List path, direct links, image URLs, size, etc., of your Google Drive files on browser or Sheet. Sort files by name, size, etc., Generate direct download links.
Listing updated:March 22, 2024
Works with:
731K+
Overview
Drive Explorer lets you pick folders/files from your Google Drive, Shared Drive, or the files shared with you to list in a Google Sheet or on the browser. 

Sheet columns contain metadata of the files like the file's name, containing folder, folder path on your Google drive, direct download link, download links of files in PDF, CSV, ZIP, DOCX, XLSX formats, image URL if it's an image, etc. The whole list of fields it can pull is given below.

Drive Explorer is fast 🚀. It can export up to 1000 files in approximately 16 seconds (Speed is influenced by the nested level of files).

Drive Explorer brings your Google Drive to Google Sheets. You can see all your files from different folders in a sheet tab instead of going back and forth on your Google Drive. You can sort your files by size, name, created date, modified date, last viewed date in ascending or descending order. This makes searching for files easy and saves you a lot of time.

You can generate download links for your files and easily share them with anyone for 1-click downloads.

You can share files and get a share link or change the existing share settings directly from the sheet.

You can rename, add/edit descriptions to multiple files/folders at a time directly from the sheet. You can add up to 3 different custom metadata to your files.

Do you have any folder which has nested series of folders & files? Drive Explorer can also fetch files & folders in nested folders. Just pick the parent folder and tick a checkbox when exporting.

You can automatically refresh (you have to enable this config) the sheet when you open it, meaning your sheet will have details of the files you recently uploaded on the Drive. You can also set up a scheduled refresh which will trigger automatically in the background to refresh your file list. These two auto-refresh features help you use Google Drive as a data source for dynamic web applications.

🏆 Use cases:
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If you use Google Drive a lot at work, Drive Explorer can save you a lot of time and increase your productivity. 
- Create direct download links of files in bulk.
- Get image URLs of files to directly display them on the browser or host it on websites.
- Know the size of the files.
- See the photos you have in your Drive as thumbnails in a Google Sheet.
- Run security audits.
- Get download links of files in different formats like PDF, CSV, ZIP, etc.,
and much more. You can let me know how you're using it at vignesh@syncwithtech.org. I'll add it here :)

📃 List of fields you can export:
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Folder name, Folder Size, Folder Path, Filename, Share Status, File Size, Description, Owner, Viewers, Commenters, Editors, Created At, Last Modified At, Filetype, Width, Height, Video Duration, File Extension, Thumbnail, Thumbnail Link, File Link, Folder Link, Preview Link and types of direct links: PDF, ePub, CSV, ZIP, DOCX, XLSX, three different custom metadata.

🎁 Features:
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➤ Export direct download links of selected files on your Google drive or for all your files. Export download links for different file types like DOCX, XLSX, PDF, CSV, ZIP, ePub for applicable files.
➤ Export files inside the nested folders.
➤ Check folder size.
➤ List only folders.
➤ Provision to sort the files by size, name, last viewed, and last modified.
➤ Add/Edit/Remove permission details of files directly from the sheet.
➤ Share multiple files at once with people.
➤ Update file/folder name & description directly from the Google Sheet.
➤ Supports Shared drives (Formerly Team drives).
➤ On open, auto-refresh links with an option to disable.
➤ Scheduled auto-refresh to update the file list in the background.
➤ Add custom metadata against any file for your reference.
➤ Format Created at & Last modified at timestamps according to your needs.
➤ Pick and export only the fields that matter to you.
➤ Links to open files & folders on Google Drive.
➤ Can be used as a Google Drive file manager.
➤ Customize the look of fields and add a custom alias to the fields.

🔐 Needed permissions explained:
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➤ See, edit, create and delete Drive files
Your files are safe. For sharing files from the sheet & updating the name, description this permission is required.

➤ Add itself to Google Drive
To list your file details directly from Google Drive to a webpage. Right-click any file and select Open with → Drive Explorer.

➤ See, edit, create and delete your spreadsheets in Google Drive
As the metrics are exported to a spreadsheet, this permission is needed. Drive Explorer doesn’t delete or create any spreadsheet.

➤ Connect to an external service
Drive Explorer makes requests to the developer’s backend to check if you are a premium user.

➤ Allow this application to run when you are not present
To set up a scheduled update of sheet data, this permission is required. 

➤ Display and run third-party web content in prompts and sidebars inside Google applications
If you want premium features, you can purchase the premium version within the sheet. To run the payment gateway in the sidebar, this permission is required. 

🤔 How to use:
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After installing, in a Google Sheet, select Extensions → Drive Explorer → Start Export.
or
On the Google Drive dashboard, select one or more files, right-click Open with → Drive Explorer.

💫 Premium:
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Drive Explorer is absolutely free to use with some limitations in its functionalities. However, you can upgrade to premium to use it without any limitations.

For example, you can use the free version of the add-on in only one tab of one sheet etc.

Select Extensions → Drive Explorer → Buy Premium to unlock premium features.

ℹ️ Resources
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Documentation for the product - https://syncwithtech.com/drive-explorer/docs
YouTube video - https://youtu.be/0LWtPMfSpAs

🙋 Feature Requests
-----------------------------
I constantly work to improve the add-on. If you want any new features, feel free to drop a mail at vignesh@syncwithtech.org.
Additional information
PricingFree of charge with paid features
Developer
Privacy policy
Terms of service
Drive Explorer will ask for the permissions shown below. Learn more
Drive Explorer will need access to your Google account
This will allow Drive Explorer to :
See, edit, create, and delete all of your Google Drive files
Connect itself to your Google Drive
See, edit, create, and delete all your Google Sheets spreadsheets
Display and run third-party web content in prompts and sidebars inside Google applications
Connect to an external service
Allow this application to run when you are not present
See your primary Google Account email address
See your personal info, including any personal info you've made publicly available
Reviews
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Greg Presnall
February 13, 2024
My Google Drive not only has a lot of my own material on it ... multiple folders and subfolders, but it also contains many folders shared to me by others. Navigating them was an intense headache. I happened upon Drive Explorer and took the Free version for a test run. That convinced me to spend the $9.00 for a one month subscription that could list out either my entire drive or simply a folder or two. I emailed Ganapathy Vignesh, the developer to tell him how even though I won't need to keep the subscription for long, that $9.00 has saved me countless hours and headaches. Well worth it! What I particularly like is that the results are placed in a Google Sheet, which can be searched and sorted. Moreover, I can hover over the filename and see a preview, or just click on it and open it directly. Using a simple spreadsheet formula, I can extract the file type suffix into its own column and sort by filetype. There is also excellent information about the owner of a shared file and its edit status. I got so much done in just an hour! I can see the usefulness of this tool on an ongoing basis for anyone using Google Drive in a shared environment where content changes frequently. It is necessary to have the ability (ie permissions) to install the add-in. If you don't have the permissions, convince your system administrator to install it. If you have permissions, the $9.00 you spend will be well worth it. Cancellation is as easy as stated. Ganapathy is very responsive as a developer. I sent an email to him at 9:27 PM and got a response the next morning. From a Google Sheet, select Add-ons → Drive Explorer → License details → Cancel subscription.
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Josh Jackson
January 14, 2024
Drive Explorer is an incredible tool available on the Google Workplace marketplace. With its innovative features, it allows you to effortlessly select folders and files from your Google Drive, Shared Drive, or those shared with you to conveniently list them in a Google Sheet or directly on your browser. This exceptional tool streamlines your workflow by providing a seamless integration between Google Drive and other applications. It empowers you to efficiently organize and access your files, making collaboration and productivity a breeze. Whether you are working on a project, managing a team, or simply organizing your personal files, Drive Explorer offers an intuitive interface that simplifies the process. Its user-friendly design ensures a smooth experience, allowing you to focus on what truly matters - achieving your goals. By leveraging the power of Drive Explorer, you gain the ability to unlock the full potential of Google Drive. Say goodbye to the hassle of manually searching for files and folders; with this tool at your disposal, you can effortlessly navigate through your content with just a few clicks. So, if you're looking for an efficient solution that enhances your productivity and simplifies file management, look no further than Drive Explorer. It's time to take control of your Google Drive experience and unlock a world of possibilities! Remember, with Drive Explorer by your side, there are no limits to what you can achieve. Stay inspired and keep exploring!
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David Fulker
October 19, 2023
Though my use is likely to be infrequent, I found this tool to be remarkably effective and powerful. In particular, it helped me manage a workflow in in which multiple committee members were evaluating submissions that appeared, at unpredictable times, in a folder compiled by another party. This worked reliably and eliminated a great deal of manual effort as well as obviating any need for me to learn a new set of programming skills for extending the capabilities of Google Sheets.
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Drew France
December 26, 2023
For the free up to 200 files version, are the results meant to be in order, for example, alpha by file name? While I was impressed with the tool, the sampling of 200 file names I received seem to skip a few file names among the first 200 in alpha order - which made it confusing. Is that a typical result when not getting an exhaustive (over 200) file list? Thanks for clarifying.
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Sid Tinney
August 7, 2023
Absolutely brilliant tool; it's well designed, seemingly robust and worked flawlessly for automating the process of creating an index with direct links to thousands of files within a specific Drive folder. The monthly subscription was well worth it for the single project I needed it for, and unsubscribing was equally easy once I was finished.
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Alyssa Moya
March 9, 2024
Super helpful with my work. One of the best add-ons here in Sheets.
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Cristian B
March 26, 2023
I change my review from 5 stars to lower. The app works great but once you subscribe you have no tools to unsubscribe apart from mailing the software author . This is totally unacceptable and more Google Workspace fault than the author . It is really NOT acceptable that you cannot follow your apps subscription , know when they end or when and how much you will be charged again. Until this is NOT solved by Google I will only stay with free apps. You can run into very weird situations if you are not able to control your subscriptions and have to depend on sending emails to do that. The author is helpful but beware of authorizing payments through these apps as you will have NO control over them and not be able to cancel them on your own.
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Yael Saltoun
August 21, 2023
This extension helped me in a great way. It is reasonable that for more features the Premium version (Paid) would be needed. Thank you for making this available.
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Jason Zhao
March 15, 2023
Seems like one of the few solutions out there. However, is the 200 limit daily or once it's used up you have to purchase the upgrade?
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Katherine Bueler
June 11, 2023
Looks like just what I need...but I installed it and it does not appear in my spreadsheet add-ons, or in Open With... in Drive. Shucks.
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