Google Drive Folder Downloader — Bulk ZIP Shared Folders

What does Google Drive Folder Downloader do?

Google Drive Folder Downloader is the easiest way to download all files from a Google Drive folder — including every subfolder — and get them as ZIP files in the cloud, plus a structured file manifest. Just paste a shared Drive folder link and run: no login, no Google account, and no API key needed for public folders. It turns a Google Drive folder into a ZIP archive you can grab in one click.

Try it in under a minute: paste a small public folder link (the input comes pre-filled with a working example), press Run, then download your ZIP from Storage → Key-value store.

Everything lands in your own Apify storage — nothing is uploaded anywhere else, nothing is retained. That is what makes it a trustworthy shared folder downloader and a safe alternative to sketchy "drive downloader" websites. As an Apify Actor it also gives you scheduling, an API, integrations (Make, n8n, Zapier), monitoring and webhooks out of the box.

Why use this Google Drive folder downloader?

Google Drive's own "Download folder" button fails on real-world folders: more than ~50 files often stalls, ~2 GB ZIPs fail silently, and your browser must stay open the whole time. This actor fixes that by running in the cloud:

• Zero setup for public folders — no API key, no OAuth, no Google Cloud project. Paste the link and go.
• Huge folders welcome — streaming, multi-part ZIPs (default 200 MB per part) never blow up RAM or the browser.
• Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings handled — they get exported to PDF/DOCX/XLSX/PPTX/PNG automatically (the feature most downloaders forget).
• Recursive — subfolders are traversed automatically, with optional depth caps.
• Filtering — download only PDFs, only images, size windows, date windows, or glob patterns like photos/** and ~$*.
• Automation-ready — run on a schedule, get webhook notifications, or incrementally sync a Drive folder into your Apify storage.

How to download an entire Google Drive folder (step by step)

1. In Google Drive, right-click the folder → Share → set General access to "Anyone with the link".
2. Copy the share link and paste it into the Folder URL input field.
3. Click Run (a 10-file test folder costs about $0.03).
4. When the run finishes, open Storage → Key-value store and download drive-download-part-001.zip (…, -002, etc.). Each part is a normal, openable ZIP file.
5. Check the Storage → Dataset tab for the file manifest: one row per file showing exactly what was downloaded, exported, skipped or failed.

Private folders: share them as "Anyone with the link", or supply an OAuth access token in the oauthToken input.

Input parameters

Field	Default	Description
folderUrl	— (required)	Folder share link, open?id= link, or bare folder ID.
apiKey	—	Optional. Your own Google Drive API key → uses the official Drive API (exact file sizes, MD5 checksums, Shared Drives). Recommended for heavy use.
oauthToken	—	Optional. OAuth access token for private folders (scope drive.readonly).
downloadSubfolders	true	Recurse into subfolders.
maxDepth	-1	-1 = unlimited depth.
includePatterns / excludePatterns	—	Glob patterns, e.g. *.pdf, photos/**, ~$*.
typeFilter	all	images | documents | spreadsheets | pdfs | videos | audio | archives.
minSizeMB / maxSizeMB	0	Size window filter (needs an apiKey — the no-key view doesn't expose sizes).
modifiedAfter	—	Only files modified after this date (cheap incremental runs).
exportDocsAs	pdf	Export Google-native files as: pdf | docx | xlsx | pptx | csv | skip.
outputMode	zip	zip | individual-files (each file as its own storage record) | manifest-only (listing only, no downloads).
zipPartSizeMB	200	Split size for ZIP parts (0 = single ZIP).
preserveStructure	true	Keep the folder tree inside the ZIP; false flattens everything.
compression	store	store (fastest — best for photos/videos) | fast | best.
maxFiles	5000	Safety cap — the run aborts before downloading anything if the folder is bigger, so you never get surprise charges.
concurrency	5	Parallel downloads (1–20).
incremental	false	Sync mode: re-runs download only new/changed files.
stateStoreName	drive-sync-state	Named Key-Value store for incremental state.
notifyWebhookUrl	—	Completion webhook (full JSON summary).
telegramToken + telegramChatId	—	Completion message to Telegram.
proxyConfiguration	off	Optional proxy if Google rate-limits the run.

Output: ZIP files and the file manifest

• Key-Value store: drive-download-part-001.zip, -002, … (default mode) or files/<relative-path> (individual-files mode), plus SUMMARY.txt and an OUTPUT JSON run summary.
• Dataset (manifest): one record per file — a complete audit trail. Export it as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML.

{
  "fileName": "IMG_2041.jpg",
  "relativePath": "day-1/IMG_2041.jpg",
  "status": "downloaded",
  "sizeBytes": 2538291,
  "modifiedTime": "2025-11-02T14:03:11Z",
  "delivery": { "zipPart": "drive-download-part-001.zip" },
  "viewLink": "https://drive.google.com/file/d/…/view"
}

Field	Meaning
fileName / relativePath	File name and its path inside the shared folder
status	downloaded · exported (Google-native) · skipped · failed
skipReason	Why a file was skipped (filter, unchanged, manifest-only, …)
sizeBytes / modifiedTime	File metadata (exact in API mode; dates in no-key mode)
delivery	Where the file ended up (ZIP part or storage key)
viewLink	Direct link back to the file in Google Drive
error	Failure details for failed files — nothing is ever silently missing

How much does it cost to download a Google Drive folder?

Pay-per-event — you only pay for files that are successfully delivered (failed attempts are never billed):

Scenario	What you pay
Try it: 10 photos (~20 MB)	≈ $0.03
Typical: 100-photo folder (~800 MB)	≈ $0.30
Big: 2,000 mixed files (~10 GB)	≈ $5.80
Daily incremental sync (30 new files/day)	≈ $1.80/month

Events: small file (≤10 MB) $0.002 · large file (>10 MB) $0.01 · Google-native export $0.003 · ZIP part $0.005. The Apify free plan's $5 monthly credit covers roughly 2,300 small files.

Tips for bulk-downloading large Drive folders

• Preview for free: set outputMode to manifest-only to list a folder without downloading anything — also the way to sanity-check a huge folder before committing.
• Big folders: raise the run timeout (15–60 min) in the run options; everything streams, so memory stays flat.
• Scheduled sync: enable incremental + a daily schedule to keep your Apify storage mirrored with a Drive folder — re-runs fetch only what changed.
• Heavy usage: provide your own apiKey for exact sizes, MD5 checksums, size filters and Shared Drives support.
• Rate limits: if Google throttles the run (rare), re-run later, provide an apiKey, or enable the optional proxy input.

FAQ, disclaimers and support

How do I download all files from a shared Google Drive folder without an API key?

Paste the folder's share link into folderUrl and run — the default mode reads Google's public folder view directly, no credentials needed. Only folders shared as "Anyone with the link" can be accessed this way.

Why does Google Drive fail to download large folders natively?

Drive's browser ZIP export is size- and file-count-limited and dies on long downloads. This actor streams files server-side and splits the result into independent ZIP parts, so there is no browser timeout and no 2 GB ceiling.

Is it safe? Do you store my files?

No — files flow from Google into your own Apify Key-Value store and are deleted per Apify's normal retention. The actor keeps no copy.

Can I download a Google Drive folder as multiple ZIP files?

Yes — that's the default. zipPartSizeMB (default 200) controls the split; every part is a self-contained, openable ZIP.

Are Google Docs, Sheets and Slides included?

Yes. Google-native files can't be downloaded directly, so they are exported (Docs→PDF/DOCX, Sheets→XLSX/CSV, Slides→PPTX, Drawings→PNG) — or skipped entirely with exportDocsAs: skip.

Is this allowed?

The actor only accesses folders that are already shared publicly with you, and stores results in your own Apify storage. Respect copyright — download only content you have the right to download. Unofficial access to Google may occasionally be rate-limited; retries are built in.

Known limitations?

In the default no-key mode Google doesn't expose exact file sizes or MD5 checksums (dates are available), so size filters need an apiKey. Very large folders (thousands of files) may need a raised maxFiles and run timeout.

Can I use this to back up or sync a Google Drive folder?

Yes. Enable incremental and schedule the actor (e.g. daily): each run lists the folder, downloads only new or changed files, and appends them to your Apify storage — an easy Google Drive folder backup/sync setup for course materials, client assets or public datasets.

Bugs or feature requests?

Open an issue on the Issues tab. Need a custom solution (S3 push, private-folder OAuth flow)? Reach out via Apify.