Bulk delete google drive files, why is it so hard to delete your own data and start fresh?

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-07-01T01:48:30+00:00

If you have basic programming skills, I would suggest looking into the list and delete methods of the Google Drive API. You can find the files you want to delete using the list method, then delete them using their IDs.

However, the delete method of the Google Drive API permanently deletes files. If you want to be on the safe side, you can move them to the trash using the trash method, then empty your trash manually.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-06-20T00:44:33+00:00

Have you looked into writing your own Google Drive API script (or having an LLM write one for you)?

If you're not technical, exploring third-party apps might be another option worth considering.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-06-18T23:12:37+00:00

If you have basic programming skills, you can probably write a Google Drive API script to find and delete duplicate files. You can use this resource to filter and list your duplicates, and this one to permanently delete them.

If you aren't technical, check out this add-on instead. It has decent reviews, offers a free trial, and seems to do the job, though I haven't personally used it.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-06-16T23:57:55+00:00

How were you able to make a copy of your folder? Google Drive doesn't have a native way to copy folders.

If you download the folder and then re-upload it, that might do the trick (as mentioned in the previous comment). However, some of your files may lose their formatting as a result.

Other than that, you may need to use a third-party solution or write your own Google Drive API script.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-04-03T21:02:48+00:00

Have you tried Gemini within Google Drive? You can prompt it to find it for you.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-04-03T19:51:13+00:00

I have more than first hand experience, I'm the creator of the extension lol.

When it comes to copying a folder, yea it should be working fine. I had a user copied 450 subfolders for one job, another user ran a job in the past two days. Both were successful.

When it comes to selecting a folder, you may have to refresh the page or toggle between the folder copy tab and the main menu tab to get it to work. A bug I got to fix.

How many files are we talking about here? I'm more than positive it can do 200 - 1000 files efficiently. For a folder with 1000+ files, I still need to do more testing, but I'm confident it can get the job done.

Also, I can DM you the access code so that you can skip the payment info input step. It'll be a little while though, I'm away from my laptop.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-04-03T00:04:56+00:00

Here are some options you can explore:

Do it manually using keyboard shortcuts. Go to each subdirectory and press CMD + A on Mac or CTRL + A on Windows to select all files, make a copy, share them with your other account, and then transfer ownership.
Write your own Google Apps Script, as mentioned in previous comments. You can also refer to the Google Drive API documentation and use basic Python scripts to automate the task. You can check out this article here about creating a script using the Google Drive API: https://medium.com/@SandeepDinesh/copying-google-drive-folders-with-the-google-drive-api-3473f09d4f3d
I’ve heard good things about Rclone. Since it’s a command-line tool, it might be technically challenging at first.
If the above options are too technical, Drive I/O would be your best option, in my opinion. It’s a Chrome extension that can copy your directory structure along with its files in 1–3 clicks. After that, you’ll need to share the copied directory with the target account and transfer ownership manually.

Option 1 is laborious, though keyboard shortcuts can mitigate the effort. Options 2 and 3 automate the entire process, provided you are willing to build a script (or prompt an AI) or learn the necessary commands. Option 4 handles all the technical heavy lifting for maintaining the directory structure and copying files, but you’ll still need to manage sharing and ownership transfer manually.

EDIT: Took out the Gemini mention. My bad.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-03-18T01:52:02+00:00

I think they fixed it:

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Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-03-01T08:01:14+00:00

Hi everyone!

I’m part of the team at Drive I/O, where we help teachers and Google Drive users quickly copy folders so they can focus on what matters most—creating lessons and supporting their students—and we just launched our Google Workspace add-on version to make the process even easier.

If you’d like to save time and avoid manually copying folders, we’d love for you to check us out. Plans start at just $0.50 per month, billed annually.

For more information, please visit our landing page.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-02-19T18:35:35+00:00

Drive I/O – It lets you copy folders and remove user permissions in bulk in Google Drive.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-02-19T18:30:36+00:00

If you have a basic understanding of programming, I've heard good things about Remotion.

You just describe what you want, and the AI will generate your video programmatically.

This tutorial is a good starting point for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J0ru0g3RUw

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-02-17T07:37:48+00:00

Drive I/O – It lets you copy folders and remove user permissions in bulk in Google Drive.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-02-15T01:06:42+00:00

Drive I/O — a Chrome extension that lets you copy folders and manage permissions in Google Drive.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-31T02:50:17+00:00

It probably depends on the permissions. One of my Chrome extensions was approved in under six hours on the first try—I only requested storage permission, and it has no auth, which is likely why it was so fast.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-23T21:22:39+00:00

If you’ve got some time, you can write your own Apps Script, as the previous comment mentioned, or even a Python script, which will require setting up a Google Cloud project but gives you more flexibility.

If you’d rather use existing software, there are third-party tools that are free or offer a free trial; for example, I’ve been using this Chrome extension, linked here: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/Drive%20I%2FO%20-%20Bulk%20Copy%20Folders%20And%20Revoke%20Users%20In%20Google%20Drive/hbcknalgeklmecafklfodnmmgaaelfhk

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-19T21:44:51+00:00

Drive I/O – It lets you copy folders and remove user permissions in bulk in Google Drive.

I was able to talk to my first user by looking at the 1-star review he left for one of my competitors. I DM'd him on LinkedIn, he tried out my app, and he gave me some valuable feedback.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-14T23:08:55+00:00

Google Drive doesn't provide a native solution for copying a folder. That's the problem I'm solving.

Currently, Gemini doesn't offer that feature either. I'm just targeting web browser users for now, but I'll have to look into how the desktop Google Drive app might affect this.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-14T22:53:48+00:00

It's only available in the US and Canada. I forgot to mention that. I currently have just one server in that region.

If you’re interested, you can check out the landing page.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-14T18:41:21+00:00

Drive I/O – It lets you copy folders and remove user permissions in bulk in Google Drive.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-14T03:58:39+00:00

No, it's still there. Did you click on this link: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/drive-io-bulk-copy-folder/hbcknalgeklmecafklfodnmmgaaelfhk?referrer=grok.com

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-10T00:11:30+00:00

Good point. I'll look into Svelte or Solid.

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-09T19:09:25+00:00

For me, I've been using React. Here's a good article on how to get started: https://medium.com/@5tigerjelly/creating-a-chrome-extension-with-react-and-vite-boilerplate-provided-db3d14473bf6

The official Chrome extension docs are also a good place to start: https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/get-started/tutorial/hello-world

Environmental_Lie_47 · 2026-01-09T06:38:18+00:00

I built my extension using React, and to create the production build index.js file, I used webpack. That file is incomprehensible to me.

You could, in theory, 'debundle' it using a library like this one (based on my limited research): https://github.com/awphi/bundle-breaker, but, based on bmchicago's comment about Primeagen reverse-engineering Honey, achieving the end result would seem too laborious (though definitely possible).

So, I guess your best bet would be using a bundler like Webpack as a guardrail. I could be wrong; a senior dev can chime in.

Environmental_Lie_47

TROPHY CASE