gdown
Google Drive Public File/Folder Downloader
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. gdown solves a real problem (Google Drive downloads fail with standard tools), has low install friction, is actively maintained, carries no known vulnerabilities, and uses a permissive MIT license. It is well-suited for automation scripts, data pipelines, and one-off downloads. Install it if you regularly need to download from Google Drive or want a curl/wget alternative.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later.
- File must be shared publicly (set to 'Anyone with the link') on Google Drive.
- Low friction install with five lightweight runtime dependencies.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for commercial and private projects.
last release 2026-05-30 (76 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-07 · 5,364 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 3,874,627 downloads/mo, #2,468 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install gdown
# CLI: download a file by URL
gdown https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1l_5RK28JRL19wpT22B-DY9We3TVXnnQQ
# Python: download with output filename
import gdown
gdown.download(url="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1l_5RK28JRL19wpT22B-DY9We3TVXnnQQ", output="file.npz")- Whether Google Drive's terms of service permit automated downloads of shared files via this tool.
- Rate limiting or throttling behavior when downloading multiple files in succession.
- Cookie-based authentication persistence and security implications of storing cookies locally.
What it is and what it does
gdown is a command-line and Python library for downloading files and folders from Google Drive when standard tools like curl and wget fail. It solves the core problem that Google serves a confirmation page for large files, which blocks automated downloads. The tool extracts file IDs from share links, skips the virus-scan prompt, and handles recursive folder downloads. It also exports Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to formats like PDF, DOCX, and CSV. Beyond Google Drive, it works as a general HTTP/HTTPS downloader.
The package requires Python 3.10 or later and depends on beautifulsoup4, filelock, requests, tqdm, and typing-extensions. It offers both a CLI interface (with options for resuming partial downloads, speed limiting, proxy support, and custom headers) and a Python API for programmatic use. The library supports hash verification, caching, and progress callbacks for integration into larger workflows.
Use it for
- Download large files from Google Drive that curl and wget cannot retrieve due to confirmation pages.
- Recursively download entire shared folders from Google Drive to a local directory.
- Export Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides to PDF, DOCX, CSV, or other formats for offline use.
- Resume interrupted downloads of large files using the --continue flag.
- Use as a drop-in replacement for curl/wget when downloading from any public HTTP/HTTPS URL.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
gdown solves a real problem (Google Drive downloads fail with standard tools), has low install friction, is actively maintained, carries no known vulnerabilities, and uses a permissive MIT license. It is well-suited for automation scripts, data pipelines, and one-off downloads. Install it if you regularly need to download from Google Drive or want a curl/wget alternative.
Install
gdown on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with five lightweight runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with a recent release; last commit 2026-08-07 and 5364 repository stars indicate ongoing support.
Requires Python 3.10 or later. File must be shared publicly (set to 'Anyone with the link') on Google Drive.
License in practice
MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for commercial and private projects.
Quickstart
pip install gdown
# CLI: download a file by URL
gdown https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1l_5RK28JRL19wpT22B-DY9We3TVXnnQQ
# Python: download with output filename
import gdown
gdown.download(url="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1l_5RK28JRL19wpT22B-DY9We3TVXnnQQ", output="file.npz")Verify before relying
- Whether Google Drive's terms of service permit automated downloads of shared files via this tool.
- Rate limiting or throttling behavior when downloading multiple files in succession.
- Cookie-based authentication persistence and security implications of storing cookies locally.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 5 packagesbeautifulsoup4filelockrequeststqdmtyping-extensions |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 76 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 3,874,627 / month, #2,468 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: gdown-6.1.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also parfive · googledrivedownloader · pySmartDL · wget · fastdownload · robust-downloader · DrissionGet · remotezip2 · aiogoogle · DownloadKit