📁 Gmail attachment backup to Google Drive
⚡ 3,234 views · 📁 File Management
Description
📥 Gmail Attachment Backup to Google Drive — n8n Workflow
This n8n workflow automatically backs up email attachments from a specific sender in Gmail to a designated folder in Google Drive. It polls Gmail every minute and uploads any new attachments from matching emails to the specified Google Drive folder with a timestamped filename.
📌 Use Case
Primary Purpose:
- Automatically archive and back up attachments from a specific sender (e.g.,
test@gmail.com) to Google Drive for safekeeping, audit, or processing.
Ideal For:
- Automating invoice/receipt collection from a vendor
- Archiving reports from a monitored email address
- Creating a searchable historical log of attachments for compliance
🧭 Workflow Overview
Here’s how the workflow operates:
-
🔔 Gmail Trigger
Polls Gmail every minute for new messages from a specific sender (test@gmail.com). -
📩 Gmail Get Message
Retrieves the full contents (including attachments) of the matched email. -
🧠 Code (JS)
Iterates over all binary attachments in the email and restructures them as individual binary items to upload separately. -
📤 Google Drive
Uploads each attachment to a target Google Drive folder (DOcs) with a timestamp and unique name. -
📍 Replace Me (NoOp)
Placeholder node to indicate workflow completion. You can replace this with Slack notifications, logs, or alerts.
🔧 How to Use
Prerequisites
- An n8n instance (self-hosted or cloud)
- A connected Gmail account with OAuth2 credentials
- A connected Google Drive account with OAuth2 credentials
- Permissions for n8n to access your Gmail and Google Drive
Setup Instructions
-
Import the Workflow
Copy and paste the workflow JSON into your n8n editor. -
Set Up Credentials
Ensure the following credentials exist and are authorized:- `Gmail (for Gmail nodes)
- `Google Drive (for Google Drive node)
-
Configure the Folder
Update thefolderIdin the Google Drive node if you want to use a different target folder. -
Activate the Workflow
Enable the workflow in n8n. It will start polling Gmail every minute.
✏️ How to Customize
| Task | How to Customize |
|---|---|
| Change sender filter | Modify the sender field in the Gmail Trigger node |
| Adjust polling frequency | Change the pollTimes configuration in the trigger node |
| Change destination folder | Update folderId in the Google Drive node |
| Modify filename format | Edit the name expression in the Google Drive node |
| Add post-upload logic | Replace or extend the Replace Me node with notifications, logs, etc. |
| Process only specific attachments | Add logic in the Code node to filter by filename or MIME type |
📂 Filename Format Example
[MessageID]_[Timestamp]_backup_attachmentThis naming convention ensures uniqueness and traceability back to the original message.
✅ Future Improvements
- Email subject filtering to narrow down the match
- Slack/Email notifications after upload
- Deduplication check to avoid reuploading the same files
- Virus scan or file validation before upload
💬 Support
For any issues using this workflow:
- Double-check your credential permissions
- Review n8n logs for Gmail or Google Drive errors
- Visit the n8n community forums
🔗 Nodes Used
Google Drive, Gmail, Gmail Trigger
📥 Import
Download workflow.json and import into n8n:
Workflow menu → Import from File