Google Drive node

List, upload, download files in Google Drive or create folders, e.g. drop a PDF generated by a workflow straight into a client folder. Learn how to configure it, map inputs and outputs, run a test and resolve common errors.

8 min readUpdated September 10, 2026

What this node does

List, upload, download files in Google Drive or create folders, e.g. drop a PDF generated by a workflow straight into a client folder.

Use Google Drive as a clearly defined step in an anymize workflow.

Processes one input.
Provides one output for following steps.
Runs as a regular step in the flow.

Set up the node

01Open a workflow and add Google Drive from the node catalog.
02Select your google_byo connection. You can create it directly in the workflow if needed.
03Complete the required fields and map values from previous steps.
04Run the node with a small test record and inspect its output.
05Connect the successful output and activate the workflow after an end-to-end test.

Operations and modes

Choose the required function in Action. The panel then shows the relevant settings.

List files
Upload file
Get file metadata
Download file
Create folder
Datei aktualisieren
Löschen

Settings

Field	Meaning	Area
Action	Choices: List files, Upload file, Get file metadata, Download file, Create folder, Datei aktualisieren, Löschen	Standard
Folder	Leave empty = top level. Otherwise copy the code from the folder address: drive/folders/HERE	Standard
Search	Filter files, e.g. by name or type. Example: name contains 'report' finds everything with "report" in the name. (Optional)	Standard
Max hits	Configure this value in the node panel.	Standard
File name	Configure this value in the node panel.	Standard
File type	What kind of file are you uploading? e.g. application/pdf, text/markdown, image/png. Default: plain text.	Standard
Content	The text of the file. (For images/PDFs from a previous step, set the advanced "Encoding" option to Base64.)	Standard
Encoding	Plain text? Leave it on "Text". Only switch to Base64 for binary data (image/PDF from an earlier step).	Standard
File	The file's code, usually from a previous "List files" step, or from the file address in Drive.	Standard
Run once per item	Off (default): the node runs once for the whole input. On: if it receives several items (e.g. from Split Out), it runs once PER item, and {{ $json }} is that one item each time. This is how you work through a file list entry by entry.	Standard
If one item fails	"Skip" writes an `error` field for the failed item and keeps processing the rest, instead of losing the whole run to a single unreadable file.	Standard
Pause between items (milliseconds)	Wait before every run except the first. 1000 = 1 second per item. Useful when the other side would otherwise throttle you. Maximum 300000 (5 minutes).	Standard

Inputs and outputs

Input	Meaning	Type
Standard	Receives the complete result from the previous step.	JSON

Output	Meaning	Type
Standard	Makes the result available to the next step as JSON.	JSON

This node can process lists item by item. Error handling and the delay between items are available in advanced settings.

Example and test run

Upload report: begin with a small, recognizable record. Inspect the output and only map fields that are present there.

Test-run example

{
  "name": "weekly-report.md",
  "mime_type": "text/markdown",
  "content": "# Wochenbericht\n\nHighlights …"
}

Access and security

This node uses a connected google_byo account. Review the requested permissions and grant only the required access.

Store keys and credentials in the protected connection manager. Never paste them into normal workflow fields, test data or descriptions.

Troubleshooting

No output: inspect the latest run and confirm that the previous node returned the expected fields.
Empty variable: open the previous step output and use a field name from the real test data.
Connection rejected: reconnect the service and grant the permissions required by this step.
List processed once: enable per-item execution in advanced settings.