A collection of Bash scripts to download files and folders from Google Drive via the command line.
gdrive-downloader is a command-line utility written in Bash that enables users to download files and folders from Google Drive directly from the terminal. It handles both public and private content, supports resumable downloads, and can recursively fetch entire folder structures. The tool solves the problem of cumbersome manual downloads or complex API setups for accessing Google Drive content programmatically.
Developers, system administrators, and power users who frequently interact with Google Drive via the command line, especially those working in headless environments, automation scripts, or CI/CD pipelines.
It offers a lightweight, scriptable alternative to web interfaces or heavy SDKs, with no external dependencies beyond standard Unix tools. Its support for authentication, parallel downloads, and resume functionality makes it robust for both ad-hoc and automated use cases.
Download a gdrive folder or file easily, shell ftw.
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Pure Bash scripts with no global installation required; runs on Linux, macOS, Android (Termux), and WSL, leveraging standard Unix tools like curl and xargs.
Supports public links, OAuth, and API keys for private files and shared drives, with config file management for credentials as detailed in the README's auth section.
Automatically resumes interrupted downloads to save bandwidth and uses xargs for parallel downloading, with customizable parallel processes for efficiency.
Recursively downloads entire folders, including subfolders, preserving the original structure without manual intervention, as highlighted in the key features.
Version 4.0.0 introduced a mandatory dependency on jq for JSON parsing, which can break existing setups and requires additional installation, as noted in the Breaking Changes section.
Setting up OAuth authentication requires manual steps like creating Google Cloud credentials and interactive terminal sessions, which can be cumbersome for automation and headless environments.
Aria2c, used for potentially faster downloads, only works fully with authentication flags and cannot resume downloads in normal mode, reducing its utility as admitted in the usage notes.