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Best answer

How to keep Google Drive private while using automation to save a password protected PDF?

  • May 9, 2025
  • 7 replies
  • 73 views
A

*Heading should read “HOW” not Who (can’t edit!)

 

Hello

I have built an automation to populate a template and save it as a password protected PDF.

The steps are as follows:

  1. Take information from a newly added row in a Google Sheet
  2. Populate a Google Doc template with the data from the Sheet
  3. Save it as a PDF on Google Drive
  4. Password protect the PDF using one of the fields from step 1 as the password (using ILovePDF)

My issue is that this only appears to work when I set the privacy settings of the Google Drive where all of these documents are saved to “Anyone with a link”. This is obviously not very secure. Is there a way to do this while keeping the Google Drive private?

 

 

Best answer by Troy Tessalone

​@AlexZaps 

Try adding this Zap step: GDrive - Add File Sharing Preference

Use this to make the file public.

You can also use this to restrict the file after the Protect PDF step.

 

This post has been closed for comments. Please create a new post if you need help or have a question about this topic.

7 replies

Troy Tessalone
Zapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
Forum|alt.badge.img+14
  • Troy TessaloneZapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
  • Zapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
  • 34072 replies
  • May 9, 2025

Hi ​@AlexZaps 

Can you provide more details and screenshots about what does not work with the GDrive Folder/File settings?

Help links for using GDrive in Zaps: https://zapier.com/apps/google-drive/integrations#help

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Platinum Authorized Zapier Solution Partner | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
A
  • AlexZapsBeginner
  • Author
  • Beginner
  • 2 replies
  • May 11, 2025

Hi ​@Troy Tessalone 

Thanks for your reply.

So I just retested it, with the Google Drive & Google Sheets permissions set to “Restricted.” I get an error on the step 3: “Unauthorised” - even though I didn’t change anything else.

When I change the Google Drive settings to “Anyone with Link” everything works again and the workflow can complete all four steps.

 

Troy Tessalone
Zapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
Forum|alt.badge.img+14
  • Troy TessaloneZapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
  • Zapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
  • 34072 replies
  • Answer
  • May 11, 2025

​@AlexZaps 

Try adding this Zap step: GDrive - Add File Sharing Preference

Use this to make the file public.

You can also use this to restrict the file after the Protect PDF step.

 

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Platinum Authorized Zapier Solution Partner | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
A
  • AlexZapsBeginner
  • Author
  • Beginner
  • 2 replies
  • May 12, 2025

Fantastic  - that worked. Thank you!

SamB
Community Manager
Forum|alt.badge.img+11
  • SamBCommunity Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 9738 replies
  • May 13, 2025

That’s great to hear, ​@AlexZaps! Thanks so much for hopping back in here to confirm that it worked. 🤗 And big shoutout to ​@Troy Tessalone for the assist! 🙌

steve hites
  • steve hites
  • 7 replies
  • May 26, 2025

To keep your Google Drive private while saving a password-protected PDF, make sure the folder you're saving to is set to "restricted" (not shared with anyone). In your automation, the PDF itself should already be password-protected before it's uploaded—Zapier doesn’t add password protection, so you'll need to generate the secure file using another app (like PDF.co or a script) before passing it to Google Drive. This way, even if someone gets access, the file stays protected.

SamB
Community Manager
Forum|alt.badge.img+11
  • SamBCommunity Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 9738 replies
  • May 27, 2025

Thanks for the tip, ​@steve hites! 😊 It’s so great to see folks sharing their knowledge with others in the Community like this! 🧡

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