How To Copy A Google Drive Folder

You may know how to copy an individual Google Doc, but have you ever thought it might be useful to be able to copy an entire folder of Google Docs (and even subfolders, too!) in one fell swoop, rather than one at a time?

I have found two ways to do this, and I really don't have a strong preference for either. I would flip a coin and share only one here, but, given that neither of these processes is technically a Google tool, there is the possibility one or both may stop working in the future - sort of like "Labs" in Gmail: not officially supported, but use and enjoy it while you can.

So, up-front, here are two links for you to bookmark in your browser:

A. labnol.org/xcopy

B. http://tools.gappstips.com/drive/copy-folder/#

Here are the basic processes for both:

A:

1. Click the "A" link above. It will take you to a page that asks you to give the tool access to your Google Drive:

2. This will produce a pop-up:

3. You will be taken to a page that looks like this:

4. It's probably going to be easier to browse for the folder in your Google Drive if you click the "Select Folder" button. This produces (yet another!) pop-up, where you can select the folder to copy:

5. By default, the tool will name the new folder to be created "Copy of" followed by the original folder name. It works well for me to delete those words, and add "- COPY" (or maybe some kind of context indication) at the end of the name. That way, it will appear below the original folder in your Google Drive:

The other process (B) is similar.

1. Authorize the app:

2. Indicate the source folder:

3. Name the target folder, click the "Copy files" checkbox. and click the "Preview" button:

4. Click the "Go" button:

5. Your folder will be copied and placed right where you can get to it:

If either or both of these techniques change substantially, or stop working altogether, please let me know right away, so I can update this post. Like a lot of our blog posts, lots of people bookmark them to refer to when they need a refresher. And as always, your comments below are welcome!