Resources · Make integration

Google Drive Make integrationAutomate Google Drive with Make.

Files that file themselves, folders that appear when a client signs, links that go out without a copy and paste. The Google Drive Make integration gives you 32 modules, including 5 triggers. This guide shows what to automate, how to connect your account and how to build a first scenario.

Verified Trustpilot reviews · AI, automation & growth agency

What you can automate

What does the Google Drive Make integration let you automate?

The Google Drive Make integration links your Drive account to Make, a no-code tool where you build scenarios (automations made of connected bricks called modules). Each module reads or changes something in Drive: it watches a folder, uploads a file, creates a folder, shares a link, cleans up old revisions. You arrange them once, and Make runs the chain for you.

A client folder that builds itself. When a deal closes in your CRM, Create a Folder opens a folder named after the client, and Upload a File drops the signed contract inside. Nobody has to remember the folder naming rule anymore.

A drop zone your team actually watches. Watch Files in a Folder spots every new or edited file in a folder such as Invoices to process. Get a Share Link then produces a link your accounting tool or chat app can receive.

Tidy shared drives for Workspace admins. Watch Shared Drives notices each new shared drive, and Update a File/Folder Access or Revoke a File/Folder Access keeps permissions in line when someone leaves a project.

A few limits come straight from the documentation. The five shared drive modules need Google Workspace administrator rights. All 5 triggers are scheduled, so Make checks Drive on the scenario's schedule instead of hearing from Google the moment something changes. When you need an endpoint that no module covers, Make an API Call reuses the same connection.

Google Drive also exists in n8n. If your team already works there, read the Google Drive n8n integration page, or weigh both tools in n8n vs Make. To get comfortable with the editor itself, the Make training starts from zero.

Connect

How do you connect Google Drive to Make?

  1. 01

    Add a Google Drive module

    You need a Google account. Inside a scenario, add any Google Drive module and click Create a connection. A connection is your Drive account linked to Make once, then reused by every Google Drive module you add later.

  2. 02

    Name it and check your address type

    Give the connection a clear label in Connection name, handy when you manage several Google accounts. With an address ending in @gmail or @googlemail, the documentation asks for your own OAuth client from Google Cloud Platform: switch on Advanced settings and paste its client credentials.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Click Sign in with Google, pick the account, then accept every permission Google lists. The documentation asks for all of them, so do not trim the list. Once you confirm, the connection appears in the module and Make can list your folders.

First scenario

Your first scenario: a client folder with its contract

GoalWhen a new client arrives in another app, Make creates their folder in Google Drive and uploads the file you received.

  1. 01

    Start a blank scenario

    Open the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the big +. The first module is the event that starts everything: here, the trigger of the app where new clients show up, such as your CRM or a form tool.

  2. 02

    Add Create a Folder

    Click the + to the right of that trigger, search for Google Drive and pick Create a Folder. Choose your connection, pick the parent folder from the list Make shows, then map the client name as the folder name.

  3. 03

    Chain Upload a File

    Add Upload a File after it. For the destination, map the folder the previous module just created, so each contract lands in the right place. For the file itself, map the file the first app delivered.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Click Run once and create a test client in the first app. Each module shows the bundles it received (a bundle is one item passed along, here one client). Open Drive and check the new folder and its file.

  5. 05

    Set the schedule and switch it on

    Click the clock on the first module to choose how often Make checks for new clients. A new scenario runs every 15 minutes by default. Then flip the scenario on, and it keeps working without you.

Triggers

What can start a Google Drive scenario?

5 modules start a scenario when something happens in Google Drive. A scheduled trigger is checked by Make on the scenario's schedule; an instant one is called by Google Drive as soon as it happens.

Google Drive1Watch Files in a Folder

Watch Files in a Folder

Scheduled trigger

In MakeTriggers when a file is created or modified in a selected folder.

Pick one folder and this trigger hands your scenario every file that gets added there or edited since the last check. It is the classic starting point for an inbox folder that colleagues or clients feed.

How it fires
scheduled, Make checks Drive on the scenario's schedule, 15 minutes by default and never under 15 minutes on the Free plan.
When to use it
a folder called Receipts where the sales team drops expense proofs that must reach accounting.
Watch out
edits count too, so a file renamed by a colleague can come back through the scenario a second time.
Google Drive2Watch All Files

Watch All Files

Scheduled trigger

In MakeTriggers when a file is created or modified.

This one looks across the whole Drive instead of a single folder, and passes along any file that was created or changed. It gives you a wide net when files arrive from many places and you cannot predict which folder they land in.

How it fires
scheduled, Make polls Drive at the interval set on the scenario, not the moment a file changes.
When to use it
keeping an activity log in a spreadsheet of every document touched in the account.
Watch out
a busy Drive sends a lot of bundles, and each module run on each bundle counts as one operation on your plan.
Google Drive3Watch Folders

Watch Folders

Scheduled trigger

In MakeTriggers when a new folder is created or modified.

Here the scenario reacts to folders rather than files: a folder created or modified inside the parent you choose becomes a bundle. Useful when a new folder itself signals a new project or a new client.

How it fires
scheduled, Make looks inside the chosen parent folder each time the scenario runs.
When to use it
a project manager opens a folder under Projects, and Make creates the matching task or card in your project tool.
Watch out
renaming a folder is a modification, so plan a filter if only brand new folders should go through.
Google Drive4Watch Shared Drives

Watch Shared Drives

Scheduled trigger

In MakeTriggers when a new shared drive is created.

Every time a new shared drive appears in your Google Workspace, this trigger passes it on. It suits IT or ops teams who want each shared drive documented, announced or configured right after someone creates it.

How it fires
scheduled, Make asks Google for new shared drives on the scenario's schedule.
When to use it
logging each new shared drive in an inventory sheet with its creation details, so nothing lives outside your radar.
Watch out
the documentation requires Google Workspace administrator rights for the shared drive modules, and a personal account cannot use it.
Google Drive5Watch Comments

Watch Comments

Scheduled trigger

In MakeTriggers when a comment is created or updated on a selected file.

Point it at one file and it collects comments that are created or updated on it. Feedback left in the margin of a brief or a quote no longer stays buried in the document.

How it fires
scheduled, Make reads the file's comments each time the scenario runs, so replies arrive with that delay.
When to use it
a client reviews a proposal in Drive, and each remark is pushed to the account manager's chat channel.
Watch out
it watches a selected file, not a folder, so one scenario covers one document.
Modules

What can Make do in Google Drive?

Google Drive gives you 27 modules in 5 groups. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

File/Folder

12 modules
Google Drive1

Search for Files/Folders

Search

In MakeSearches for files or folders based on search criteria.

Finds files or folders that match your criteria, like a name or a location, and returns them to the next module. It answers the question "does this already exist?" before your scenario creates a duplicate.

When to use it
before creating a client folder, check whether one with that client name is already there.
Watch out
a search can return zero, one or many bundles, and every following module runs once per result.
Google Drive2

Download a File

Action

In MakeDownloads a file.

Pulls the actual content of a Drive file into the scenario, so another app can receive the file itself rather than a link. Think of it as the bridge between a Drive document and an email attachment or an upload elsewhere.

When to use it
a signed PDF must be attached to a message in your email tool.
Watch out
on the Free plan Make handles files up to 5 MB, so heavy videos or scans will stop there.
Google Drive3

Create a File from Text

Action

In MakeCreates a file from a text plain.

Turns plain text built in your scenario into a new file saved in Drive. You assemble the content from earlier modules (a form answer, a summary, a log line) and Make writes it as a document in the folder you pick.

When to use it
saving each form submission as a small text file inside the client's folder, for the record.
Watch out
it writes plain text only, so layout and styling are not part of the result.
Google Drive4

Create a Folder

Action

In MakeCreates a new folder.

Opens a new folder where you tell it to, with a name that can come from any earlier data. Your folder structure then follows one naming rule, whoever triggers it.

When to use it
a new customer, a new project or a new hire each get their own folder the moment they are recorded elsewhere.
Watch out
run Search for Files/Folders first when the same event can fire twice, so one client never ends up with two folders.
Google Drive5

Create a File/Folder Shortcut

Action

In MakeCreates a new file or folder shortcut.

Places a shortcut to an existing file or folder somewhere else in Drive, without making a copy. The original stays in one place, and people find it from several folders.

When to use it
a company policy lives in a master folder, and each new team folder should show a shortcut to it.
Watch out
point the shortcut at the master item, not at a copy, or people will open outdated versions.
Google Drive6

Upload a File

Action

In MakeUploads a new file.

Sends a file coming from another module into a Drive folder. It is the module that archives attachments, exports and downloads from your other tools, the most common destination in a Drive scenario.

When to use it
every invoice attachment received by email goes into the Invoices folder of the right month.
Watch out
map the file data from the previous module, not just its name, otherwise Drive receives nothing useful. On the Free plan, files stop at 5 MB.
Google Drive7

Update a File

Action

In MakeUpdates a file's metadata and/or content.

Changes an existing file, either its details such as the name, or its content, or both. The file stays where it is, which matters when others already work from it.

When to use it
a price list shared with partners is regenerated elsewhere and must replace the old content behind the same link.
Watch out
you are overwriting live content, so test with Run once on a copy before pointing it at the real file.
Google Drive8

Rename a Folder

Action

In MakeRenames an existing folder.

Gives an existing folder a new name. Small action, but it keeps your structure readable when a status changes and the folder name should say so.

When to use it
when a project is marked as closed in your project tool, its folder name gets a Closed prefix.
Watch out
Watch Folders sees a rename as a modification, so a scenario that watches the same parent can fire again on it.
Google Drive9

Move a File/Folder to Trash

Action

In MakeMoves a file or folder to trash.

Sends a file or a folder to the Drive trash, where it can still be restored. It is the careful way to clean up, with a safety net if the scenario picked the wrong item.

When to use it
temporary exports that another module already processed and no longer need to sit in your folders.
Watch out
prefer it over Delete a File/Folder while your scenario is new, you keep a way back.
Google Drive10

Delete a File/Folder

Action

In MakePermanently deletes a file or folder owned by the user without moving it to the trash.

Erases a file or folder for good, skipping the trash. It only works on items that the connected user owns, so shared files owned by someone else stay untouched.

When to use it
personal data that must disappear once a retention rule says it has served its purpose.
Watch out
there is no undo. Put a filter before it and check the target with Run once first.
Google Drive11

Copy a File

Action

In MakeMakes a copy of an existing file.

Duplicates an existing file, which makes it the natural tool for templates: one master document, one fresh copy per case. The original is never touched.

When to use it
each new client gets a copy of your onboarding checklist, placed in their folder and ready to fill.
Watch out
give the copy a distinct name built from your data, otherwise you end up with a folder full of identical titles.
Google Drive12

Move a File/Folder

Action

In MakeMoves a file or folder to a different location in Google Drive.

Relocates a file or folder to another place in Drive. Paired with a trigger, it sorts a messy inbox folder into the right subfolders without anyone dragging files around.

When to use it
once a document is approved, it leaves To review and goes to Approved.
Watch out
moving a file out of a watched folder is fine, but moving it into a folder that another scenario watches will start that scenario too.

File/Folder Access

3 modules
Google Drive13

Get a Share Link

Action

In MakeGets a share link for file or folder.

Returns a link to a file or folder that you can pass to any other app. Your scenario can then send the link by email, post it in chat or store it next to a record in your CRM.

When to use it
a quote PDF lands in Drive and the sales rep needs its link in the deal record.
Watch out
check who can open the link. Access rules are set with Update a File/Folder Access, not here.
Google Drive14

Update a File/Folder Access

Action

In MakeUpdates an exisitng file or folder access.

Adjusts the access someone already has on a file or folder, for example turning an editor into a viewer. It lets permissions follow the life of a project instead of staying as they were on day one.

When to use it
after a contract is signed, the client moves from editing the draft to only viewing the final version.
Watch out
it changes an existing access, so the person must already have one on the item.
Google Drive15

Revoke a File/Folder Access

Action

In MakeRevokes a file or folder access.

Removes a person's access to a file or folder. Paired with an event from your HR or project tool, it closes doors that people tend to forget to close by hand.

When to use it
a freelancer's mission ends, and their access to the project folder disappears the same day.
Watch out
the change applies to the file or folder you target, so pick the right item with a search before this step.

Google Shared Drive (for Google Workspace Users only)

5 modules

The Google Workspace administrator privilege is required in order to use these modules

Google Drive16

Search for Shared Drives

Search

In MakeSearches for Google Shared Drives with query options.

Lists the shared drives of your Google Workspace that match your query. Admins use it to loop through every shared drive and apply the same check or the same update to each one.

When to use it
building a list of all shared drives with their details in a spreadsheet for an access review.
Watch out
this group of modules requires Workspace administrator rights, and each drive found is a separate bundle.
Google Drive17

Create a Shared Drive

Action

In MakeCreates a new shared drive.

Creates a new shared drive, the team space where files belong to the organization rather than to one person. Automating it keeps names consistent across departments or clients.

When to use it
a new department or a large client account gets its own shared drive as soon as it is approved.
Watch out
only Google Workspace users with administrator privilege can run it, a regular Gmail account cannot.
Google Drive18

Get a Shared Drive

Action

In MakeGets a shared drive's metadata by ID.

Fetches the details of one shared drive from its ID, so later modules can use its name and settings. It is a lookup step, not a change.

When to use it
Watch Shared Drives hands you an ID, and you want the drive's full details before writing them to your inventory.
Watch out
you need the drive ID, usually from a search or a trigger earlier in the scenario, plus Workspace admin rights.
Google Drive19

Update a Shared Drive

Action

In MakeUpdates an existing shared drive. For admins only.

Changes the settings of an existing shared drive. The documentation marks it as a module for admins only, which fits its role: keeping the organization's team spaces in order.

When to use it
a shared drive found with Search for Shared Drives or Get a Shared Drive needs a change, and you want that change made from your scenario.
Watch out
the documentation reserves it to Google Workspace administrators, so connect it with an admin account.
Google Drive20

Delete a Shared Drive

Action

In MakeDeletes a shared drive without any content.

Removes a shared drive that holds no content. It closes the loop on spaces created for a project or a client that never took off, or that you already emptied.

When to use it
after archiving a finished client's files elsewhere, the empty shared drive is deleted to keep the list short.
Watch out
the module targets drives without any content, so move or archive the files first, and keep admin rights on the connection.

File Revision

4 modules
Google Drive21

List File Revisions

Search

In MakeRetrieves a list of file's revisions.

Returns the history of versions saved for a file, one bundle per revision. It shows who changed a document over time and gives the IDs the other revision modules need.

When to use it
auditing how a contract template evolved before sending a new version to legal.
Watch out
a file edited often returns many revisions, and each following module runs once per revision.
Google Drive22

Get a File Revision

Action

In MakeGets a specified file's revision.

Retrieves one specific revision of a file, identified by its ID. You reach back to a precise version instead of the current one.

When to use it
a document was overwritten by mistake and you want the details of the version that preceded the edit.
Watch out
you need the revision ID, and List File Revisions is the module that gives it to you.
Google Drive23

Update a File Revision

Action

In MakeUpdates an existing file's revision.

Edits an existing revision of a file. It is a niche module for teams that manage version history carefully, such as legal or quality documents that must keep an exact trace.

When to use it
List File Revisions has shown you the version to change, and you want the change done in the same scenario.
Watch out
it acts on one revision only, so check with Run once that you target the right ID.
Google Drive24

Delete a File Revision

Action

In MakeDeletes a file's revision.

Removes one revision from a file's history while keeping the file itself. It helps when an old version should no longer be reachable, for example a draft with outdated figures.

When to use it
cleaning the history of a shared document after sensitive data slipped into an early version.
Watch out
a deleted revision is gone, so confirm its ID with List File Revisions in a Run once test first.

Other

3 modules
Google Drive25

Get a Folder ID for a Path

Search

In MakeRetrieves a folder ID for a folder path.

Converts a readable folder path into the folder ID that other modules expect. Your scenario can then work with paths such as /Clients/2026 instead of IDs nobody remembers.

When to use it
a form sends a department name, and you build the path to its folder before uploading a file there.
Watch out
the path must match an existing folder exactly, or the next modules receive nothing to work with.
Google Drive26

Get a File/Folder Path for an ID

Action

In MakeRetrieves a file or folder path for an ID.

Does the reverse trip: from an ID, it gives back the full path of a file or folder. Handy for messages and logs that humans read.

When to use it
Watch All Files reports a change, and you want your chat alert to say where the file sits, not just show an ID.
Watch out
it only returns a location, so add Get a Share Link if people need to open the item.
Google Drive27

Make an API Call

Action

In MakePerforms an arbitrary authorized API call.

Calls any endpoint of the Google Drive API with the connection you already set up. It covers what the ready modules leave out, as long as the API offers it.

When to use it
you need a Drive feature that has no dedicated module in the list above.
Watch out
this module expects you to read the Google Drive API reference and write the request yourself, so keep it for the cases where no ready module fits.
Need help

Need help automating Google Drive with Make?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

Questions people ask next

01Is the Google Drive Make integration free?
Yes, Google Drive is a standard app, so it works on the Free plan. That plan comes with limits: 2 active scenarios, at least 15 minutes between two scheduled runs, 5 minutes per execution, files up to 5 MB and 512 MB of data transfer. Paid plans (Core, Pro, Teams, Enterprise) lower the interval to 1 minute and remove the cap on active scenarios. Usage is counted in operations, one per module run on one bundle.
02What do you need to connect Google Drive to Make?
A Google account and a Make account. You add a Google Drive module, click Create a connection, then Sign in with Google and grant every permission requested. With an @gmail or @googlemail address, the documentation adds a step: create your own OAuth client in Google Cloud Platform and enter its client credentials under Advanced settings. Those @gmail connections need reauthorizing every six months, and weekly if the Cloud project stays in Testing status.
03Do Google Drive triggers in Make react instantly?
No. All 5 Google Drive triggers are scheduled: Make checks Drive on the scenario's schedule and picks up what changed since the previous check. A new scenario runs every 15 minutes by default. The Free plan cannot go below 15 minutes, while paid plans go down to 1 minute. For a faster reaction, the scenario can also start from another app's trigger and then act on Drive with the action modules.
04What if a Google Drive module is missing in Make?
Use Make an API Call. It sends a request to any endpoint of the Google Drive API with the connection you already have, so nothing new to authorize. Check first whether one of the 32 modules covers the need, since a ready module is easier to maintain. Keep the known limits in mind too: the shared drive modules require Google Workspace administrator rights, and a Free plan scenario handles files up to 5 MB.
05Make or n8n for Google Drive?
It depends on where your automations already live. Google Drive is available in both tools, and each has its own page on this site. In Make, you get 32 ready modules, a visual editor and a first scenario you can test with Run once. The fair way to choose is to list the Drive actions you need, then check that the tool your team uses covers them, including the connection steps for your type of Google account.