gdown: Download a File from Google Drive in Python

If you want to download a file from Google Drive in Python, use gdown. All you need is the file’s share URL. No API key, no OAuth, no service account JSON.

Install

pip install gdown

Download a single file

import gdown

url = "https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1zX5Q2pK..."
gdown.download(url, "data.csv", quiet=False)

Download from a regular share link

Share URLs from Google Drive look like https://drive.google.com/file/d/<ID>/view?usp=sharing

share_url = "https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zX5Q2pK.../view?usp=sharing"
gdown.download(share_url, "data.csv", fuzzy=True)

Download an entire folder

folder_url = "https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1abcDEF..."
gdown.download_folder(folder_url, output="my_data", quiet=False)

Use it from the command line

The same package ships a CLI:

gdown https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1zX5Q2pK... -O data.csv
gdown --folder https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1abcDEF...

Useful inside Dockerfiles or CI scripts where pulling a fixture dataset is the first step.

When gdown will fail

• Private files. The file or folder must be shared as “Anyone with the link.” Service-account-only files need the official google-api-python-client.
• Daily quota exceeded. Google rate-limits anonymous downloads. There’s no fix from the client side. Wait 24 hours or host the file elsewhere.
• Removed files. A 404 from gdown usually means the share permission was revoked, not a bug in your code.

Link to gdown on PyPI →