📁 Google Drive workflow with nested folder support

⚡ 228 views · 📁 File Management

Description

👤 Who’s it for

• Anyone who needs to recursively fetch all files from a specific Google Drive folder, including files inside all its nested (child) folders.
• Ideal for automation builders, admins, and integrators who want to process, move, list, or report on all files in a complex folder tree.

⚙️ How it works / What it does

This workflow will:

1. Accept a Google Drive Folder ID as an input (from another workflow or trigger).
2. Recursively discover all child folders starting from the parent, no matter how many levels deep.
3. Collect all file IDs & names from every folder (parent + all descendants).
4. Return a clean list of all found files (with IDs and names) for further automation, downloading, or processing.

Key features:

• 💡 Works recursively (handles any depth of nested folders).
• 🏷️ Outputs file ID & file name for each discovered file.
• 🔄 Can be triggered by other workflows (great for modular automation).

🛠️ How to set up

1. Google Drive Credentials

• Make sure you’ve set up a Google Drive OAuth2 credential in n8n.
• Connect this credential to all Google Drive nodes in the workflow.

2. Parent Folder ID

• Input the Google Drive folder ID you want to start from.
• How to pass it:
  • If running standalone: update the When Executed by Another Workflow node with your folder ID.
  • If called from another workflow: pass the folder ID as an input named id.

3. Check Set Nodes

• There are two Set nodes (Return parent and Return parent1) and one trigger (When Executed by Another Workflow) where you might want to update the hardcoded folder ID.
• ⚠️ Change these IDs to match your use case.

4. Run the Workflow

• Start the workflow (or execute it via another workflow).
• The result will be a flat list of files in all subfolders.

✅ Requirements

• 🟢 n8n instance
• 🟢 Google Drive OAuth2 credentials connected in n8n
• 🟢 A valid Google Drive folder ID to start from

🧑‍💻 How to customize

• Return Extra Data:
  Add fields in the “Search files” node options to return more Google Drive file metadata (e.g., size, webViewLink).
• Filter by File Type:
  Adjust the search query or add a filter node to only include certain file types (e.g., PDFs, Docs).
• Change Output Format:
  Edit the “Edit Fields” Set node to structure your output differently.
• Integrate Further:
  Add new nodes after the Loop to, for example, download, email, or sync files as needed.

🚨 Notes & Tips

• Performance:
  This workflow is optimized for up to hundreds of folders. For very large Drive accounts (thousands of folders/files), consider pagination or batching.
• Credential Security:
  Always use n8n’s built-in credential manager—never hard-code sensitive data.
• Static IDs:
  As noted in the sticky note, make sure to update all hardcoded folder IDs for your production use.

🗂️ Node Overview

• When Executed by Another Workflow: Accepts a folder ID (entry point).
• Google Drive – Get children folders: Lists subfolders of the given folder.
• If: Checks if the folder contains any subfolders.
• Execute Workflow: Handles recursion (calls itself on child folders).
• Code: Flattens all discovered folder IDs for next step.
• Loop Over Items: Iterates over all folders to process files.
• Google Drive – Search files: Finds all files in each folder.
• Edit Fields (Set): Structures file data for output.
• Sticky Note: Documentation and reminders inside your workflow.

🔄 Example Output

[
  {
    "file_id": "1A2B3C...",
    "file_name": "MyDoc.pdf"
  },
  {
    "file_id": "2B3C4D...",
    "file_name": "Presentation.pptx"
  }
]

## 🔗 Nodes Used

Google Drive, Execute Sub-workflow, Execute Workflow Trigger

## 📥 Import

Download [`workflow.json`](workflow.json) and import into n8n:
**Workflow menu → Import from File**

[📖 Importing guide](../../../docs/importing-templates.md) · [🔑 Credential setup](../../../docs/credential-setup.md)