Download and export files (original) (raw)

The Google Drive API supports several types of download and export actions, as listed in the following table:

Before you download or export file content, verify that users can download the file using the capabilities.canDownload field on thefiles resource.

For descriptions of the file types mentioned here, including blob and Google Workspace files, see File types.

The rest of this guide provides detailed instructions for performing these types of download and export actions.

Download blob file content

To download a blob file stored on Drive, use thefiles.get method with the ID of the file to download and the alt=media URL parameter. The alt=media URL parameter tells the server that a download of content is being requested as an alternative response format.

The alt=media URL parameter is a system parameter available across all Google REST APIs. If you use a client library for the Drive API, you don't need to explicitly set this parameter.

The following code sample shows how to use the files.get method to download a file with the Drive API client libraries.

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This code sample uses a library method that adds the alt=media URL parameter to the underlying HTTP request.

File downloads started from your app must be authorized with a scope that allows read access to the file content. For example, an app using thedrive.readonly.metadata scope isn't authorized to download the file contents. This code sample uses the restricted “drive” file scope that allows users to view and manage all of your Drive files. To learn more about Drive scopes, refer to Choose Google Drive API scopes.

Users with edit permissions can restrict downloading by read-only users through setting the copyRequiresWriterPermissionfield to false.

Files identified as abusive(such as harmful software) are only downloadable by the file owner. Additionally, the get query parameter acknowledgeAbuse=true must be included to indicate that the user has acknowledged the risk of downloading potentially unwanted software or other abusive files. Your application should interactively warn the user before using this query parameter.

Partial download

Partial download involves downloading only a specified portion of a file. You can specify the portion of the file you want to download by using a byte range with theRange header. For example:

Range: bytes=500-999

Download blob file content at an earlier version

To download the content of blob files at an earlier version, use therevisions.get method with the ID of the file to download, the ID of the revision, and the alt=media URL parameter. The alt=media URL parameter tells the server that a download of content is being requested as an alternative response format. Similar to files.get, therevisions.get method also accepts the optional query parameteracknowledgeAbuse and the Range header. For more information on downloading revisions, see Manage file revisions.

The request protocol is shown here.

GET https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{`FILE_ID`}/revisions/{`REVISION_ID`}?alt=media

Download blob file content in a browser

To download the content of blob files stored on Drive within a browser, instead of through the API, use thewebContentLink field of thefiles resource. If the user has download access to the file, a link for downloading the file and its contents is returned. You can either redirect a user to this URL, or offer it as a clickable link.

Download blob file content during long-running operations

To download the content of blob files during long-running operations, use thefiles.download method with the ID of the file to download. You can optionally set the ID of the revision. This is the only way to download Google Vids files. For more information, see Manage long-running operations.

Export Google Workspace document content

To export Google Workspace document byte content, use thefiles.export method with the ID of the file to export and the correct MIME type. Exported content is limited to 10 MB.

The following code sample shows how to use the files.export method to export a Google Workspace document in PDF format using the Drive API client libraries:

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This code sample uses the restricted drive scope that allows users to view and manage all of your Drive files. To learn more about Drive scopes, refer to Choose Google Drive API scopes.

The code sample also declares the export MIME type as application/pdf. For a complete list of all export MIME types supported for each Google Workspace document, refer to Export MIME types for Google Workspace documents.

Export Google Workspace document content in a browser

To export Google Workspace document content within a browser, use theexportLinks field of thefiles resource. Depending on the document type, a link to download the file and its contents is returned for every MIME type available. You can either redirect a user to a URL, or offer it as a clickable link.

Export Google Workspace document content at an earlier version in a browser

To export Google Workspace document content at an earlier version within a browser, use the revisions.get method with the ID of the file to download and the ID of the revision to generate an export link from which you can perform the download. If the user has download access to the file, a link for downloading the file and its contents is returned. You can either redirect a user to this URL, or offer it as a clickable link.

Export Google Workspace document content during long-running operations

To export Google Workspace document content during long-running operations, use the files.download method with the ID of the file to download and the ID of the revision. For more information, see Manage long-running operations.

• Protect file content
• Export MIME types for Google Workspace documents