How To Copy Someone Else's Google Drive Folder (And What Actually Happens When You Do)

Copying a folder from your own Google Drive is straightforward. Copying someone else's Google Drive folder — one they've shared with you — is a different story. The process works, but it comes with some important quirks you need to understand before you start, or you'll end up with incomplete copies, broken links, or files you can't edit.

Why Google Drive Doesn't Have a Simple "Copy Folder" Button

Google Drive doesn't treat folders the way your desktop operating system does. A folder in Google Drive is essentially a label — a container that organizes files, not a standalone object you can duplicate in one click. This is why right-clicking a shared folder doesn't give you a clean "Make a copy" option the way it does for individual files.

When someone shares a folder with you, you're accessing their storage. The files live in their Drive. To get a working copy into your own Drive — one you own and can edit freely — you need to move or copy the contents into your own storage space.

Method 1: Copy Individual Files Inside the Folder

The most reliable method, and the one that works without any third-party tools, is to copy files from inside the shared folder into your own Drive.

1. Open the shared folder in Google Drive
2. Select the files you want (use Shift+click or Ctrl+A to select all)
3. Right-click and choose "Make a copy" — this creates copies in your My Drive root
4. Alternatively, right-click and choose "Organize" → "Add shortcut to Drive" if you only want a reference, not a true copy
5. Once copied, you can move those files into a new folder you create yourself

The catch: "Make a copy" creates individual duplicates but doesn't preserve the original folder structure. If the shared folder has subfolders, you'll need to recreate those manually and sort the files into them.

Method 2: Add the Shared Folder to Your Drive (Shortcut vs. Copy)

There's an important distinction between two options Google Drive offers:

Adding a shortcut is fast and keeps the folder accessible from your Drive, but it's not a true copy — if the original owner removes access or deletes the files, your shortcut breaks. Making copies of individual files gives you real ownership, but requires more manual work.

Method 3: Use Google Takeout or Download and Re-Upload

If you need a complete copy of a large shared folder, downloading and re-uploading is a practical option:

1. Open the shared folder in Google Drive
2. Right-click on the folder → "Download"
3. Google will compress it as a .zip file and download it to your device
4. Extract the contents locally
5. Upload the extracted folder to your own Google Drive via drag-and-drop or the "+ New" → "Folder upload" option

📁 Important: Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files will be converted to Microsoft Office formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) during download. When you re-upload them, they may need to be converted back to Google formats if you want to use Google's native editing tools.

Method 4: Third-Party Tools and Google Apps Script

For power users or situations involving hundreds of files, manual copying isn't practical. A few approaches exist here:

• Google Apps Script: You can write a script using Google's Drive API that recursively copies folders, preserving structure. This requires some scripting knowledge and authorization of the script within your Google account.
• Third-party tools (such as certain Drive management apps or automation platforms) can copy entire folder trees — but these require granting access to your Google account, which carries its own security considerations you should evaluate carefully.

These tools are most useful in organizational or team settings where bulk transfers happen regularly. For occasional personal use, the manual methods are generally more appropriate.

What Happens to Permissions and Sharing Settings

When you copy files from someone else's folder into your own Drive, the sharing settings do not transfer. Your copies start as private files visible only to you. You'll need to reshare them if collaboration is part of your workflow.

🔒 Also worth noting: if files in the original folder were restricted (view-only, no download), Google Drive's permission system may block you from making copies at all. The option simply won't appear. This is an intentional feature — the original owner can restrict copying as part of their sharing settings.

Variables That Affect How This Works for You

The right approach depends on several factors that vary from person to person:

• Volume of files — a handful of documents versus hundreds of files calls for completely different methods
• File types — Google-native files (Docs, Sheets) behave differently during download/re-upload than standard file types like PDFs or images
• Permission level — viewer access, commenter access, and editor access each limit what actions you can take
• Whether subfolders exist — nested folder structures significantly increase the complexity of a manual copy
• Your technical comfort level — Apps Script is powerful but requires familiarity with scripting environments
• Ongoing access vs. one-time copy — a shortcut may be all you need if the owner is keeping the folder active and shared

The method that works cleanly for someone copying a single shared document is not the same as what someone copying a 500-file project folder with nested subfolders needs to use. 🗂️ Your situation — the size, structure, file types, and reason for copying — is what determines which of these approaches will actually save you time rather than create new problems.