Hey everyone, I’m having some trouble with the Google Docs API. I made a Java app that can upload and download files to Google Docs. It works fine for smaller files, but when I tried to upload a big 4GB zip file, something weird happened. The upload finished without any errors, but I can’t see the file in Google Docs. Does anyone know if there’s a maximum file size for uploads? I’m really confused because it seemed to work for files up to 5GB before. Has anyone else run into this issue or know what might be going on? I’d appreciate any help or info about file size limits for the Google Docs API. Thanks!
I’ve dealt with similar issues in my work. Google Docs API isn’t designed for large file uploads. The practical limit is around 50MB, though it can vary. For your 4GB file, you’re definitely exceeding the capacity.
I’d suggest pivoting to the Google Drive API instead. It’s built to handle much larger files, up to 5TB in size. You’ll need to modify your Java app to use the Drive API for uploads, then create a link to the file in Docs if necessary.
Also, ensure your app is using chunked upload for large files. This breaks the file into smaller pieces, which can help with stability and error handling during the upload process.
yo man, i had the same problem. google docs api is kinda wonky with big files. try using google drive api instead, it can handle way bigger stuff. i think the limit for docs is like 50mb or somethin. good luck with ur app bro!
I’ve actually encountered a similar issue while working on a project that involved bulk file transfers to Google Docs. From my experience, there is indeed a file size limit when uploading through the API, but it’s not always consistently enforced.
For Google Docs specifically, I found that the limit is typically around 50MB for most file types. However, for certain formats like .docx or .pdf, you might be able to push it up to 100MB. Anything beyond that becomes unreliable.
For larger files, I’d recommend using the Google Drive API instead. It has a much higher limit – up to 5TB per file. You might need to adjust your app to use the Drive API for these bigger uploads, then create a shortcut to the file in Docs if needed.
Also, double-check your OAuth scopes. Sometimes, insufficient permissions can cause silent failures on larger uploads. Hope this helps!