How do I switch from Google Drive to another provider?
The short answer
There are three routes. Google Takeout downloads everything for free, though it takes a while. Your new provider’s built-in importer is the second route. pCloud, Koofr and others connect to your Google account and copy server to server. The third is to sync locally and upload again. Plan Gmail and Photos separately. Takeout exports them, but each needs a new home of its own.
In detail
Moving is easier than it looks. Google Takeout at takeout.google.com packages Drive, Photos and Gmail into archives you can download. For libraries over 50 GB, expect several zip files and a patient evening. The smoother route skips your home connection entirely. Several providers offer migration from server to server. pCloud’s backup-from-Google feature and Koofr’s native Google Drive connection copy files from cloud to cloud. Migration tools like rclone or Mover-style services handle big libraries while you sleep.
The planning matters more than the transfer. Google Docs and Sheets export as Office or PDF files. That is fine for an archive. Documents you edit together with others need a new home. Most people keep a slim Google account just for that, and that is a perfectly good outcome. Photos need their own decision. Exports lose Google’s albums and face groups. Choose the new home for your photos first.
That can be iCloud, a folder structure on pCloud or IDrive backing up your phone directly. Shared files and links stop working after the move. Let the people you share with know in advance.
Where you go depends on why you are leaving. For privacy, Proton Drive and Sync.com are encrypted by default. For lower cost over time, look at a pCloud or Internxt lifetime plan. For a gentle move away from Google, Koofr lets you keep Google connected while you switch. You can browse old and new side by side. Whichever route you take, keep the Google account open but empty for a few months. Close it once everything has settled.