How to download a whole folder from Google Drive or OneDrive
Both Google Drive and OneDrive can hand you a whole folder as one zip file. Here is how to get it, unpack it and find it again, on Windows and Mac.
You have a folder in the cloud with fifty photos, a year of paperwork or a school project in it. Downloading the files one at a time would take all afternoon. You don't have to. Both Google Drive and OneDrive can hand you the whole folder as one zip file.
A zip is a single file that holds many files and folders packed together. You download it once, then unpack it on your computer.
Download a folder from Google Drive
This works the same on Windows and Mac, because you do it in your web browser.
- Go to
drive.google.comand sign in if asked. - Find the folder in My Drive or in Shared with me.
- Right-click the folder and choose Download.
- Wait while Drive gets the folder ready. A big folder can take a minute or two. Your browser then saves it as a zip file, usually in your Downloads folder.
You can also pick several folders or files at once. Hold Ctrl on Windows or Command on a Mac while you click each one, then right-click and choose Download. They arrive together in one zip.
Google's help page says you can't drag a file or folder straight from Drive onto your desktop. Always use Download. Also, if a folder was shared with you, its owner can switch off downloading for people who can only view or comment. If you don't see the option, ask the owner.
Download a folder from OneDrive
Again, you do this on the OneDrive website, so the steps are the same on Windows and Mac.
- Go to OneDrive in your browser and sign in.
- Move your pointer over the folder and click the small circle that appears. That ticks the folder.
- Click Download in the bar at the top. You can also right-click the folder and choose it there.
- Your browser saves a zip file with everything inside. Unless you chose somewhere else, it goes to your Downloads folder. Some browsers ask you where to save it first.
To get everything in the current view, press Ctrl + A on Windows or Command + A on a Mac to select it all, then click Download.
Limits worth knowing
Microsoft sets some limits on these downloads. A single file can be up to 250 GB. A download can hold up to 10,000 files. When you pick several items, each zip can be up to 10 GB, and the total can be up to 20 GB. If your folder is bigger than that, download it in smaller pieces, such as one subfolder at a time.
- You can't download files straight from the Shared view. Open the file and save a copy where you want it.
- OneNote notebooks can't be downloaded. If your folder holds one, the zip will contain a small text file with an error message in its place.
- With a work or school account, Internet Explorer can't download folders or several files at once. Use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome instead.
Open the zip after it downloads
The zip is not the folder yet. You need to unpack it first.
On Windows
- Open File Explorer and go to Downloads.
- Right-click the zip file and choose Extract All.
- Follow the instructions on screen, and pick where the folder should go.
If you only want one thing from the zip, you can open it and drag that one file or folder out to a new place.
On Mac
- Open Finder and go to Downloads.
- Double-click the zip file.
- The unpacked folder appears right beside the zip. Once you have checked it, you can throw the zip away.
If it won't open, make sure your Mac has enough free space for the unpacked files. A zip is smaller than what's inside it. Apple also says a zip that came from someone else may be damaged, in which case it helps to download it again.
Ask Key to do it
If you would rather not click through all that, you can tell Key what you want. Key is a free assistant for Windows and Mac. You can speak to it or type to it, and both give the same result. It works in the real windows you already use, so it can open your browser and press the real buttons for you.
One thing stays with you: the sign-in. If Drive or OneDrive asks you to log in, Key tells you what it is asking for and stops. You type your password yourself, and Key carries on from there.
Key is also good at the part people lose track of: finding the zip afterward. Ask where that download went, and it looks for it and tells you. It finds files by what is inside them as well as by name, and if two things match, it asks which one you meant.
KeyChatWhere did that download go?
Your zip is in Downloads, and I have opened that folder for you.
Key tells you what it did and checks the result before it says so. You can stop it at any point from the small panel it shows while it works. If you have a messy Downloads folder after a few big downloads, our guide on cleaning up your Downloads folder without losing anything may help. And if you ever lose a file after unpacking, finding a file by what is inside it shows how to track it down.
If the download does not work
- No Download option: the owner may have switched downloads off for your kind of access. Ask them.
- The zip is cut into several parts: that is normal for very large folders. Unpack each part into the same place.
- The download stops halfway: try again on a steadier connection, or download one subfolder at a time.
- OneDrive says the folder is too big: you have probably passed one of the limits above. Open the folder and download it in smaller pieces.
- You can't find the zip: look in Downloads, or check your browser's download list.
Related guide: How to search for text inside PDF files on your computer
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Related guide: How to change the volume and sound output device on your PC
Try Key free
Speak to it or type to it. It opens your apps, finds your files and changes your settings, then tells you what it did.
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