Google Drive - Download files to your computer

Use this tutorial to download files from your Google Drive to your desktop or another storage location. For additional help, visit Google's Manage Files in Google Drive webpage.

Please note: This tutorial uses screenshots from a Mac, but the process is the same on Windows computers.

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Layout:
one column
two columns

Step

Open a web browser and go to your Google Drive (https://drive.google.com).

Step

Select the files or folders you'd like to download. 

Tip: To select multiple files or folders, hold down Command (on Mac) or Ctrl (on Windows) before clicking. 

Step

Click the three dot More Actions menu and select download. 

Step

Alternatively, you can right click one of the selected files and select download. 

Step

Your files will download according to your computer settings (usually to a downloads folder). Check your downloaded content to ensure everything has transferred successfully before deleting any files from your Google Drive.

Please note: If you select multiple files or a folder, Google Drive will automatically compress (or zip) the files to make downloading easier. Simply double click the zipped folder and the file will unzip and you can check its contents.