How can I import files from a public Google Drive?

With the WordPress plugin External files in the media library it is possible to store files available in a public Google Drive in your media library as external files. How to do this is described here.

In advance

• Please note the copyrights to the files. If necessary, contact the person who published the files on Google Drive.
• Even if the files are publicly available there, they are included in your media library as external files that are hosted locally. This is due to the access restrictions that still exist on the part of Google Drive despite public files.

Prerequisites

• Google Drive allows access to publicly available files in the browser, but neither direct download nor access via API without an API key. Therefore, you will need a Google Drive API key in any case.
• In addition to the plugin, you need External files in the media library also the plugin External files from Google Drive. How to install it is described below.

Preparations

You need:

• A Google Drive Access Token. The plugin External files in the media library contains a link where you can do this quickly.
• The „Directory Id“ of the public Google Drive. This is the sequence of numbers and letters in the URL of the Google Drive directory. It usually starts with „1“.

You prepare your project as follows:

1. Install and activate the plugin External files in the media library.
2. Then go to Media > Add external files and click on „Activate plugin“ under „Google Drive“.
3. Confirm the request. The plugin will then be installed for you.

Procedure

1. Go to Media > Add external files > Google Drive.
2. Enter your Google Drive Access Token in the field.
3. Enter the directory ID in the field below.
4. Click on „Show“.

You can then import the files from the directory into your media library.

By the way

You can also access your own Google Drive in the same way to integrate files from there into your website.

You can also use the Synchronization or the Export from and to Google Drive, which allow you to use the External files in the media library plugin.