I keep getting an annoying popup when trying to download big files from Google Drive. The message says something like ‘Cannot scan this file for viruses because it’s too large. Download anyway?’ This happens with files over 25MB I think.
I have to click through this warning every single time which is really frustrating. Is there a way to turn off this virus scan notification? I checked my Google Drive settings but couldn’t find anything obvious.
Does anyone know if there’s a hidden setting or workaround to automatically bypass this message? I download large files regularly and this interruption is getting old fast.
hey, yeah it’s super annoying! i heard that using the direct don’t link like you mentioned can help. just right click and copy the link then switch out ‘/view’ for ‘/export’. might save you some clicks!
This warning has been driving me crazy too, especially when downloading large datasets for work. What I discovered is that using Google Drive’s desktop sync client completely avoids this issue. Instead of downloading through the web browser, you can sync the folder containing your large files to your local machine. The files transfer without any virus scan warnings since they’re being synced rather than downloaded through the web interface. The initial setup takes a few minutes but once configured, you can access all your files directly from your file explorer without any popups. This method has saved me countless clicks over the past few months. The sync client also handles interrupted downloads better than the web version for really large files.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to permanently disable this warning in Google Drive settings. The 25MB threshold is hardcoded by Google for security reasons and cannot be changed by users. I’ve been dealing with this same issue for years when downloading large video files and CAD drawings. One workaround that actually works is using Google Drive’s API through third-party applications like rclone or similar tools. These bypass the web interface entirely and don’t trigger the virus scan popup. However, this requires some technical setup and isn’t practical for casual users. Another option is compressing your files into smaller chunks before uploading, though this obviously adds extra steps to your workflow. The reality is Google implemented this as a liability protection measure and they’re unlikely to remove it anytime soon.