How to Download Shared Files From Google Drive

Shared files are those created by someone else and then shared with you. This means someone else is the file owner, and you can either view, comment, or edit the file as per the permissions set by the owner.

You can try out this simple set of steps to download shared files from Google Drive. Open Google Drive and click on Shared With Me from the menu option. Choose the folder or files you want to download and then open it. Or simply make right-click on the file and choose Download from the list of options. If there are multiple files, it will download as a zip file, or else the file will be downloaded based on the actual format.

This article details how you can download shared files from Google Drive. Keep reading to find out more. 

How to Download Shared Files From Google Drive

This method is rather simple, as you can download shared files like anything else from the Drive. Refer to the instructions provided below to know more.

• Power on and sign in to your PC or laptop. 
• Open your preferred browser and head over to the Google Drive website. 
• Enter your details to log in to the website. 
• From the Menu on the left-hand side, click on Shared with me. Here you can see all the files that have been shared with you.

• Look for the folder or file you want to download and open it. 
• Click on the small chevron beside the folder’s name below the search bar. 
• Click on Download from the dropdown list.

• Alternatively, you can select the folder or file, right-click on it to display the contextual menu, and click on Download from the list. 

Keep in mind that if you’re downloading a folder from Google Drive, it will be downloaded as a .zip file.

Additionally, the browser tab must be open until the conversion is completed. After the download is finished, you can find it in the Downloads folder or wherever your default download location is. 

Read Google Drive Storage is Full But No Files

How to Download Shared Files Without Permissions

Google Drive has an option that prevents people from being able to download, modify or edit files that are shared with others.

Suppose the owner of the file has not allowed third-party download; you won’t be able to find a download option when you right-click on the file.

In this case, there is very little you can do to download the file from Google Drive. You can only try asking the file owner to allow download permissions. 

How to Download View-Only Videos From Google Drive

Suppose a person has shared a video with you that you would like to download, but the owner has disabled all download permissions. In that case, you will not be able to download the video since there won’t be an option.

However, you can bypass this by using a browser extension or editing the page code. Refer to the following steps for more instructions.

• Power on your PC and sign in to it. 
• Open your preferred browser and head over to the Google Drive website. 
• Enter your details and log in to the website. 
• Now, open the video file that has been shared with you in a new tab. This can be done by right-clicking on the video and selecting Preview. After that, click on the small three dots in the window’s top right corner and select Open in new window. 
• Press, Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows or Cmd+Shift+C for Macs to display the developer console. 
• Once the developer console is displayed, click the play button to start the video. 
• Click on the Networks tab within the developer tools window. 
• Click on the filter search box and type in “ video playback “ without quotations. 
• This will show the video URL on the dev console screen. 
• Double-click on the link, and it should open in a new tab. 
• Now click on the three dots at the bottom right corner of the player and select Download from the list.

Using Browser Extension

This can also be done using a browser extension known as Video Downloader Professional. Refer to the steps given below to see how it is done.

• Head on over to the Chrome web store. 
• Click on the search bar, type in “ video downloader professional, “ and enter. 
• Click on Add to chrome and wait till the extension gets downloaded and added to the browser. 
• Click on the extension’s icon beside the search bar and pin it. 
• Now go back to the view-only video and open it in a new window using the method mentioned above. 
• Play the video and wait till the extension detects the video being played. 
• Once the video has been detected, click on the extension icon and download the said video. 

Read Can you hide files on Google Drive?

Can’t Download Shared Files from Google Drive- How to Fix

There could be multiple reasons why you are unable to download Shared Files on your Google Drive. So, here are some of the solutions that you can try to fix the issue.

1. Get Proper Access

Share With Me files are shared with you by other users. However, sometimes, you may only have access to view the file or only add a comment to it. To be able to download the file directly, you need to have access to edit the file.

Hence, make sure you contact the concerned person and ask them for proper access to the files or folders. It will hardly take a few seconds, and you are all good to go.

2. Try Incognito Mode

Sometimes the reason behind this could be anything internal, and you might not be able to download the files directly from the browser.

Rather you can try using the incognito mode and then download the files as you need to. All the processes will remain the same as above.

The only thing you need to change here is rather than opening the file in a normal chrome browser. You need to open a new tab in the Incognito mode and then try all the steps.

Here, if you are trying to reinstall Chrome and clear the cache, it may or may not work. Hence the above methods are pretty crucial under all circumstances.

Conclusion

That’s it for this article, folks; now you know how to download shared files from Google Drive and also how you can download videos that are set to view-only. However, we recommend asking the file owner to let us download the file before trying out the methods mentioned here.