I’m working with different cloud storage APIs and noticed something interesting. When I use the SkyDrive and Dropbox APIs, I can manage everything in a user’s storage account. But with Google Drive, things seem different.
I’ve been using the drive.file scope, but it looks like this only lets me work with files that my app creates. I can’t see or manage files that the user already has in their Google Drive.
Is there a different scope or permission setting for Google Drive that would let me access all the files in a user’s drive, not just the ones my application creates? I need to build a feature that can work with existing files too.
Here’s the key difference: drive.file scope only lets your app access files it created or ones users explicitly shared with it. If you need access to everything in a user’s Google Drive, you’ll have to use the broader drive scope instead. But heads up - Google scrutinizes apps requesting full drive access much more heavily. You’ll need to write a detailed explanation of why your app needs complete access, plus include use cases and your privacy policy. The review process can drag on for weeks, so make sure you actually need those expanded permissions. Most users don’t like giving apps full access to their Drive anyway.
you should use the drive scope for access to all files in a user’s drive, not just those your app creates. just a heads up, getting approval for full access is tougher with google’s review process.
Yeah, https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive is what you need for full file access, but there’s a gotcha nobody mentioned. When I built a backup tool, I found that Google Workspace docs (Sheets, Docs, etc.) can’t be downloaded as regular files - you have to export them to specific formats using separate endpoints first. Also heads up - the OAuth screen looks scary when asking for full drive access. My conversion rates tanked compared to limited scope requests. Maybe consider if you actually need everything? Google has more targeted permissions that might work for you without the brutal review process. User-selected folders could be a good middle ground.