Google Drive Setup with OAuth & Transfers

Google Drive is Google's cloud storage and file synchronization service. Blober connects to it using OAuth 2.0.

• ✅ Browse folders and files
• ✅ Upload files
• ✅ Download files
• ✅ Create folders
• ✅ Delete files/folders
• ✅ Search files
• ✅ View file metadata
• 🚧 Move files (in progress)
• 🚧 Copy files (in progress)

• A personal Google account (@gmail.com) or Google Workspace account

You need nothing else. The steps below walk you through the rest.

These steps create a Google OAuth client and download its credentials as a JSON file. The whole process takes about 5 minutes.

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com/projectcreate

2. If prompted, sign in with your Google account. Otherwise, you can switch accounts at the top right corner of the page
3. In the Project name field, enter a name (e.g., Blober Drive Access)
   • Google will auto-generate a Project ID below the name field. You don't need to change it
4. Leave Parent resource empty (unless you're in an organization)
5. Click Create
6. Wait a few seconds. You'll see a notification at the top-right confirming the project was created. Click Select Project in the notification to switch to it

1. Go directly to the Drive API page (make sure your new project is selected in the top-left)
2. Click the blue Enable button
3. You'll be redirected to the API overview page. That means it worked

Google requires you to configure an "app identity" before you can create OAuth credentials.

1. Go to Google Auth Platform Overview
2. You'll see a page saying "Google Auth Platform not configured yet" with a Get started button. Click it
3. This opens a 4-step wizard called "Project configuration":

• App name: Enter any name (e.g., Blober Drive Access). This shows on the consent screen when you authorize
• User support email: Click the dropdown and select your Gmail address
• Click Next

• You'll see two options: Internal and External
• If you're using a personal @gmail.com account, Internal is disabled. Select External
• If you're on Google Workspace, choose Internal. Google then does not end Blober's access after 7 days, and you can skip section 4, Add yourself as a test user
• Click Next

• Enter your email as the Developer contact email (your personal @gmail.com account)
• Click Next

• Review the summary
• Click Create/Finish

You'll be redirected to the Google Auth Platform overview. The left sidebar items (Branding, Audience, Clients, Data Access) are now accessible.

Because your app is in Testing mode, only explicitly added test users can authorize. If you skip this step, you'll get a "403 Access Denied" or "App not verified" error.

1. In the left sidebar, click Audience
2. Scroll down to Test users
3. Click Add users
4. Enter the exact Gmail address you'll use with Blober
5. Click Save

Blober requests the scopes it needs during authorization, so you can skip this step. To set the scope up in advance:

1. In the left sidebar, click Data Access
2. Click Add or remove scopes
3. Search for drive and check https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive (Full access)
4. Click Update, then Save

1. In the left sidebar, click Clients
2. Click Create Client (or go directly to Create OAuth client)
3. For Application type, select Web Application
4. Enter a name (e.g., Blober)
5. Under Authorized redirect URIs, add:

   http://localhost:52847/oauth/callback

6. Click Create
7. A dialog appears showing your Client ID and Client Secret
8. Click the Download JSON button (⬇️) to save the credentials file

1. In Blober, go to Workflows > New Workflow

2. Select Google Drive as source or destination

3. Upload the JSON credentials file you downloaded

4. Click Authorize Google Drive Access

5. A browser window opens. Sign in with the same Google account you added as a test user

6. Google shows Google hasn't verified this app. This is expected for an app in Testing mode. Click Continue

   

7. Grant the requested permissions

8. Return to Blober. You should now see your Google Drive files

Google Drive handles these file types:

When you connect Google Drive, Blober asks for permission to:

• View files: read file names and metadata
• Download files: download file contents
• Upload files: create new files
• Delete files: remove files you own

Blober will never:

• Access files from other apps without permission
• Modify files without your explicit action
• Share your data with third parties

When you first connect, your browser will show Google's consent flow:

1. Sign in with the Google account you added as a test user
2. At the Google hasn't verified this app warning, click Continue
3. Review the permissions and click Allow

This warning is normal for apps in Testing mode and does not mean anything is wrong.

• Click Continue. It is the text link to the left of the blue Back to safety button
• If you don't see Continue, you may be signed into the wrong Google account

• This is Google's own error page, shown right after you click Continue on the "Google hasn't verified this app" screen. It comes from the browser, not Blober, and Google does not say what failed
• It is usually a browser privacy feature blocking the flow. Disable ad-blockers and privacy extensions (uBlock, Privacy Badger, Brave Shields) and allow third-party cookies for accounts.google.com, or run this step in a private/incognito window
• Click Authorize Google Drive Access in Blober again to get a fresh link. Don't reuse an old link, and finish the flow in a single tab

• You forgot to add yourself as a test user. Go to Google Auth Platform > Audience > Test users, add your exact Gmail address
• Make sure you're signing in with the same email you added as a test user

• Blober uses a Web application client, so the redirect URI it sends must match one of the client's Authorized redirect URIs exactly
• Check that http://localhost:52847/oauth/callback is listed on the client with the same scheme (http, not https), the same port, and no trailing slash
• If you added or edited the redirect URI after creating the client, re-download the JSON and upload it in Blober again

• Try disconnecting and reconnecting in Blober
• Clear browser cookies for accounts.google.com
• Check you're signing into the correct Google account

While your Google Cloud app is in Testing mode, Google ends Blober's access 7 days after you authorize. Blober then stops the workflow and shows this error. You also see it if you remove Blober's access in your Google Account.

To continue:

1. Open the workflow in Blober and click Authorize Google Drive Access
2. Sign in and click Continue on the Google hasn't verified this app screen
3. Start the workflow again. With Skip if a file with the same name exists (the default), Blober copies only the files that are missing

Each authorization gives you 7 more days, so a transfer that runs longer needs a new authorization each time it stops. On Google Workspace, an Internal app avoids the limit (see the Audience step of the setup).

Google refuses the JSON credentials file after you reset the secret of its OAuth client, or after you delete the OAuth client. Blober then stops the workflow and shows this error.

To continue:

1. Create a new OAuth client and download its JSON file, as in 6. Create web credentials
2. Open the workflow in Blober, upload the new JSON file and click Authorize Google Drive Access
3. Start the workflow again. With Skip if a file with the same name exists (the default), Blober copies only the files that are missing

• Re-authorize to refresh permissions
• Check if files are owned by you or shared with you
• Verify the Drive API is enabled for your project

• Refresh the file list
• Check you're in the correct folder
• Verify files aren't in Trash

• You're viewing a project you don't own. Click the project picker in the top-left and select the correct project
• This also happens if the project name in the URL doesn't match your actual project ID

• Free tier: 15 GB (shared with Gmail and Google Photos)
• Maximum file size: 5 TB per file
• Daily upload limit: 750 GB

• Google imposes rate limits on API requests
• When Google slows requests down, Blober tries the file again. If it still fails, resume the task later
• Large operations may take longer due to throttling

• Google Docs/Sheets/Slides are exported to Microsoft Office formats
• Some formatting may differ after export
• Google Forms cannot be downloaded

• Blober treats backslashes (\) as path separators for Windows and network paths. A Google Drive destination name containing a literal backslash is created as nested folders instead.

• Shared With Me lists the files and folders that other people share with you, including items in Shared Drives that you can open. You can copy from them
• You can choose a shared folder as the destination when you can edit it

• Never share your OAuth credentials JSON file with anyone
• Don't commit the JSON file to version control (add it to .gitignore)
• Periodically review connected apps in Google Account settings
• Revoke access for apps you no longer use

You can use Google Drive's search from within Blober:

• How to Transfer GoPro Cloud to Google Drive Without ZIP Files: connect both providers and resume a large transfer safely
• How to Move Box to Google Drive (and Into a Shared Drive): the setup, the 750 GB daily upload limit, and getting files into a Shared Drive

• Google Auth Platform Overview: configure OAuth consent
• Google Drive API Library Page: enable the Drive API
• OAuth 2.0 for Web Server Applications: how the authorization code flow works
• Using OAuth 2.0 to Access Google APIs: when Google ends an app's access, including the 7-day limit in Testing mode
• Google Drive API Documentation
• Google Cloud Console