5 years ago, I had shared a tool to generate direct download link for a Google Drive file. But what if you need to create direct links for the files inside a specific folder or simply all your drive files. There's an add-on for Sheets & Drive which lets you do it.
How to Generate direct links
Upon installation, it requires permission to access your Google drive files. You can either use it directly from the Google Drive or in a Google Sheet. You can check how to install & use section for more details. There are two ways you can use this add-on.
Then, move the local Google Drive folder to C: Google Drive; This workaround certainly will resolve all Google Drive sync issues. Google Drive does not sync all folders is such a common issue for G Drive users and there are several possibilities to resolve this problem. In this article, we have discussed top 10 methods for the same. Copy this code into a cell, and change the 2 fields filename and foldersorfilestosave. It will zip all of the folders or files into a zipfile and save it in your Google drive. Access Google Drive. Select all of your folders and files by shift clicking or using the control + A or command + A shortcut. Right click and select download. This method is not as effective, however, because users with a large number of files will not be able to easily select all of them at one time. Go ahead and click the file that you want to download in your Google Drive folder. Then right-click on the file and click ' get shareable link '. After that, a message prompt will tell you that you have enabled link sharing. Now, click on the link that was generated to copy in the clipboard.
1. Files inside specific folders (Recommended)
Notice in the second image how only the folder 'google drive' is in the drive folder. Also, all the files/folders in the original drive place are in the new folder. This way, you will be able to download the entire Google drive as a single zip folder. Now, you say you wanted to download the shared documents.
Using this feature, you can select the list of folders you want. All the files inside those folders will be exported to a sheet if you are using the add-on in a sheet. Else, the file details will be listed on a webpage.
2. All the files inside Google drive
Simply all your files are exported to a sheet. It may take some time depending on the number of files you have on your drive.
File details by default include folder name, the path of the folder on Google Drive, file name, direct download link of the file, viewers, editors of the file and share status of the file. Each row on the spreadsheet represents a file on your Drive.
How to install & use
You can install the Add-on using this link - Drive Explorer. Click INSTALL, it will ask for your permission. Click Continue and choose your Google account to authorize the app.
Now, you're all set to use the Add-on. Drive Explorer works from Google Drive dashboard and in Google Sheets.
From Google Drive
How To Download Folders From Google Drive
From the Google Drive dashboard select one or more files/folders, right-click and select Open with → Drive Explorer or select 'New' button in the top right corner and select More → Drive Explorer.
On Drive, when you open a file/folder(s) with Drive Explorer, you will visit a webpage with the list of your file details. The list column contains file name, download link, size and created at. You can get the description, thumbnail, preview link etc., columns by checking the appropriate checkbox. It will look something like below.
Note: When you use the add-on with Google Drive, it can pull a maximum of up to 200 files. If you want to fetch more file details, you have to use the add-on with a Google Sheet.
In a Google Sheet
In a Sheet, if you choose Selected Items, drive picker dialog opens and you can select the files/folders you want. When you select All files, the dialog closes and a sheet opens with details of all your Google Drive files.
Selected Items
Once you pick the files/folders, a dialog opens with the list of items you select. From that dialog, you can add/remove item(s).
There are two export options available. You can use either one of those or both depending on your needs. Just check the options needed before you click on 'Export details' to export files/folders.
Download All Google Drive Files
- List only folders
- Include deeply nested files & folders
List only folders
This option is helpful when you just want to see the folder structure of your Google Drive and you don't intend to see the list of files inside those folders.
Include deeply nested files & folders
You have to tick Include deeply nested files & folders if you want to cover the files inside nested folders. To explain this, let's take the following file system hierarchy.
Here, My Drive has two folders Folder 1 and Folder 2. Folder 1 contains a file File 1 and a folder Folder 11. Let's say your folder list contains only,
My Drive > Folder 1 >
So, if you select Export Details without opting for nested files, you'll end up with File 1 info alone. If you had ticked the nested files checkbox, your sheet will also have Folder 11 and File 11 entry.
Settings and Configuration
You can change the way Drive Explorer works on the sheet by altering configurations. Select Add-ons → Drive Explorer → Configuration. For now, there are 6 configurations for you to work with according to your needs,
1. Auto-refresh
By default, this option is disabled. When you enable it via configuration, whenever you open the sheet, it'll refresh the links automatically for you. But if you're a non-premium user and open the sheet more than once between 6-hour interval, automatic refresh won't happen. If you want to get the links to newly added files in the meantime, you can use Refresh option that's available under Add-ons → Drive Explorer.
You can also disable the auto-refresh option altogether, select Add-ons → Direct Drive Links → Configuration.
2. Repeat folder names
There is an option for you to repeat the folder path & names in column 2 & 3. When you sort by filename on the sheet manually, to know within which folder every file is, you can use this. It is by default disabled, to enable it, just select Add-ons → Direct Drive Links → Configuration.
3. List folders without any files
This option is enabled by default. It displays the folder you picked on the sheet, even though it is an empty folder.
4. Update file/folder names & description
You can enable this config to directly rename files/folders or add/edit description of files directly from the Google Sheet. Watch this YouTube clip to know more.
5. Let Drive Explorer run for up to 30 minutes
By default, Drive Explorer batches all the work once it runs continuously for 6mins. Because, after that, the script execution will be forced to stop due to the limitation imposed by Google on Gmail & G Suite basic accounts. If your account type is G Suite Business / Enterprise / Education, by enabling this config, you can let Drive Explorer run for up to 30mins.
6. File sort order
You can configure the order in which files are exported on the sheet. You can sort files by name, size, created date, last viewed & modified date either in ascending or in descending order.
Open folders on Google Drive
Hover over the folder name in the first column and click on the link to view the folder contents on Google Drive.
Update Share details
If any of the files are not shared with anyone or you want to share that with more people, you can do that from your sheet itself, all you have to do is, select the file name and select Share from the add-on menu. A dialog will open where you'll able to add/remove people, change people's role and share files with people with the link.
You can also share more than one file at once from the sheet. Select the files & folders in the sheet by holding cmd/ctrl or click and drag and select Share from the add-on menu.
Export your PC/Mac backup files to Google Sheet
People backup and sync their files to Google Drive using Backup and Sync application. You can also list your backup files on a Google Sheet with Drive Explorer. To do that, first of all, you have to know the name of your backup device. You can copy the device name by opening Google Drive dashboard and expanding Computers in the sidebar menu. Right-click the device you want and select rename to copy the backup device name.
Paste the device name you copied before to the file picker while adding items. Your device will be listed in the window. Now, you can pick the files/folders from your backup.
Batch processing
If the folder you export to the sheet has a lot of files, there is a chance that add-on execution will be terminated before it completes to export all the files. This is because Google limits the maximum amount of time an add-on script can run to 6 minutes (There is a way you can get rid of this limit). To eliminate this limitation, Drive Explorer creates batches of tasks and executes in the background when the script execution time reaches 5 minutes 30 seconds.
To know the status of the batch execution, you can select Add-ons → Drive Explorer → Batch Execution Status.
List of fields supported
For now, you'll be able to export following fields: Folder name, Folder Path, Filename, Preview Link, Direct Link, Share Status, File Size, Owner, Viewers, Commenters, Editors, Created At, Last Modified At, Export PDF Link, Export ePub Link, Export CSV Link, Export ZIP Link, Export DOCX Link, Export XLSX Link, Filetype, Width, Height, Video Duration, File Extension.
1. Files inside specific folders (Recommended)
Notice in the second image how only the folder 'google drive' is in the drive folder. Also, all the files/folders in the original drive place are in the new folder. This way, you will be able to download the entire Google drive as a single zip folder. Now, you say you wanted to download the shared documents.
Using this feature, you can select the list of folders you want. All the files inside those folders will be exported to a sheet if you are using the add-on in a sheet. Else, the file details will be listed on a webpage.
2. All the files inside Google drive
Simply all your files are exported to a sheet. It may take some time depending on the number of files you have on your drive.
File details by default include folder name, the path of the folder on Google Drive, file name, direct download link of the file, viewers, editors of the file and share status of the file. Each row on the spreadsheet represents a file on your Drive.
How to install & use
You can install the Add-on using this link - Drive Explorer. Click INSTALL, it will ask for your permission. Click Continue and choose your Google account to authorize the app.
Now, you're all set to use the Add-on. Drive Explorer works from Google Drive dashboard and in Google Sheets.
From Google Drive
How To Download Folders From Google Drive
From the Google Drive dashboard select one or more files/folders, right-click and select Open with → Drive Explorer or select 'New' button in the top right corner and select More → Drive Explorer.
On Drive, when you open a file/folder(s) with Drive Explorer, you will visit a webpage with the list of your file details. The list column contains file name, download link, size and created at. You can get the description, thumbnail, preview link etc., columns by checking the appropriate checkbox. It will look something like below.
Note: When you use the add-on with Google Drive, it can pull a maximum of up to 200 files. If you want to fetch more file details, you have to use the add-on with a Google Sheet.
In a Google Sheet
In a Sheet, if you choose Selected Items, drive picker dialog opens and you can select the files/folders you want. When you select All files, the dialog closes and a sheet opens with details of all your Google Drive files.
Selected Items
Once you pick the files/folders, a dialog opens with the list of items you select. From that dialog, you can add/remove item(s).
There are two export options available. You can use either one of those or both depending on your needs. Just check the options needed before you click on 'Export details' to export files/folders.
Download All Google Drive Files
- List only folders
- Include deeply nested files & folders
List only folders
This option is helpful when you just want to see the folder structure of your Google Drive and you don't intend to see the list of files inside those folders.
Include deeply nested files & folders
You have to tick Include deeply nested files & folders if you want to cover the files inside nested folders. To explain this, let's take the following file system hierarchy.
Here, My Drive has two folders Folder 1 and Folder 2. Folder 1 contains a file File 1 and a folder Folder 11. Let's say your folder list contains only,
My Drive > Folder 1 >
So, if you select Export Details without opting for nested files, you'll end up with File 1 info alone. If you had ticked the nested files checkbox, your sheet will also have Folder 11 and File 11 entry.
Settings and Configuration
You can change the way Drive Explorer works on the sheet by altering configurations. Select Add-ons → Drive Explorer → Configuration. For now, there are 6 configurations for you to work with according to your needs,
1. Auto-refresh
By default, this option is disabled. When you enable it via configuration, whenever you open the sheet, it'll refresh the links automatically for you. But if you're a non-premium user and open the sheet more than once between 6-hour interval, automatic refresh won't happen. If you want to get the links to newly added files in the meantime, you can use Refresh option that's available under Add-ons → Drive Explorer.
You can also disable the auto-refresh option altogether, select Add-ons → Direct Drive Links → Configuration.
2. Repeat folder names
There is an option for you to repeat the folder path & names in column 2 & 3. When you sort by filename on the sheet manually, to know within which folder every file is, you can use this. It is by default disabled, to enable it, just select Add-ons → Direct Drive Links → Configuration.
3. List folders without any files
This option is enabled by default. It displays the folder you picked on the sheet, even though it is an empty folder.
4. Update file/folder names & description
You can enable this config to directly rename files/folders or add/edit description of files directly from the Google Sheet. Watch this YouTube clip to know more.
5. Let Drive Explorer run for up to 30 minutes
By default, Drive Explorer batches all the work once it runs continuously for 6mins. Because, after that, the script execution will be forced to stop due to the limitation imposed by Google on Gmail & G Suite basic accounts. If your account type is G Suite Business / Enterprise / Education, by enabling this config, you can let Drive Explorer run for up to 30mins.
6. File sort order
You can configure the order in which files are exported on the sheet. You can sort files by name, size, created date, last viewed & modified date either in ascending or in descending order.
Open folders on Google Drive
Hover over the folder name in the first column and click on the link to view the folder contents on Google Drive.
Update Share details
If any of the files are not shared with anyone or you want to share that with more people, you can do that from your sheet itself, all you have to do is, select the file name and select Share from the add-on menu. A dialog will open where you'll able to add/remove people, change people's role and share files with people with the link.
You can also share more than one file at once from the sheet. Select the files & folders in the sheet by holding cmd/ctrl or click and drag and select Share from the add-on menu.
Export your PC/Mac backup files to Google Sheet
People backup and sync their files to Google Drive using Backup and Sync application. You can also list your backup files on a Google Sheet with Drive Explorer. To do that, first of all, you have to know the name of your backup device. You can copy the device name by opening Google Drive dashboard and expanding Computers in the sidebar menu. Right-click the device you want and select rename to copy the backup device name.
Paste the device name you copied before to the file picker while adding items. Your device will be listed in the window. Now, you can pick the files/folders from your backup.
Batch processing
If the folder you export to the sheet has a lot of files, there is a chance that add-on execution will be terminated before it completes to export all the files. This is because Google limits the maximum amount of time an add-on script can run to 6 minutes (There is a way you can get rid of this limit). To eliminate this limitation, Drive Explorer creates batches of tasks and executes in the background when the script execution time reaches 5 minutes 30 seconds.
To know the status of the batch execution, you can select Add-ons → Drive Explorer → Batch Execution Status.
List of fields supported
For now, you'll be able to export following fields: Folder name, Folder Path, Filename, Preview Link, Direct Link, Share Status, File Size, Owner, Viewers, Commenters, Editors, Created At, Last Modified At, Export PDF Link, Export ePub Link, Export CSV Link, Export ZIP Link, Export DOCX Link, Export XLSX Link, Filetype, Width, Height, Video Duration, File Extension.
Export only the fields you need
Select Choose display fields from add-on menu to pick the fields you're interested in, only those fields will be exported to the sheet.
Customize the look of the sheet
By selecting Customize fields from add-on menu, you'll be able to assign an alias to the fields available and the width it should have on the sheet. You can also change the font size and row height from the dialog.
Not working as expected?
If the add-on misbehaves, you must have connected with multiple Google accounts on your browser. This is a long-standing issue with Google, it has been explained in this blog post. Even though a workaround has been implemented, it just fails in some cases for which I haven't been able to find a solution so far.
A simple way you can solve this issue is logging out of other Google accounts on your browser or using the add-on on an incognito window.
Issues and Feature requests
If you run into any issues or you want any feature to be added to this add-on, do leave a comment on this post. I'll see what best I can do.
Google Drive
GoogleDrive is a cloud storage service produced by Microsoft. It is widelyused for storing data online without any extra hard drive and itprovides a large space up to 5 TB for free, and you can use all data onthe Google Drive by accessing your Google account.
Backup files to Google Drive
Google Drive has been disconnected, and Google launched a new tool called Backup and Sync in 2017, which is used to replace Google Drive and Photos desktop apps for Windows PCs and Macs. And it gives you two methods to backup files with Google Drive, including, directly drag and drop folders into Google Drive folder, sync specific folders without 'Copy and Paste'.
If you still haven't upgraded to the latest version, you need to download from Google Drive page. Then, see detailed steps to backup PC files:
1. Sign in your Google account Mac face powder nc30. and you will see extra two tabs, 'My Computer' and 'Google Drive'.
2. Sync specific folders with Google Drive app. In the 'My Computer' page, click 'CHOOSE FOLDER' and select the folders you want to sync.
3. Sync Google Drive to local computer. In the 'Google Drive' page, tick 'Sync everything in My Drive' or 'Sync only these folders' under 'Sync My Drive to this computer'.
4. Click 'Start' to backup files from or to Google Drive. Wait until the process is 100% completed. Then, you can go to drive.google.com and see if all files are synced successfully.
Note: After syncing, you will see a folder named 'Google Drive' on the local computer, then you can directly copy your files to your Google Drive folder and it will sync them to drive.google.com as well.
Backup and Sync is not a restore tool
Google Drive is very useful, because it can help you sync local folder with Google Drive effortlessly. However, there is a problem: Google Drive will delete files from all devices if you delete it from Google Drive folder or drive.google.com. So, it's not safe enough to use Backup and Sync for backup.
Roulett for fun. To protect your computer files or entire computer, a backup software is better, because it gives you a chance for disaster recovery. Here, I'll recommend you free backup and restore software for Windows 7/8/10-it's AOMEI Backupper Standard. This software not only can help you auto backup files to Google Drive, but also offers you extra features for better experience.
Support 'Schedule Sync'. This software offers you daily backup, weekly backup and monthly backup, which can help you backup files at a regular basis. And it does not require human intervention.
Email Notification available. With this feature, you don't need to wait until the backup task is completed. It will tell you if the backup task is completed successfully or any error message pop up during the process.
Wonder 4 tower. Fast Synchronization. With this feature checked, it will only sync only changed files or folders in the source. If not, it will compare all files with both source and target folder and sync all the changed files to target folder, even the deleted files or folders in the target folder.
How to backup my computer files to Google Drive automatically?
1. Download the freeware AOMEI Backupper, install and launch it to your computer. Then, it will show you its main interface.
2. To backup files to Google Drive, here you need to click Backup, select File Sync.
3. Click Add Folder and select the folder you want to backup.
Note: If your folder has multiple files inside, you can set auto file extension with Filter Settings (Supported by AOMEI Backupper Professional). Native os x.
4. Then, click the inverted triangle and 'Select a cloud drive' to choose the Google Drive as the destination place.
5. Before clicking Start Sync, you can click 'Schedule' or 'Options' to set up an automatic file sync for your task. Then, click 'Start Sync' to launch the progress, and when the progress done, click Finish to exit.
Notes:
Besides Google Drive, this software also allows you to backup files to Cloud, like Dropbox, OneDrive, external hard drive, USB drive, etc.
Speaking of file sync, 'Real-time sync' is a specific feature you cannot ignore. This feature is used to sync files immediately once the changes has been made. If needed, please upgrade to the advanced version. This feature only available on the paid version.
Now, you can restore files from backup at any time. But file backup can only be used to recover your files when something unexpected happens. What if your system crashes? To avoid this situation, you still need to create a system backup and save it to a safe place, such as, external hard drive.
