Drive How to transfer Google Drive to MEGA
Updated 20 October 2026 · 6 min read
Quick answer: the fastest way to copy files from Google Drive to MEGA without installing anything is Drive to MEGA, a free web app. Sign in to both services, select files or folders, and press Transfer. Files stream from Google straight into MEGA's end-to-end encryption in your browser, with no download to your disk. For multi-terabyte, unattended migrations, use rclone on a server instead.
The 5 ways to move Google Drive to MEGA
| Method | Install needed | Needs local disk space | Keeps folders | Google Docs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive to MEGA (browser) | No | No — streams | Yes | Exported to Office or PDF | Most people, any device |
| rclone (command line) | Yes | No — streams | Yes | Exported | Huge libraries, servers |
| Google Takeout → MEGA upload | No | Yes — full archive | Inside ZIPs | Exported | Whole-account backups, Google Photos |
| Download → re-upload manually | No | Yes | Partly (ZIP splits) | Exported | A handful of files |
| Drive for desktop + MEGA desktop sync | Yes, two apps | Yes | Yes | Only .gdoc shortcuts | Ongoing two-way sync |
Step by step: transfer in your browser
- Open Drive to MEGA. Go to drivetomega.github.io on a computer or phone. You can install it as an app from the address bar or the Install app button.
- Connect Google Drive. Click Sign in with Google and tick “See and download all your Google Drive files”. Access is read-only, so nothing in your Drive can be changed or deleted.
- Log in to MEGA. Enter your MEGA email and password, plus your 2FA code if you use one. The password is only used inside your browser to derive MEGA's encryption key and is never stored.
- Choose the destination. Browse your MEGA Cloud Drive to the folder where files should go, or click New folder.
- Select what to copy. Tick files or entire folders in My Drive, Shared with me, Starred, Recent or Shared drives. Use the search box to find files across all of Drive, and shift-click to select a range.
- Pick options. Choose whether Google Docs, Sheets and Slides become Word/Excel/PowerPoint files, PDFs, or are skipped. Then choose whether existing files are skipped, kept as a second copy, or uploaded anyway.
- Transfer. Click Transfer to MEGA and keep the tab open. The queue shows speed and time remaining, retries failures automatically, and can notify you when it's done. Download the CSV log for your records.
Tips for large transfers
- Check your MEGA space first. The app warns you when the queue is bigger than your free space.
- Stay on a fast, stable connection. Every byte passes through your device, so the transfer runs at about your upload speed.
- Keep the session alive. Google sign-ins last about an hour. If the session expires, the queue pauses and a Renew button appears; one click resumes it.
- Re-run safely. With “If exists: Skip”, running the same transfer again only copies what's missing.
- Very big libraries. For several terabytes, or for unattended overnight runs, use
rclone copy gdrive: mega:on a VPS.
Troubleshooting
- “Access blocked: app has not completed the Google verification process”
- The Google Cloud project is in Testing mode and your account isn't a test user. Add it under Google Auth Platform → Audience → Test users.
- MEGA login takes a long time
- Large accounts need time to download the file list, and MEGA sometimes asks the browser to solve an anti-abuse check. The status line under the login button shows which step is running.
- “Too large for Google to export”
- Google limits Docs, Sheets and Slides exports to about 10 MB. Try the PDF option, or download that file manually from Drive.
- “The owner has disabled downloading”
- Shared files can be locked by their owner. Ask the owner for a copy or for download permission.
- “MEGA storage is full”
- Free up space or upgrade your MEGA plan, then click Retry failed.
FAQ
How long does a Google Drive to MEGA transfer take?
It depends on your own internet connection, because every byte is downloaded from Google and uploaded to MEGA through your browser. As a rule of thumb, the transfer runs at roughly your upload speed: 100 GB takes a little over 2 hours at 100 Mbit/s.
Is there a file size limit?
Regular files of any size are streamed in chunks, so they never need to fit in memory. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are limited by Google to about 10 MB per export, and you are limited by the free space in your MEGA account.
Can I transfer Google Photos to MEGA?
Only photos that are stored in Google Drive. Since 2019 Google Photos is no longer synced with Drive, so export Google Photos with Google Takeout and upload the archive to MEGA.
Does it move or copy my files?
It copies. Drive to MEGA has read-only access to Google Drive and never deletes or changes anything there. Delete the originals yourself once you have checked the copies in MEGA.
Can I transfer files that were shared with me?
Yes, from the Shared with me and Shared drives tabs, as long as the owner has not disabled downloading.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. It works in mobile browsers and can be installed as an app. Keep the app in the foreground; it keeps the screen awake while transferring.
Free, private, nothing to install.