How to Migrate from Google Drive to Backblaze B2
Why Move from Google Drive to Backblaze B2?
Section titled “Why Move from Google Drive to Backblaze B2?”Google Drive is a collaboration tool with storage built in. Backblaze B2 is pure storage built for scale. The reasons people move between them usually come down to one or more of these:
- Cost. Google One charges $100/year for 2 TB. Backblaze B2 charges $6.95/TB/month, but for archival or backup data you access rarely, the math works differently. If you are storing 5+ TB of media, raw footage, or project archives, B2 can be significantly cheaper depending on your access patterns.
- Control. B2 gives you S3-compatible API access, which means you can integrate it with backup tools, CDNs, media workflows, and custom applications. Google Drive’s API is more limited for bulk operations.
- Redundancy. Keeping a copy of your Google Drive data in B2 means you are not dependent on a single provider. If Google changes pricing, restricts your account, or has an outage, your files are safe elsewhere.
The Google Drive Challenge
Section titled “The Google Drive Challenge”Google Drive stores native files (Docs, Sheets, Slides) as cloud-only application states, not as downloadable files. When you need them outside of Google, they must be converted to Office formats first.
Google Takeout can export your Drive, but it takes hours, produces fragmented zip archives, and flattens your folder structure. For a migration to B2 specifically, Takeout is especially awkward because you would need to download everything locally, extract it, then upload it to B2 using a separate tool.
How Blober Handles It
Section titled “How Blober Handles It”Blober connects to both Google Drive and Backblaze B2. It handles the tricky parts automatically:
- Google Docs become .docx files during transfer
- Google Sheets become .xlsx files during transfer
- Google Slides become .pptx files during transfer
- Regular files (photos, videos, PDFs) transfer as-is
- Folder structure is preserved in your B2 bucket
- Shared files are accessible through a “Shared with me” virtual folder
- Connect Google Drive: Add Google Drive as a provider in Blober. OAuth login through your browser.
- Connect Backblaze B2: Add B2 with your Application Key ID and Application Key. Blober auto-detects your bucket regions.
- Create a workflow: Set Google Drive as source, B2 as destination. Browse and select files or folders.
- Run: Blober streams files from Google Drive to B2 through your machine. No local storage needed for intermediate files.
Storage Cost Comparison
Section titled “Storage Cost Comparison”| Google One (2 TB) | Backblaze B2 (2 TB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $8.33 | ~$14 |
| Annual | $100 | ~$167 |
| 5 TB | $25/month (Google One Premium) | ~$35/month |
| 10 TB+ | Not available on consumer plans | ~$70/month |
| Egress | Free (via Drive sync/download) | Free up to 3x stored |
For small amounts of active data, Google Drive is the better deal. For large archives, backups, and media libraries that you rarely access, B2’s pay-for-what-you-use model wins.
A Common Setup
Section titled “A Common Setup”Many people do not fully leave Google Drive. Instead, they keep it for active collaboration (shared documents, team folders) and move everything else to B2:
- Current projects stay in Google Drive for real-time editing
- Completed projects, old photos, and archives go to Backblaze B2
- Blober handles the transfer once, then you adjust your Google storage plan
This hybrid approach gives you the best of both: Google’s collaboration features for active work and B2’s affordable storage for everything else.
Get Blober
Section titled “Get Blober”One-time purchase. No subscription, no per-GB fees.