When you have multiple Gmail accounts and a Google Apps account, you might have to sign in to one for Google Voice, into another for docs and Gmail, and use the third for Google+. You might really like everything in one place so you don't have to keep switching again and again. Luckily, there are ways to do just that.


Google did their best to make this a simple procedure, and for the most part it is, but because you're moving around so much information and there are security concerns when it comes to transferring your identity from one account to another, the process can seem much more complex than it is. Some services have their own tools for migrating data from one account to another and others just use a simple export and import process. Let's take a look at the specific first, and then go over how you can migrate everything else with a tool called Google Takeout.

Migrate Your Google+ Profile, Circles, and Other Information


Migrating your Google+ profile and data from one account to another is actually very easy, but it's a very particular process. In order to get started, you need to do the following:

Decide which account you want to transfer your profile and circles from (the source account) and which account you want to transfer your profile and circles to (the destination account).

Create a Google+ profile on the destination account. Google cannot transfer a profile to an account that isn't signed up for Google+, so you need some sort of profile. It can be pretty much empty and just your name, but it has to exist.

Once you've taken care of those things, here's how to initiate the transfer:

Sign into your source account and visit google.com/takeout

You'll see a list of all the data you can export, but we're not going to bother with all of that right now. In the list you should see an option called Circles, and underneath that option a link called "Transfer your Google+ connections to another account." Click that. (If you can't find it, see the picture to the right for an indicator.)

If you forgot to sign into your source account, or Google just wants to re-verify who you are, that'll happen. If not, or when you're finished signing into the source account, you'll be taken to a page that will ask you to sign into your destination account. Do that as well.

Confirm that you definitely want to make this transfer. Google wants you to be sure you didn't mess anything up.


Technically you're done with your part, but now you have to wait seven days. Although Google doesn't explain why this holding period exists, it's likely due to security reasons. For seven days, both accounts will show that a transfer is pending and either account can cancel that transfer at any time. This is likely so an unauthorized data migration can be stopped by either user if they weren't expecting it.

When the seven days pass, the transfer will have occurred but the source account will still maintain the original data. You'll need to remove the profile manually if you don't want a duplicate.


Transfer Your Google Voice Number and Data

Google Voice existed for many years with no way to transfer your data and phone number to another Google account, which was pretty frustrating. Now a process is available, it's pretty simple, and only takes about five minutes. In order to get started, however, you'll need to do the following:

Choose which account you want to transfer your number and data from (the source account) and which account you need to transfer the number and data to (the destination account).

The source account undoubtedly has a Google Voice number associated with it, but the destination account may not. This is okay, and actually makes the transfer easier. If both the source and destination accounts have Google Voice numbers associated with them, however, the destination account's number and data will be completely replaced—and this is irreversible. You can (and should) visit google.com/takeout

If you do have a Google Voice number associated with the destination account, make sure the number's voicemail PIN is not the same as the source account's. If it is, the transfer will fail.


With all of that taken care of, here's how you initiate the transfer:


Visit the Google Voice Transfer Assistant this link If you aren't signed into any Google accounts, you'll be asked to sign in. If you're signed into one of the accounts (either the source or destination), you'll be asked to sign into another as you need to have two simulatenous sign-ins in order to complete the transfer. Once you're signed into both accounts, you'll be asked which account is the source and which is the destination. If you only have a Google Voice number associated with one account, Google will make assumptions about the transfer for you, but be sure to double-check that everything looks okay before you confirm The transfer will take start. Just wait until it's done. It only takes a few minutes.


When you're done, everything will have transferred to the destination account immediately. That means your source account will not work with your Google Voice number anymore. You'll need to change your account information on all your computers and devices in order for Google Voice to continue working everywhere.

Migrating Your Various Other Google Services


If you want to move any other data from one Google account to another, you can use a tool similar to the Google Voice transfer tool to do it. (In fact, this tool can even transfer your Google Voice account as well, but because those instructions require some preparation it has its own section above.) Here's what you need to do:


Sign in to the source account (the account you want to transfer data from) and visit google.com/dashboard At the top you should see a notice in yellow that says "You can move data out of this account." Click the link to get started. (If you don't see this link, moving data may not be available for your two accounts. You can try to adjust the URL to find out, however, and see if that works for you. The URL needs to look like this: https://www.google.com/dashboard/migration/?srcAccount=source@gmail.com&dstAccount=destination@gmail.com. You should replace the source and destination email addresses with your actual addresses.) Google will take you to a page that shows your source account and that you're signed in. You'll also need to sign into your destination account in order for the data to have a place to go. Once you're signed into both accounts, you'll have a long list of services currently on the source account. If you want to transfer any of them to the destination account, check off the boxes next to their titles. After you've made your selections, you'll need to check off a few more boxes in a gray box at the end of the page. This is just to tell Google that you know what you're doing and understand what's going to happen during the transfer process. Click "I accept. Move this data."

The transfer will initiate, and when it's done the data will no longer be in the source account and only exist in the destination account. This process will not will not transfer your Gmail or Calendars, however, so please consult this guide for information on transferring those services.


Export Your Other Google Data with Takeout


Migrating your other data is generally pretty easy because you can just download whatever you want with Google Takeout and import it into your other account. Let's just take a quick look at how this works.

When you visit Google Takeout, all you have to do is click the "Create Archive" button at the bottom of the page and it'll download every bit of data in the list above it. That includes your Picasa web albums, contacts, docs, and various other information. It does not include your Gmail or Calendars, however, which is why we have separate sections for those types of data above. If you don't want to download all of your data, you can also choose specific types by clicking the "Choose Services" tab at the top of the page. From there, just select any services you want to download. When you've finished making your selections, click the "Create Archive" button.


This will initiate the archive creation and a download will begin when Google has everything ready for you. If you open the archive, you'll find data that's mostly readable. A lot of the files come as HTML files, and any contact information (whether through Circles or just your regular contacts) are saved as VCF contact cards (which is a standard for most address book software). While some of the data you'll download via Google Takeout can only really exist in your personal archives, as it has no other use at the moment, you'll be able to import contact cards and documents into their respective Google apps just like any regular data. Your +1s can also be imported into most web browsers as bookmarks. If you're using Chrome, Google will be able to sync them. Although Google Takeout could be a bit more comprehensive, and it would be helpful if it also served as a hub for the various migration tools available, it's a good start when you need to download or move data around in your Google accounts.

Migrating data from one Google account to another can be a bit of work, but once you know what you're doing it's not very hard and doesn't take much time. If you follow these instructions, you should have one Google account to rule them all in no time.


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