email field and click Continue. (Since you have already logged in to U-M Sign In, you should not need to sign in again.)
5. Click Allow to grant the tool access to your U-M Dropbox account.
6. Click Authenticate Google on the Google Authentication page.
7. Enter your @umich.edu email address in the Email field. If you are already logged in to your account, click your U-M Google account from the Choose an account list.
8. Click Allow to grant the tool access to your U-M Google account.

After you have authenticated your accounts, you will be brought to a page where you can select the data you'd like to transfer.

Remember: The ITS Google Storage Transfer Tool does not maintain sharing or permissions on transferred files and folders.

If you need to transfer data from a U-M Google Shared Account to your individual Dropbox account (and then a Dropbox Team Folder), follow these steps to authenticate:

1. Go to the ITS Google Storage Transfer Tool (we recommend using an incognito browser).
2. Log in to U-M Sign In with your Shared Account's uniqname and UMICH password, and authenticate with multi-factor authentication (if prompted).

3. Click Authenticate Dropbox on the Dropbox Authentication page.

   If you do not have an individual U-M Dropbox account, refer to the instructions for creating your account.

4. Go to wolverineaccess.umich.edu in a new tab. Sign in using your Shared Account credentials (if you're not already logged in there). After signing in, log back out by clicking the account name in the top right corner and then clicking Sign out.
5. Return to the Dropbox Authentication tab. Enter your individual (not the Shared Account's) @umich.edu email address in the Email field and click Continue.
6. Log in to U-M Sign In with your individual uniqname and password (not the Shared Account's), and authenticate with multi-factor authentication (if prompted).
7. Click Allow to grant the tool access to your U-M Dropbox account.
8. Click Authenticate Google on the Google Authentication page.
9. Reopen wolverineaccess.umich.edu in a new tab. Log out of your individual account by clicking your name in the top right corner and then clicking Sign out.
10. Return to the Google Authentication tab. Enter your Shared Account's @umich.edu email address in the Email field and click Next.
11. Log in to U-M Sign In with your Shared Account's uniqname and password, and authenticate with multi-factor authentication (if prompted).
12. Click Continue.
13. Click Allow to grant the tool access to your U-M Google Shared Account.

Transfer Data to U-M Dropbox

​Important: Thoroughly review the Limitations section for a complete list of the transfer tool's current limitations before proceeding.

The tool only allows you to transfer one item per request.

1. Click the Transfer this item button next to the item you want to transfer in the table.

   Tip: If you cannot find a specific folder in the table, it is likely either within another folder or owned by someone else. If you cannot find a specific shared drive, you are not assigned as a Content Manager or Manager of the drive. If you can't find your Photos library, you don't have any owned data in Google Photos.

2. Select Dropbox from the drop-down menu and click Submit.

After you submit your request, you will be taken to the tool homepage to view the status of your current transfers. If you have additional data you'd like to transfer, click the Create a New Transfer Request button. After clicking the button, you will be asked to log in to your U-M Google account and grant access again. You can then repeat steps 1 and 2 of this section as many times as needed.

(If you transferred data from a U-M Google Shared Account to your individual U-M Dropbox account, you should move the data from your individual account into a Dropbox Team Folder after the transfer completes.)

After your transfer is complete, you should move any team-based/institutional data you transferred into a Dropbox Team Folder.

Transfer Data to ARC Storage Services

Eligible faculty members may use the tool to transfer their data to an ARC storage service (Turbo, Locker, Data Den). (This option is not available to staff or students.)

​Important: Thoroughly review the Limitations section for a complete list of the transfer tool's current limitations before proceeding.

The tool only allows you to transfer one item per request.

1. Click the Transfer this item button next to the item you want to transfer in the table.

   Tip: If you cannot find a specific folder in the table, it is likely either within another folder or owned by someone else. If you cannot find a specific shared drive, you are not assigned as a Content Manager or Manager of the drive. If you can't find your Photos library, you don't have any owned data in Google Photos.

2. Select ARC Storage Service from the drop-down menu and click Submit.

After you submit your request, you will be taken to the tool homepage to view the status of your current transfers. You will receive a confirmation email (with the subject line, "ARC storage services consultation request") stating that ARC has received your transfer request. A representative from ARC will contact you soon to further coordinate to which storage service your data will be copied.

Limitations

There are several limitations when using the ITS Google Storage Transfer Tool. Refer to the list below for more information.

• This tool is available only to those eligible for a U-M Dropbox account. This includes U-M faculty (regular, emeritus, and lecturers), staff (regular and temporary), students, and Type-1 sponsored affiliates. Alumni and retirees should use Google Takeout to transfer any data from their U-M Google accounts.
• The tool does not maintain sharing or permissions on transferred files and folders.
• Transfer times vary with the amount of data you're transferring. If you have a large amount of data, it may take weeks to complete.
• If you do not have any folders at the root level of your Google My Drive, the transfer tool will not display any folders to choose from. Create a folder in My Drive to store any files/folders you'd like to transfer and try again by refreshing the transfer page in the tool.
• You cannot directly transfer data to a Dropbox Team Folder. Everything copies to your individual account. If desired, any data you choose to transfer must be moved into a Team Folder in Dropbox once the transfer is complete, including shared drives.
• You can only transfer one item per request. If you need to transfer additional items, you can create another transfer request in this tool at any time.
• Folders with the terms "personal" or "private" anywhere in their name will not appear in the list. (Additionally, "personal"/"private" is not case-sensitive and can include names with no spaces between words. E.g., "MYpersonaLFolder" will still not appear in your list.) If you would like to transfer one of these folders, you must rename the folder in your My Drive and refresh the transfer page in the tool.
• If Partner Sharing is enabled in Google Photos, you must turn it off before you can transfer your Photos library. After turning it off, refresh the transfer page in the tool, and your Photos library should appear as an option.
• Your transfer will fail if you attempt to copy more than 5TB of data to Dropbox, as it exceeds your individual account's storage limit.
• Google Shortcuts will not transfer to Dropbox. If you want to keep the file you added a Shortcut to, make a copy of the file and ensure it is in the folder you are transferring.
• Google file types should not be transferred to U-M Dropbox.
  • If you inadvertently include Google file types in your transfer, the only types that will convert and transfer include:
    • Google Docs (convert to Microsoft Word files)
    • Google Sheets (convert to Microsoft Excel files)
    • Google Slides (convert to Microsoft PowerPoint files)
    • Google Drawings (convert to .SVG files)
• Empty folders will not transfer. Folders must contain data.

Additional Resources

• Getting Started With Google Takeout
• Tips for Cleaning Up Your U-M Google Account