Note: This guide covers the automated asset migration from GDrive supported by the Frontify Professional Services team only. It does not apply to migrations performed by third-party agencies, partners, or clients completing self-migration.
Overview
Frontify’s Google Drive automated migration is a structured way to move agreed files from Google Drive into Frontify with minimal manual setup.
This migration is designed for teams centralizing assets from Google Drive into Frontify who want to avoid manually downloading files, reuploading assets, rebuilding folder structures from scratch, or recreating basic asset information. To get started, your team shares the relevant Google Drive folder or drive with Frontify, confirms what should be migrated, and decides whether the Google Drive folder structure should be preserved in Frontify.
The migration is completed programmatically through API-based tools. Typical project duration is 1–3 weeks, depending on total asset volume, asset size, metadata complexity, folder structure, and customer readiness.
Important: This is a service-free automated migration. It does not include consultation, migration strategy, data analysis, metadata cleanup, folder restructuring, or working sessions with Frontify. All communication takes place asynchronously by email, and no meetings are included as part of this migration process.
Is this migration option right for you?
The Google Drive automated migration is a good fit if:
You are centralizing assets from Google Drive into Frontify.
Your files are already organized in the Google Drive folder or drive you want to migrate.
You want files transferred without downloading and reuploading them manually.
You want to preserve your existing folder structure in Frontify.
You are comfortable with file names becoming asset titles in Frontify.
You can grant Frontify access to the relevant Google Drive location.
You can confirm whether the full drive or a specific parent folder should be migrated.
You can review the imported files after migration and remove access once the migration is complete.
This migration is designed to be fast and efficient. However, it is not suitable for every library or every file type.
What is included
The automated migration can include:
Automated transfer of agreed files
API-based file transfer from Google Drive
Preserved folder structure
File names used as asset titles in Frontify
The included content is based on the agreed migration scope and the files available through the Google Drive access provided to Frontify.
What is not included
Important: This is a service-free automated migration. It does not include consultation, migration strategy, data analysis, metadata cleanup, or working sessions with Frontify. All communication takes place asynchronously by email, and no meetings are included as part of this migration process.
The automated migration does not support every file type, folder structure, or data point from Google Drive.
The following are excluded:
Files over 500 GB
Google format files, including:
Google Docs
Google Sheets
Google Slides
Google Forms
Google Shortcuts
Version history
Only the latest asset version is migrated.Errors caused by missing or incorrect data in Google Drive
Google API limitations
Data analysis
Manual metadata cleanup or enrichment
These exclusions help keep the migration automated, predictable, and efficient.
Before the migration begins
Before Frontify can begin the automated migration, your team will need to complete the preparation steps below.
1. Share the relevant Google Drive location
1. Share the relevant Google Drive location
Frontify needs access to the Google Drive content included in the migration scope.
You can share either:
Migration scope | Description |
Entire drive | The full agreed drive is shared with Frontify. |
Specific parent folder | A selected parent folder and its subfolders are shared with Frontify. |
Only files available through the shared Google Drive location can be migrated.
2. Define the migration scope
2. Define the migration scope
Your team needs to confirm what should be migrated. This may be:
The entire shared drive
A specific parent folder and its subfolders
Before sharing access, make sure the files in scope are organized and ready for migration.
3. Confirm whether to preserve folder structure
3. Confirm whether to preserve folder structure
Your team needs to confirm whether the Google Drive folder structure should be preserved in Frontify.
If preserved, the folder structure from Google Drive is used to create the corresponding structure in Frontify.
This is helpful when your Google Drive folders already reflect how you want assets to be organized in Frontify. If your Google Drive structure is outdated, inconsistent, or too complex, consider cleaning it up before migration begins.
4. Organize files before migration
4. Organize files before migration
Because this is an automated migration, Frontify does not analyze, restructure, clean up, or enrich your files and metadata as part of the process.
Before migration begins, your team should:
Remove files that should not be migrated
Move files into the correct folder or parent folder
Confirm that filenames are suitable as asset titles
Check that unsupported Google format files are not expected to migrate
Confirm that files over 500 GB are handled separately
Review whether the folder structure should be preserved
5. Avoid changes during migration
5. Avoid changes during migration
Once the migration starts, avoid making changes to the files or folder structure included in the migration scope.
Changes made in Google Drive during the migration may not be reflected in Frontify and can affect the consistency of the migrated library.
6. Remove access after migration is complete
6. Remove access after migration is complete
After the migration has been completed and reviewed, remember to remove Frontify’s access from the relevant Google Drive folders or drive.
Migration process
The Google Drive automated migration follows three main stages.
Stage 1: Preparation
Stage 1: Preparation
During preparation, your team works with Frontify by email to confirm access and migration scope. This stage includes:
Sharing the relevant Google Drive folder or entire drive with Frontify
Confirming whether the migration should include the entire drive or a specific parent folder and its subfolders
Confirming whether folder structure should be preserved in Frontify
The timing for this stage depends on customer readiness.
Stage 2: Execution
Stage 2: Execution
Once preparation is complete, Frontify sets up and runs the migration.
This stage includes:
Allocating engineering resources
Preparing the migration setup
Scheduling the migration
Programmatically transferring files through the Google Drive API
Technical setup typically takes around 3 business days. After setup, import speed is typically around 10,000–30,000 assets per day, depending on asset size and metadata complexity. The exact timeline depends on total asset volume and migration scope.
Stage 3: Review and completion
Stage 3: Review and completion
After the migration is complete, Frontify performs a post-migration review and shares a migration report. This stage includes:
Validating migrated assets
Generating and sharing a migration report
Customer review of migrated assets and metadata
Customer confirmation of completion by email
The post-migration review typically takes around 1 business day. One validation cycle is included.
Customer review period
After handover, you have a 1-month error reporting window to report migration-related issues.
During this period, review a representative set of migrated files to confirm that the migration has been completed as expected.
We recommend checking:
Files were migrated successfully
File names became the expected asset titles
Folder structure was preserved as agreed
The correct drive or parent folder was migrated
Unsupported Google format files were not expected to migrate
Large files over 500 GB were handled separately
Any missing or incorrect source data is identified
Customer responsibilities
To keep the migration running smoothly, your team is responsible for:
Sharing the relevant Google Drive folder or drive with Frontify
Confirming whether the full drive or a specific parent folder should be migrated
Confirming whether folder structure should be preserved
Organizing files before migration begins
Ensuring files in scope are suitable for migration
Avoiding changes to files or folders during migration
Reviewing the migrated assets after handover
Reporting any migration-related issues within the review window
Removing Frontify’s access after the migration is complete
Important limitations
The automated migration depends on the files and folder information available through the Google Drive API and the access granted to Frontify.
This means some content may not be available for migration if it is not shared with Frontify, is restricted by permissions, is an unsupported Google format file, exceeds the file size limit, is affected by missing or incorrect source data, or is impacted by Google API limitations.
Frontify cannot migrate data that is not available through the API connection used for the migration. If this affects a small, manageable number of files, we recommend uploading those files manually to your Frontify library through the UI.
Disclaimer
This article is intended as general guidance for the Google Drive automated migration process. Google Drive is a third-party platform and may change its API behavior, permissions, file access, supported file handling, or system functionality at any time.
Frontify does not control Google Drive’s API, system availability, permissions model, file structure, or how Google exposes files and folders to authorized users. Your team is responsible for ensuring that the correct drive or folder is shared, that the required files are available through the access provided for migration, and that files are organized before the migration begins.
The final migration scope, timing, pricing, and responsibilities are confirmed in the signed Scope of Work (SOW).
Download our a sample process timeline below: