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Best answer

Extract Excel contents from Google Drive that isn't mine

  • December 16, 2025
  • 6 replies
  • 37 views
S

Scenario: A supplier uses google drive to drop in an excel sheet with latest inventory updates: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So I don’t own the folder or have any share access with the file. 

Is there a way I can use the folder link above(assuming that stays consistent), to extra contents of file into a google sheet? (This I would then use to compare to our own site data and have a quick breakdown of items that need to be updated). 

Thanks!

This post has been edited by a moderator to remove Google Drive folder link. Please remember that this is a public forum and avoid sharing links to folders that may contain potentially sensitive details.

Best answer by drtanvisachar

Scenario: A supplier uses google drive to drop in an excel sheet with latest inventory updates: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So I don’t own the folder or have any share access with the file. 

Is there a way I can use the folder link above(assuming that stays consistent), to extra contents of file into a google sheet? (This I would then use to compare to our own site data and have a quick breakdown of items that need to be updated). 

Thanks!

This post has been edited by a moderator to remove Google Drive folder link. Please remember that this is a public forum and avoid sharing links to folders that may contain potentially sensitive details.

Hello ​@sdxchris  

Good question and this comes up a lot when suppliers control the source.

Short answer is no not reliably and not in a way Google supports. If you do not own the folder and are not explicitly shared on the file or folder Google does not allow programmatic access to read its contents even if the URL stays the same. The link alone is not an authorization token.

There are only a few practical paths forward.

The clean and recommended option is to ask the supplier to share the folder or the specific file with view access. Once you have that a Google Sheet can use IMPORTRANGE or Apps Script to pull the data and refresh it on a schedule with no manual work.

If the supplier refuses to share access then the only workaround is outside of Google Drive. That usually means they must push the file somewhere else like email an attachment SFTP or upload to a public endpoint. From there you can automate ingestion but it is no longer a Drive based solution.

Making the folder or file public would technically work but most suppliers will not do this for obvious security reasons and Google is actively tightening restrictions around public Drive access.

Scraping Drive via the folder URL is not viable. Google blocks this and it breaks often even if it works briefly.

If you want this to be stable and auditable the supplier must either share the file with you or change how they deliver the data. Anything else is brittle and will fail at scale.

If it helps you can frame it to the supplier as view only access with no edit rights and no visibility beyond that single folder.

6 replies

drtanvisachar
Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • drtanvisachar
  • New
  • Answer
  • December 16, 2025

Scenario: A supplier uses google drive to drop in an excel sheet with latest inventory updates: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So I don’t own the folder or have any share access with the file. 

Is there a way I can use the folder link above(assuming that stays consistent), to extra contents of file into a google sheet? (This I would then use to compare to our own site data and have a quick breakdown of items that need to be updated). 

Thanks!

This post has been edited by a moderator to remove Google Drive folder link. Please remember that this is a public forum and avoid sharing links to folders that may contain potentially sensitive details.

Hello ​@sdxchris  

Good question and this comes up a lot when suppliers control the source.

Short answer is no not reliably and not in a way Google supports. If you do not own the folder and are not explicitly shared on the file or folder Google does not allow programmatic access to read its contents even if the URL stays the same. The link alone is not an authorization token.

There are only a few practical paths forward.

The clean and recommended option is to ask the supplier to share the folder or the specific file with view access. Once you have that a Google Sheet can use IMPORTRANGE or Apps Script to pull the data and refresh it on a schedule with no manual work.

If the supplier refuses to share access then the only workaround is outside of Google Drive. That usually means they must push the file somewhere else like email an attachment SFTP or upload to a public endpoint. From there you can automate ingestion but it is no longer a Drive based solution.

Making the folder or file public would technically work but most suppliers will not do this for obvious security reasons and Google is actively tightening restrictions around public Drive access.

Scraping Drive via the folder URL is not viable. Google blocks this and it breaks often even if it works briefly.

If you want this to be stable and auditable the supplier must either share the file with you or change how they deliver the data. Anything else is brittle and will fail at scale.

If it helps you can frame it to the supplier as view only access with no edit rights and no visibility beyond that single folder.

Zapier Solutions Partner-Monday Wizard
S
Sparsh from Automation Jinn
Forum|alt.badge.img+6

Hey ​@sdxchris,

I don’t think it’s possible through Zapier if it’s just an URL with no access.

Workaround could be duplicating the Sheet in your account and trigger the Zap from there. Hope it helps!

https://zapier.com/partnerdirectory/automation-jinn | Zapier Silver Solution Partner| Automationjinn.com
S
S
  • sdxchris
  • Author
  • New
  • December 17, 2025

Thanks! I figured it was a long shot. 

They change the file out sometimes daily so I wouldn’t want to bother asking them to share that with me each time. The folder could be possible. If they share the folder with me, I guess I could then somehow access that under my own account? I’ll see if they are willing to do so and then can look into next steps. 

 

Thanks again.

Sparsh from Automation Jinn
Forum|alt.badge.img+6

Hey ​@sdxchris,

Yeah that would work. Even if they change the sheet, it will be updated.

Here is a helpful article about Google Sheets in Zapier- https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8495994922509-How-to-get-started-with-Google-Sheets-on-Zapier

Referencing the permission part here-

  • For trigger and search actions: viewer, commenter, or editor permissions.
  • For create and update actions: editor permissions.
  • If using Google Workspace (formerly G Suite): third-party app access must be enabled.

Hope it helps!

https://zapier.com/partnerdirectory/automation-jinn | Zapier Silver Solution Partner| Automationjinn.com
S
drtanvisachar
Forum|alt.badge.img+1

Thanks! I figured it was a long shot. 

They change the file out sometimes daily so I wouldn’t want to bother asking them to share that with me each time. The folder could be possible. If they share the folder with me, I guess I could then somehow access that under my own account? I’ll see if they are willing to do so and then can look into next steps. 

 

Thanks again.

Yes exactly you’re thinking about it the right way.

If they share the folder with you once that’s enough. You do not need them to reshare anything when the file inside changes. As long as new files are dropped into the same shared folder you’ll automatically have access to whatever is inside it under your own Google account.

Once the folder is shared view only is fine you can then point a Google Sheet or an Apps Script at that folder and always pull the latest file. Common approaches are to grab the most recently modified file in the folder or look for a file name pattern if they are consistent.

From there you can import the data into a sheet compare it against your site data and flag differences without any manual steps.

So the ask to the supplier is very small one time share access to the folder and nothing more. That keeps it clean stable and scalable.

Zapier Solutions Partner-Monday Wizard
S
S
  • sdxchris
  • Author
  • New
  • December 17, 2025

Thanks so much! A bit of hope :) 

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