Moving slides between Google accounts
You can transfer Google Slides to another account by making a copy of the presentation and saving it to the new account, or by changing the owner of the file entirely. The method you choose depends on whether you want to keep a copy in your original account or hand over complete control. Both routes take just a few minutes and require access to both accounts.
Google Slides does not have a built-in "transfer" button, so you will use either the sharing and ownership features or the copy function. The fastest route for a single presentation is to change the owner. If you want to move many slides at once, you can also download them and re-upload them to the other account, though this works best for presentations you do not plan to edit collaboratively.
Key Takeaways
- Changing the owner of a presentation transfers complete control to another account; the original owner loses editing rights unless the new owner reshares it.
- Making a copy creates a new presentation in the other account while keeping the original intact in your current account.
- You must have edit access to the presentation before you can change its owner or make a copy.
- Changing ownership requires you to be signed into the account that will receive the presentation, and you must have the sharing link or be invited to the file first.
Changing the owner to transfer complete control
To hand over a presentation entirely, you change who owns it. Open the presentation in your current account, click the Share button in the top right, and look for the owner's name (usually yours) near the top of the sharing panel. Click on your name or the dropdown arrow next to it, and select Remove. This step removes you as the owner but keeps you as an editor if someone else is already an owner.
If you are the only owner, you must add the other account as an owner before you remove yourself. In the sharing panel, type the email address of the account that will receive the presentation, set the permission to Editor, and send the invite. Once that account accepts and opens the presentation, click Share again, find the new editor's name, click the dropdown, and select Make owner. Then remove yourself by clicking your own name and selecting Remove.
After you remove yourself, you will no longer have access to the presentation unless the new owner reshares it with you. This method is best when you want to hand off a project completely or when you are leaving a job and need to transfer work files to a colleague.
Making a copy to keep the original and create a new version
To keep a copy in your account while sending another to a different account, use the copy function. Open the presentation, click File in the top left, and select Make a copy. Google will create a new presentation with the same content in your current account. You can then share this copy with the other account, or you can download it and upload it to the other account manually.
The copy method is useful when you want to preserve the original presentation in your account or when you are sharing a template that both accounts should have. The new copy is independent, so changes made in one account will not appear in the other.
Sharing the presentation with the other account
If you want the other account to have access but do not want to change ownership, you can share the presentation directly. Open the presentation, click Share, type the email address of the other account, and choose the permission level: Viewer (read-only), Commenter (can add comments but not edit), or Editor (can make changes). Click Share to send the invite.
The other account will receive an email notification and can open the presentation from their Google Drive. They can make edits if you gave them Editor access, but you remain the owner and can revoke access at any time. This is the best option if you want to collaborate or if you need to maintain control of the original file.
Downloading and uploading to transfer between accounts
For presentations you do not plan to edit collaboratively after the transfer, you can download the file from one account and upload it to another. Open the presentation in your current account, click File, select Download, and choose your format: Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) is the most common choice for compatibility. Save the file to your computer.
Sign into the other account, go to Google Drive, click the New button, select File upload, and choose the downloaded presentation. Google will convert it back to a Google Slides presentation. This method works well for one-time transfers but is slower than using the share or copy features if you have many presentations to move.
What happens to comments and edit history
When you change ownership or make a copy, Google preserves the presentation content but not the edit history or comments. The new owner or account will see the final version of the slides but not the record of who made which changes or when. If you need to keep that history, take screenshots or export a summary before transferring.
Shared presentations (where you keep ownership but give another account access) do preserve the full edit history and comments, so collaborators can see who changed what. This is another reason to use sharing rather than ownership transfer if you want to maintain a record of the work.
Transferring multiple presentations at once
If you need to move several presentations to another account, the fastest method is to use a shared folder. Create a new folder in your Google Drive, move all the presentations into it, then share the entire folder with the other account and set the permission to Editor. The other account can then make copies of each presentation into their own drive, or you can change ownership of the folder itself.
Changing ownership of a folder transfers all presentations inside it to the other account at once. Open the folder, click Share, add the other account as an editor, make them the owner, and then remove yourself. All presentations in that folder will now belong to the other account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer a presentation if I only have Viewer access?
No. You must have Editor access to the presentation to make a copy, change ownership, or share it with another account. If you only have Viewer access, ask the owner to give you Editor permission first.
What if the other account does not accept the ownership transfer?
If you send an invite to another account and they do not accept it, the presentation remains in your account and you stay the owner. You can resend the invite, or you can make a copy and share that instead. If the account is inactive or the email is wrong, the invite will eventually expire.
Will the other account see the presentation in their Google Drive right away?
If you change ownership, yes — the presentation will appear in their Drive immediately after they accept the invite and you make them the owner. If you only share it, it will appear in their "Shared with me" section and can be added to their Drive by clicking the star icon or moving it to a folder.
Can I undo a transfer after I change the owner?
Not directly. Once you remove yourself as owner, you lose access unless the new owner reshares it with you. If you need the presentation back, contact the new owner and ask them to change ownership back or to share it with Editor access so you can make a copy.
What is the difference between making a copy and sharing?
Making a copy creates a completely separate presentation in the other account with no link to the original. Sharing keeps one presentation that both accounts can access, and changes made by either account appear for both. Use copy if you want independent versions; use sharing if you want to collaborate on the same file.