How To Transfer A Blog From One Account To Another

Any time you transfer a blog between administrator accounts, you always have at least one administrator. You will, of course, have to have both accounts active for some time. Don't start this if you've lost the account name, or forgotten the password, on one of the accounts. Plan this process with some care.

Note that you may, personally, perform some or all of these steps. At your discretion, some steps may be performed by another person while you observe - or distant from you. If two people are involved here, be sure that both you and the other person have read this procedure and understand all steps.

1. If the new owner isn't already a blog member
   1. Login to Blogger, using an account that currently has administrative access to the blog.
   2. Using the Permissions wizard at Settings - Basic, add a new blog member, using a suitable email address used by the person being given access.
   3. Login to Google, under the email account targeted in step 2.
   4. Open the email received, and accept membership, using any valid Google account. Or setup a new Google account, if necessary. This gives you a blog with team membership.
   5. Note that the email account used initially, and the Google account may, or may not, be the same.
2. Login to Blogger, using an account that currently has administrative access to the blog. Using the Permissions wizard at Settings - Basic, make the new member an administrator. Be careful, and only add administrators who you can trust, and who you reasonably expect to continue to be available. This gives you a blog with team ownership.
3. If you're transferring ownership, not adding an administrator
   1. Login to Blogger, using the account that was just given administrative access.
   2. Using the Permissions wizard at Settings - Basic, remove the old account. Using the newly added account, to remove the old account, assures you that the account just added now has administrative authority.

If you're doing this in preparation to switching your Blogger, GMail, or other email account, do not discontinue the current account until you have executed, and tested, step 2, by successfully performing step 3.

If the current account has any other Google features, such as AdSense, GMail. or Picasa, do not delete the current account. If you uploaded any pictures to any of the blogs, using post editor, your pictures are stored in Picasa - and they will not be transferred. If any pictures are hosted by the current account, do not ever delete the account.

Google authenticates using one account, for multiple tasks (Blogger, Google Apps, Google Mail, and others), using cookies. There are 3 ways to ensure that the correct Blogger account is used, during the transfer procedure.

1. Use 2 different browsers (on one computer, or on two computers) - one browser for using the current Blogger account, the second for setting up, then using, the new Blogger account.
2. Clear cache, cookies, and authenticated sessions, after each of the first 3 steps.
3. Carefully use the "Use different account" link, when logging in before each of the last 3 steps.

We have found that the advice to use two different browsers is most effective, in this procedure.

If either the current, or the new, Blogger account is based upon a non GMail email address, be aware of special issues related to non GMail based accounts. And be aware of the relationships in general, between Blogger accounts, email addresses, and Google accounts.

And now with the blog having a new owner, make sure that the new owner knows to retain access to the account - keep both the account name / password, and the email address, current, remembered, and secure.