: Click the first file, then hold Shift and click the last file to highlight everything in between.
Small to medium batches (under 500 files, under 5 GB)
If you want to download every file inside a specific location, you do not need to select files individually.
Now you know exactly how to get your files out of Google Drive, whether it’s five documents or five million.
Behind the scenes, Google Drive performs the following actions:
Google Drive create a downloadable ZIP archive larger than 5 GB. If your selected files total more than 5 GB, the download will fail with an error: "Too many files or files too large to download at once."
Downloading multiple files from Google Drive is a standard task, yet the platform's automatic zipping process can often be frustrating for users handling large datasets or numerous small files. Whether you are using a web browser, a mobile device, or a desktop application, there are specific methods to streamline bulk downloads and even bypass the mandatory zipping requirement. How to Download Multiple Files (Standard Web Method)
| Selection type | Download format | Time to start | |----------------|----------------|----------------| | 1–50 files | .zip (immediate) | < 5 seconds | | 50–500 files | .zip (delayed) | 30 sec – 2 min | | > 500 files | Often fails | N/A | | Any folder | .zip (nested folders preserved) | Varies |
Example: Documents 1.zip (4.2 GB), Documents 2.zip (4.7 GB)
: Once selected, right-click any highlighted file and choose Download , or click the three dots (More Actions) in the top toolbar and select Download . Downloading on Mobile Devices