Create and manage files

This guide explains how to create and manage files in Google Drive using the Google Drive API.

Create file

To create a file in Drive that contains no metadata or content, use the create method on the files resource with no parameters.

When you create the file, the method returns a files resource. The file is given a kind of drive.file, an id, a name of "Untitled", and a mimeType of application/octet-stream. The uploadType is marked as required but defaults to media, so you don't actually have to supply it.

For more information about Drive file limits, see File and folder limits.

Note: When a Drive user wants to download a file, or when the file is downloaded through the sync client, Drive builds a full filename (with extension) based on the name. In cases where the extension is missing, Drive attempts to determine the extension based on the file's MIME type.

Use the fields parameter

If you want to specify the fields to return in the response, you can set the fields system parameter with any method of the files resource. If you omit the fields parameter, the server returns a default set of fields specific to the method. For example, the list method returns only the kind, id, name, mimeType, and resourceKey fields for each file. To return different fields, see Return specific fields.

Generate IDs to use with your files

The generateIds method on the files resource lets you pre-generate unique file IDs that can be used when creating or copying files and folders in Drive. This can be useful when you need to control the file IDs from your app, rather than letting Drive assign them automatically.

You can set the number of IDs generated using the count query parameter. If count is not set, 10 are returned by default. The maximum number of IDs you can request is capped at 1,000.

You can also designate the space in which the IDs can be used and the type of items which the IDs can be used for.

Once an ID is generated, it can be passed to the create or copy method through the id field. This ensures that the created or copied file uses the predetermined ID.

If the file is successfully created or copied, subsequent retries return a 409 Conflict HTTP status code response and duplicate files aren't created.

Note that pre-generated IDs aren't supported for the creation of Google Workspace files, except for the application/vnd.google-apps.drive-sdk and application/vnd.google-apps.folder MIME types. Similarly, uploads referencing a conversion to a Google Workspace file format aren't supported.

Create metadata-only files

Metadata-only files contain no content. Metadata is data (such as name, mimeType, and createdTime) that describes the file. Fields like name are user-agnostic and appear the same for each user, whereas fields such as viewedByMeTime contain user-specific values.

One example of a metadata-only file is a folder with the MIME type application/vnd.google-apps.folder. For more information, see Create and populate folders. Another example is a shortcut that points to another file on Drive with the MIME type application/vnd.google-apps.shortcut. For more information, see Create a shortcut to a Drive file.

Manage thumbnail images

Thumbnails help users identify Drive files. Drive can automatically generate thumbnails for common file types or you can provide a thumbnail image generated by your app. For more information, see Upload thumbnails.

Copy an existing file

To copy a file, and apply any requested updates, use the copy method on the files resource. To find the fileId to copy, use the list method.

You can apply updates through patch semantics, meaning you can make partial modifications to a resource. You must explicitly set the fields that you intend to modify in your request. Any fields not included in the request retain their existing values. For more information, see Working with partial resources.

You can pre-set the file ID of the copied file using the generateIds method. For more information, see Generate IDs to use with your files.

Note that you need to use an appropriate Drive API scope to authorize the call. For more information on Drive scopes, see Choose Google Drive API scopes.

Limits and considerations

As you prepare to copy files, take note of these limits and considerations:

• Permissions:

  • The DownloadRestrictionsMetadata object of the files resource determines who can copy the file. For more information, see Prevent users from downloading, printing, or copying your file.
  • The capabilities.canCopy field resource determines whether the user can copy a file. For more information, see Understand file capabilities.
  • The user that created the copy owns the copied file. No other sharing settings from the source file are replicated. If the copy is created in a shared folder, it inherits the permissions of that folder.
  • A copied file's ownership might change and the copy might not inherit the original file's sharing settings. These settings might need to be reset.

• File management:

  • Some files, like third-party shortcuts, can never be copied.
  • You can only copy a file into one parent folder. Specifying multiple parents isn't supported. If the parents field isn't specified, the file inherits any discoverable parents from the source file.
  • Even though a folder is a type of file, you can't copy a folder. Instead, create a destination folder and set the parents field of the existing files to the destination folder. You can then delete the original source folder.
  • Unless a new filename is specified, the copy method produces a file with the same name as the original.
  • Excessive use of copy can lead to exceeding your Drive API quota limits. For more information, see Usage limits.

Related topics

Here are a few next steps you might try:

• To upload file data when you create or update a file, see Upload file data.

• To create a file in a specific folder, see Create a file in a specific folder.

• To move files, see Move files between folders.

• To work with file metadata, see Manage file metadata.

• To delete a file, see Trash or delete files and folders.