11 Fixes – Unable to Download Files in Shared Drive Folder

• User Case: Shared Drive Viewers Can’t Download Files
• Reasons: Unable to Download Files in Shared Drive Folder?
• 10 Fixes: Unable to Download Files in Shared Drive Folder
• Bonus Tip: How to Download from Shared Drive Folder in MultCloud
• Conclusion

User Case: Shared Drive Viewers Can’t Download Files

Reasons: Unable to Download Files in Shared Drive Folder?

If you're unable to download files from a Shared Drive folder in Google Drive, here are some possible reasons you can check:

10 Fixes: Unable to Download Files in Shared Drive Folder

After finding the reasons why you encounter the “cannot download from shared Google Drive” issue, you can solve your problem with the following methods.

1. Check Your Permissions

If you are not the file owner, you can first check your permission and then ask the owner to grant you the download permission.

To check your permission:

Step 1. Navigate to the folder on Google Drive and right-click on it.

Step 2. Choose “Folder information” in the dropdown menu and select “Details”.

Step 3. Put the cursor on your profile picture, and you can see your permission.

To change permission to Editor:

Step 1. Go to the Details of the shared folder.

Step 2. Click “Manage access”.

Step 3. Tap the downward button next to your account and choose “Editor” in the dropdown menu.

2. Verify if Download is Restricted by Admin

Google Workspace administrators can disable downloading, printing, or copying for shared files.

Step 1. Right-click the shared folder and choose “Share” > “Share”.

Step 2. Tap the gear button in the upper-right corner of the pop-up window.

Step 3. Check the “Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy” option.

Step 4. Back to the sharing page and click “Done” to save the settings.

3. Try Downloading with Another Browser

Step 1. Open another web browser like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari, and go to the Google Drive website.

Step 2. Download the shared files again to see if the issue is caused by the browser.

4. Clear Browser Cache & Disable Extensions

Here are the example steps for clearing cache and disabling extensions in Chrome.

To clear cache:

Step 1. Open Chrome and click the gear icon in the upper-right corner. Then, choose “Delete browsing data..” in the menu.

Step 2. Check the options “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files” and click “Delete data”.

To disable extensions:

Step 1. Click the gear icon in Chrome and choose “Extensions” > “Manage Extensions”.

Step 2. Disable some extensions by switching off the buttons or removing them.

5. Check for Download Limits (Google Quota Exceeded)

If too many people have accessed or downloaded the file, Google may block downloads for 24 hours because of the Google Drive download quota exceeded.

Step 1. Wait for 24 hours and try again.

Step 2. If urgent, ask the owner to make a copy of the file and share the new link with you.

6. Check Google Drive for Desktop Sync Issues

If you're using Google Drive for Desktop, it may not sync properly.

Step 1. Click the Google Drive icon in the taskbar (Windows) or menu bar (Mac).

Step 2. Click the gear icon.

Step 3. Select “Pause syncing”, wait a few seconds, and click “Resume syncing”. Then, try downloading again.

7. Try a Different Network

If you're on a work, school, or public Wi-Fi, the network might block Google Drive downloads.

Step 1. Switch to a mobile hotspot or home Wi-Fi.

Step 2. Try downloading again.

8. Make a Copy & Download (If Allowed)

If you can open the file but not download it, try making a copy.

Step 1. Open the file in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides.

Step 2. Click File > Make a Copy.

Step 3. Save it to your My Drive.

Step 4. Open the copied file and try downloading it.

9. Check If the File Was Removed or Ownership Changed

If the file was deleted or the owner changed sharing settings, you might lose access.

Step 1. Try reloading the page.

Step 2. Check if the file still appears in your shared drive.

Step 3. If missing, ask the owner to re-share it.

10. Use Incognito Mode

Step 1. Open Chrome.

Step 2. Press Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + N (Mac).

Step 3. Log in to Google Drive and try to download the shared files again.

Bonus Tip: How to Download from Shared Drive Folder in MultCloud

If the above 10 solutions cannot help you, you can try to download files using a professional cloud management service – MultCloud. You can manage 30+ cloud storage services on MultCloud, such as Google Drive, Google “Shared with me”, Google Shared Drive, Google Workspace, Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, SharePoint Online, Amazon S3, NAS, FTP, etc.

After adding your cloud accounts to MultCloud, you can use its functions to manage the files, like downloading, uploading, sharing, renaming, copying, cutting, and deleting them. Besides, you can use the Cloud Transfer, Cloud Sync, and Cloud Backup functions to connect any clouds and automate the file transfer process.

To download files from shared drive folder, you can refer to the steps for downloading Google Shared Drive files.

Step 1. Go to the MultCloud website and get an account for free.

Step 2. Add Google Shared Drive to MultCloud by clicking “Add Cloud” and the Shared Drive icon. Here you can choose to add the admin account or personal account.

Step 3. Open Google Shared Drive on MultCloud and select the file you want to download. Then, click the “Download” button in the upper bar, and then this file will be saved to your computer.

If you want to batch-transfer files from a Google Shared Drive account to your personal Google Drive account, take advantage of the Cloud Transfer function. It can directly move your desired files to your personal account without manual downloading and uploading. Besides, the transfer process can run offline so that you can do other things with the computer off.

Conclusion

If you are unable to download files in shared drive folder, you can try the 11 solutions mentioned before. Each solution has steps so that you can comprehend and practice easily and quickly.

What’s more, if you have some needs in cloud-to-cloud transfer, sync, or backup, don’t hesitate to use MultCloud Cloud Transfer, Cloud Sync, and Cloud Backup functions. They are free to use, and you must get the best user experience with this robust tool.