If you want to share a file with someone else, but don’t want them to have to download it first, you can create a direct download link for them. This is especially helpful if you’re working on a project and don’t want to send someone the entire file. Here’s how to do it:
- Open Google Drive and select the file you want to share.
- Click the three lines in the top left corner of the window and select “Make a copy.”
- In the “Copy” window that pops up, click “Link.”
- In the “Link” window that pops up, paste in the direct download link you want people to use. (For example, https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzNvbwfZxN2c3MjQ1MTI5NTg0LW9kZWNv/view?usp=sharing) ..
We’ve all come across that unwanted web page that opens when you click a Google Drive file link. Luckily, with a workaround, you can make a direct download link for your files and bypass that web page. We’ll show you how.
Convert a Google Drive File Link to a Direct Download
This workaround uses your shared file’s ID in a custom link to enable direct download for your file. You can use this method on all your devices, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad, and Android.
We’ll use a desktop web browser for the demonstration.
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Start by opening a web browser on your computer and accessing the Google Drive site. On the site, find the file for which you want to make a direct download link.
Right-click your file and select “Share” from the menu.
A “Share with People and Groups” window will open. If you’d only like select people to be able to download your file, share your file with them. Or, to allow anyone on the internet to download your file, click the “Change to Anyone with the Link” option at the bottom of this window. We’ll use the latter option.
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On the same “Share with People and Groups” window, from the “Get Link” section, select “Copy Link.” This copies the link to your Google Drive file.
Your copied link should look something like the following. From this link, copy the text that’s between d/ and /view . This is the unique file ID for your Google Drive file.
In the following link, replace FILEID with the unique file ID that you copied from above.
Your final link should look similar to this:
And that’s the direct download link for your selected Google Drive file. Click the link or paste it into your browser, and instead of displaying a web page, it will immediately start the file download. Very handy!
On a related note, did you know you can create “Make a Copy” links to your Google Drive files?
RELATED: How to Share “Make a Copy” Links to Your Google Files
