Are you seeing a message about copying files from Microsoft OneDrive every time you open Google Drive? If so, you are not the only one. Many people who use Google’s services are feeling frustrated by this new promotional banner. It appears on every page inside Google Drive, and there is no simple button to make it go away. This can be very distracting, especially when you are trying to get work done.
This issue started popping up for users about a month ago. At first, some people were confused. They wondered if Google was somehow checking their computer’s files and knew they used OneDrive for work. One user on the social media site Reddit even asked if Google was snooping on their local files. It turns out this is not the case. Instead, Google is just showing this message to a very large number of users to encourage them to switch their files over.
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Why Is This Banner So Annoying?
The main problem is not just the advertisement itself. The bigger issue is that the people in charge of technology at companies, known as administrators, cannot turn it off. This lack of control is what truly upsets many professional users. When a company pays for a service like Google Workspace, they expect to manage what their employees see and do within that system.
An administrator for one company posted on Google’s own help forums about this. They called the banner “predatory marketing at best.” They felt it was “utterly unacceptable” for Google to add such a pushy pop-up without giving organizations a way to disable it. For companies that have already made a clear choice to use OneDrive, this constant suggestion to switch can feel like a form of digital harassment. It creates a difficult situation for several reasons:
It’s a Constant Distraction
The banner appears on every single screen. Whether you are in your main drive, a folder, or a document, the message is there. There is no ‘X’ to close it, so it never goes away.
It Causes Confusion
Employees might see the banner and think they are supposed to do something. They might ask their IT department for help, creating extra work and confusion over a process the company does not want them to follow.
It Undermines Trust
When you pay for a professional tool, you do not expect to see ads for a competing product inside it. It makes the workspace feel less like a private, secure area and more like a public space filled with unwanted promotions.
Is There an Official Way to Fix This?
Right now, the answer is no. Google’s own product experts have confirmed that there is no setting for administrators to turn off the banner. They have also not given any information on whether such an option will be available in the future. This leaves IT teams in a tough spot. They are responsible for protecting their users from interruptions, but they have no tools from Google to stop this one. Their hands are tied, and they cannot prevent what many see as advertising inside a product they already pay for.
A Temporary Workaround for Tech-Savvy Users
While there is no official fix from Google, some users have found a temporary solution on their own. This method involves using a free browser extension, like uBlock Origin, which is designed to block ads and other unwanted content on websites. This is not a perfect solution for an entire company, as it requires each person to install and set up the extension on their own computer. Many companies have rules against installing extra software, making this difficult to do for everyone.
However, if you can use such a tool, you can add a specific filter to block the banner. Here is the code you would need to add to your uBlock Origin filters:
drive.google.com##div[aria-label="Copy your organization's files from Microsoft OneDrive to Google Drive"]
To use this, you would open your browser extension’s settings, find the custom filter list, and paste this line of text into it. Once saved, the banner should no longer appear in Google Drive. This provides relief for individuals but does not solve the core problem for organizations that need a central, simple way to manage their workspace. For now, users and administrators are left hoping that Google listens to the feedback and provides a proper way to control these promotional messages.