How to Transfer Ownership of a Google Doc

It's not possible on mobile, but you can change the Google Doc owner on computer

By
Nick Steinberg
Nick Steinberg
Nick Steinberg
Writer
  • Wilfrid Laurier University
Nick Steinberg has been writing about technology since 2014. His work has appeared in Goliath, Screen Rant, TechRadar, and many more publications.
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Updated on July 6, 2022
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
Jon Fisher headshot
Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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What to Know

  • Click Share. Enter the new owner’s name or email and select Transfer Ownership > Send Invitation.
  • To undo a change, click the dropdown menu next to the person’s name and select Cancel Ownership Transfer.
  • Only one person can own a Google Doc document at a time.

You can share Google Docs with multiple people, but only one person at a time can be the owner. If circumstances change and you need to transfer ownership of a document to another collaborator, there’s a quick process for doing so using Google Doc’s Share functionality.

How to Change Ownership of a Google Doc

If you know who you’d like to transfer ownership of a Google Doc to, you can do so by opening the document on a PC or Mac. This functionality is not possible with the Android or iPhone apps. 

When you send an ownership transfer request, the recipient will be automatically upgraded to a document Editor (unless they’re already an editor). Once the ownership transfer is complete, you’ll be downgraded to Editor.

  1. Navigate to docs.google.com in your web browser and open the document you want to transfer.

  2. Click the blue Share button in the top-right corner of the screen.

    The Share button in a Google Doc

  3. If you haven’t shared the document with the person you want to be the new owner, you’ll need to do this first. Enter their name or email address in the Share window and click Send. 

    Sharing a Google Doc with another person


    If the person’s name doesn’t appear in the Share window, try closing and re-opening it.

  4. Select the dropdown menu to the right of the new owner’s name and click Transfer Ownership.

    Transfer Ownership highlighted in Google Docs

  5. Click Send Invitation.

    Send Invitation chosen to transfer ownership in Google Docs

    Sending an invitation doesn’t instantly complete the transfer process. The pending owner will be notified of the transfer request by email and until they accept, you’ll remain the owner of the document.

  6. If you’d like to cancel the invitation, click the dropdown menu to the right of the person’s name and select Cancel Ownership Transfer.

    Cancelling ownership transfer in Google Docs

How to Accept a Google Docs Ownership Transfer Request

If you are the recipient of an ownership transfer request, you should get an email in your inbox inviting you to accept the request. However, if you accidentally lose or delete the email, you can find pending ownership transfer requests in your Google Drive.

  1. Open Google Drive.

  2. Type pendingowner:me into the search bar at the top.

    Typing pendingowner:me for Google Doc ownership transfer requests

  3. Right-click the document you want to respond to and select Share.

    Accessing Share functions in Google Docs

  4. Click Accept ownership?

    Accepting ownership transfer in Google Docs

  5. Click Accept to confirm.

    Accept highlighted to confirm accept ownership in Google Docs
FAQ
  • How do I see the owner of a Google Doc?

    A document's owner will have "(owner)" next to their name in the Share menu. They'll also be at the top of the user list.

  • How do you make yourself the owner of a Google Doc?

    The only way to make yourself the owner of a Google Doc is to create it yourself. Otherwise, the current owner will have to initiate a transfer request, as in the steps above.

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