I recently encountered a common problem: needing to download a large Google Drive folder (around 30 gigabytes!) containing numerous files and subfolders. Manually selecting and downloading each file would take forever. The \u201cDownload All\u201d option wasn\u2019t much better, as Google\u2019s zipping process for such a large volume of data also consumes a significant amount of time. To complicate matters, the link owner could delete the files at any moment, creating a sense of urgency. My solution? A script to clone all files from the shared link directly to my Google Drive, allowing me to sync them to my computer at my convenience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My first thought was to use The successful solution came with Google Colab<\/strong>. If you\u2019re unfamiliar with it, Google Colab is a hosted service by Google that allows you to run Python scripts online, leveraging Google\u2019s infrastructure. This means you get direct access to Google resources like Google Cloud and, crucially for this task, Google Drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how to use Google Colab to clone large Google Drive folders:<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, open a new notebook on Google Colab<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll need to create three separate code blocks and run them sequentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This step grants Google Colab permission to access your Google Drive, enabling it to copy files on your behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\ngdown<\/code>, a Python library designed for Google Drive downloads. However, I quickly discovered its limitation: it can only handle up to 50 files per link, making it unsuitable for my situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Step-by-Step Guide with Google Colab<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Step 1: Authorize Google Colab<\/h5>\n\n\n\n