Files

For a list of methods for this resource, see the end of this page.

Resource representations

The metadata for a file.

{
  "kind": "drive#file",
  "id": string,
  "name": string,
  "mimeType": string,
  "description": string,
  "starred": boolean,
  "trashed": boolean,
  "explicitlyTrashed": boolean,
  "trashingUser": {
    "kind": "drive#user",
    "displayName": string,
    "photoLink": string,
    "me": boolean,
    "permissionId": string,
    "emailAddress": string
  },
  "trashedTime": datetime,
  "parents": [
    string
  ],
  "properties": {
    (key): string
  },
  "appProperties": {
    (key): string
  },
  "spaces": [
    string
  ],
  "version": long,
  "webContentLink": string,
  "webViewLink": string,
  "iconLink": string,
  "hasThumbnail": boolean,
  "thumbnailLink": string,
  "thumbnailVersion": long,
  "viewedByMe": boolean,
  "viewedByMeTime": datetime,
  "createdTime": datetime,
  "modifiedTime": datetime,
  "modifiedByMeTime": datetime,
  "modifiedByMe": boolean,
  "sharedWithMeTime": datetime,
  "sharingUser": {
    "kind": "drive#user",
    "displayName": string,
    "photoLink": string,
    "me": boolean,
    "permissionId": string,
    "emailAddress": string
  },
  "owners": [
    {
      "kind": "drive#user",
      "displayName": string,
      "photoLink": string,
      "me": boolean,
      "permissionId": string,
      "emailAddress": string
    }
  ],
  "teamDriveId": string,
  "driveId": string,
  "lastModifyingUser": {
    "kind": "drive#user",
    "displayName": string,
    "photoLink": string,
    "me": boolean,
    "permissionId": string,
    "emailAddress": string
  },
  "shared": boolean,
  "ownedByMe": boolean,
  "capabilities": {
    "canAddChildren": boolean,
    "canChangeCopyRequiresWriterPermission": boolean,
    "canChangeViewersCanCopyContent": boolean,
    "canComment": boolean,
    "canCopy": boolean,
    "canDelete": boolean,
    "canDeleteChildren": boolean,
    "canDownload": boolean,
    "canEdit": boolean,
    "canListChildren": boolean,
    "canModifyContent": boolean,
    "canMoveChildrenOutOfTeamDrive": boolean,
    "canMoveChildrenOutOfDrive": boolean,
    "canMoveChildrenWithinTeamDrive": boolean,
    "canMoveChildrenWithinDrive": boolean,
    "canMoveItemIntoTeamDrive": boolean,
    "canMoveItemOutOfTeamDrive": boolean,
    "canMoveItemOutOfDrive": boolean,
    "canMoveItemWithinTeamDrive": boolean,
    "canMoveItemWithinDrive": boolean,
    "canMoveTeamDriveItem": boolean,
    "canReadRevisions": boolean,
    "canReadTeamDrive": boolean,
    "canReadDrive": boolean,
    "canRemoveChildren": boolean,
    "canRename": boolean,
    "canShare": boolean,
    "canTrash": boolean,
    "canTrashChildren": boolean,
    "canUntrash": boolean
  },
  "viewersCanCopyContent": boolean,
  "copyRequiresWriterPermission": boolean,
  "writersCanShare": boolean,
  "permissions": [
    permissions Resource
  ],
  "permissionIds": [
    string
  ],
  "hasAugmentedPermissions": boolean,
  "folderColorRgb": string,
  "originalFilename": string,
  "fullFileExtension": string,
  "fileExtension": string,
  "md5Checksum": string,
  "size": long,
  "quotaBytesUsed": long,
  "headRevisionId": string,
  "contentHints": {
    "thumbnail": {
      "image": bytes,
      "mimeType": string
    },
    "indexableText": string
  },
  "imageMediaMetadata": {
    "width": integer,
    "height": integer,
    "rotation": integer,
    "location": {
      "latitude": double,
      "longitude": double,
      "altitude": double
    },
    "time": string,
    "cameraMake": string,
    "cameraModel": string,
    "exposureTime": float,
    "aperture": float,
    "flashUsed": boolean,
    "focalLength": float,
    "isoSpeed": integer,
    "meteringMode": string,
    "sensor": string,
    "exposureMode": string,
    "colorSpace": string,
    "whiteBalance": string,
    "exposureBias": float,
    "maxApertureValue": float,
    "subjectDistance": integer,
    "lens": string
  },
  "videoMediaMetadata": {
    "width": integer,
    "height": integer,
    "durationMillis": long
  },
  "isAppAuthorized": boolean,
  "exportLinks": {
    (key): string
  }
}

Property name	Value	Description	Notes
`kind`	`string`	Identifies what kind of resource this is. Value: the fixed string `"drive#file"`.
`id`	`string`	The ID of the file.	writable
`name`	`string`	The name of the file. This is not necessarily unique within a folder. Note that for immutable items such as the top level folders of shared drives, My Drive root folder, and Application Data folder the name is constant.	writable
`mimeType`	`string`	The MIME type of the file. Google Drive will attempt to automatically detect an appropriate value from uploaded content if no value is provided. The value cannot be changed unless a new revision is uploaded. If a file is created with a Google Doc MIME type, the uploaded content will be imported if possible. The supported import formats are published in the About resource.	writable
`description`	`string`	A short description of the file.	writable
`starred`	`boolean`	Whether the user has starred the file.	writable
`trashed`	`boolean`	Whether the file has been trashed, either explicitly or from a trashed parent folder. Only the owner may trash a file, and other users cannot see files in the owner's trash.	writable
`explicitlyTrashed`	`boolean`	Whether the file has been explicitly trashed, as opposed to recursively trashed from a parent folder.
`parents[]`	`list`	The IDs of the parent folders which contain the file. If not specified as part of a create request, the file will be placed directly in the user's My Drive folder. If not specified as part of a copy request, the file will inherit any discoverable parents of the source file. Update requests must use the `addParents` and `removeParents` parameters to modify the parents list.	writable
`properties`	`object`	A collection of arbitrary key-value pairs which are visible to all apps. Entries with null values are cleared in update and copy requests.	writable
`properties.(key)`	`string`
`appProperties`	`object`	A collection of arbitrary key-value pairs which are private to the requesting app. Entries with null values are cleared in update and copy requests.	writable
`appProperties.(key)`	`string`
`spaces[]`	`list`	The list of spaces which contain the file. The currently supported values are 'drive', 'appDataFolder' and 'photos'.
`version`	`long`	A monotonically increasing version number for the file. This reflects every change made to the file on the server, even those not visible to the user.
`webContentLink`	`string`	A link for downloading the content of the file in a browser. This is only available for files with binary content in Google Drive.
`webViewLink`	`string`	A link for opening the file in a relevant Google editor or viewer in a browser.
`iconLink`	`string`	A static, unauthenticated link to the file's icon.
`thumbnailLink`	`string`	A short-lived link to the file's thumbnail, if available. Typically lasts on the order of hours. Only populated when the requesting app can access the file's content.
`viewedByMe`	`boolean`	Whether the file has been viewed by this user.
`viewedByMeTime`	`datetime`	The last time the file was viewed by the user (RFC 3339 date-time).	writable
`createdTime`	`datetime`	The time at which the file was created (RFC 3339 date-time).	writable
`modifiedTime`	`datetime`	The last time the file was modified by anyone (RFC 3339 date-time). Note that setting modifiedTime will also update modifiedByMeTime for the user.	writable
`modifiedByMeTime`	`datetime`	The last time the file was modified by the user (RFC 3339 date-time).
`sharedWithMeTime`	`datetime`	The time at which the file was shared with the user, if applicable (RFC 3339 date-time).
`sharingUser`	`nested object`	The user who shared the file with the requesting user, if applicable.
`sharingUser.kind`	`string`	Identifies what kind of resource this is. Value: the fixed string `"drive#user"`.
`sharingUser.displayName`	`string`	A plain text displayable name for this user.
`sharingUser.photoLink`	`string`	A link to the user's profile photo, if available.
`sharingUser.me`	`boolean`	Whether this user is the requesting user.
`sharingUser.permissionId`	`string`	The user's ID as visible in Permission resources.
`sharingUser.emailAddress`	`string`	The email address of the user. This may not be present in certain contexts if the user has not made their email address visible to the requester.
`owners[]`	`list`	The owners of the file. Currently, only certain legacy files may have more than one owner. Not populated for items in shared drives.
`owners[].kind`	`string`	Identifies what kind of resource this is. Value: the fixed string `"drive#user"`.
`owners[].displayName`	`string`	A plain text displayable name for this user.
`owners[].photoLink`	`string`	A link to the user's profile photo, if available.
`owners[].me`	`boolean`	Whether this user is the requesting user.
`owners[].permissionId`	`string`	The user's ID as visible in Permission resources.
`owners[].emailAddress`	`string`	The email address of the user. This may not be present in certain contexts if the user has not made their email address visible to the requester.
`lastModifyingUser`	`nested object`	The last user to modify the file.
`lastModifyingUser.kind`	`string`	Identifies what kind of resource this is. Value: the fixed string `"drive#user"`.
`lastModifyingUser.displayName`	`string`	A plain text displayable name for this user.
`lastModifyingUser.photoLink`	`string`	A link to the user's profile photo, if available.
`lastModifyingUser.me`	`boolean`	Whether this user is the requesting user.
`lastModifyingUser.permissionId`	`string`	The user's ID as visible in Permission resources.
`lastModifyingUser.emailAddress`	`string`	The email address of the user. This may not be present in certain contexts if the user has not made their email address visible to the requester.
`shared`	`boolean`	Whether the file has been shared. Not populated for items in shared drives.
`ownedByMe`	`boolean`	Whether the user owns the file. Not populated for items in shared drives.
`viewersCanCopyContent`	`boolean`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use `copyRequiresWriterPermission` instead.
`writersCanShare`	`boolean`	Whether users with only `writer` permission can modify the file's permissions. Not populated for items in shared drives.	writable
`permissions[]`	`list`	The full list of permissions for the file. This is only available if the requesting user can share the file. Not populated for items in shared drives.
`folderColorRgb`	`string`	The color for a folder as an RGB hex string. The supported colors are published in the `folderColorPalette` field of the About resource. If an unsupported color is specified, the closest color in the palette will be used instead.	writable
`originalFilename`	`string`	The original filename of the uploaded content if available, or else the original value of the `name` field. This is only available for files with binary content in Google Drive.	writable
`fullFileExtension`	`string`	The full file extension extracted from the `name` field. May contain multiple concatenated extensions, such as "tar.gz". This is only available for files with binary content in Google Drive. This is automatically updated when the `name` field changes, however it is not cleared if the new name does not contain a valid extension.
`fileExtension`	`string`	The final component of `fullFileExtension`. This is only available for files with binary content in Google Drive.
`md5Checksum`	`string`	The MD5 checksum for the content of the file. This is only applicable to files with binary content in Google Drive.
`size`	`long`	The size of the file's content in bytes. This is only applicable to files with binary content in Google Drive.
`quotaBytesUsed`	`long`	The number of storage quota bytes used by the file. This includes the head revision as well as previous revisions with `keepForever` enabled.
`headRevisionId`	`string`	The ID of the file's head revision. This is currently only available for files with binary content in Google Drive.
`contentHints`	`object`	Additional information about the content of the file. These fields are never populated in responses.
`contentHints.thumbnail`	`object`	A thumbnail for the file. This will only be used if Google Drive cannot generate a standard thumbnail.
`contentHints.thumbnail.image`	`bytes`	The thumbnail data encoded with URL-safe Base64 (RFC 4648 section 5).	writable
`contentHints.thumbnail.mimeType`	`string`	The MIME type of the thumbnail.	writable
`contentHints.indexableText`	`string`	Text to be indexed for the file to improve fullText queries. This is limited to 128KB in length and may contain HTML elements.	writable
`imageMediaMetadata`	`object`	Additional metadata about image media, if available.
`imageMediaMetadata.width`	`integer`	The width of the image in pixels.
`imageMediaMetadata.height`	`integer`	The height of the image in pixels.
`imageMediaMetadata.rotation`	`integer`	The rotation in clockwise degrees from the image's original orientation.
`imageMediaMetadata.location`	`object`	Geographic location information stored in the image.
`imageMediaMetadata.location.latitude`	`double`	The latitude stored in the image.
`imageMediaMetadata.location.longitude`	`double`	The longitude stored in the image.
`imageMediaMetadata.location.altitude`	`double`	The altitude stored in the image.
`imageMediaMetadata.time`	`string`	The date and time the photo was taken (EXIF DateTime).
`imageMediaMetadata.cameraMake`	`string`	The make of the camera used to create the photo.
`imageMediaMetadata.cameraModel`	`string`	The model of the camera used to create the photo.
`imageMediaMetadata.exposureTime`	`float`	The length of the exposure, in seconds.
`imageMediaMetadata.aperture`	`float`	The aperture used to create the photo (f-number).
`imageMediaMetadata.flashUsed`	`boolean`	Whether a flash was used to create the photo.
`imageMediaMetadata.focalLength`	`float`	The focal length used to create the photo, in millimeters.
`imageMediaMetadata.isoSpeed`	`integer`	The ISO speed used to create the photo.
`imageMediaMetadata.meteringMode`	`string`	The metering mode used to create the photo.
`imageMediaMetadata.sensor`	`string`	The type of sensor used to create the photo.
`imageMediaMetadata.exposureMode`	`string`	The exposure mode used to create the photo.
`imageMediaMetadata.colorSpace`	`string`	The color space of the photo.
`imageMediaMetadata.whiteBalance`	`string`	The white balance mode used to create the photo.
`imageMediaMetadata.exposureBias`	`float`	The exposure bias of the photo (APEX value).
`imageMediaMetadata.maxApertureValue`	`float`	The smallest f-number of the lens at the focal length used to create the photo (APEX value).
`imageMediaMetadata.subjectDistance`	`integer`	The distance to the subject of the photo, in meters.
`imageMediaMetadata.lens`	`string`	The lens used to create the photo.
`videoMediaMetadata`	`object`	Additional metadata about video media. This may not be available immediately upon upload.
`videoMediaMetadata.width`	`integer`	The width of the video in pixels.
`videoMediaMetadata.height`	`integer`	The height of the video in pixels.
`videoMediaMetadata.durationMillis`	`long`	The duration of the video in milliseconds.
`capabilities`	`object`	Capabilities the current user has on this file. Each capability corresponds to a fine-grained action that a user may take.
`capabilities.canEdit`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can edit this file. Other factors may limit the type of changes a user can make to a file. For example, see `canChangeCopyRequiresWriterPermission` or `canModifyContent`.
`capabilities.canComment`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can comment on this file.
`capabilities.canShare`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can modify the sharing settings for this file.
`capabilities.canCopy`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can copy this file. For an item in a shared drive, whether the current user can copy non-folder descendants of this item, or this item itself if it is not a folder.
`capabilities.canReadRevisions`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can read the revisions resource of this file. For a shared drive item, whether revisions of non-folder descendants of this item, or this item itself if it is not a folder, can be read.
`isAppAuthorized`	`boolean`	Whether the file was created or opened by the requesting app.
`hasThumbnail`	`boolean`	Whether this file has a thumbnail. This does not indicate whether the requesting app has access to the thumbnail. To check access, look for the presence of the thumbnailLink field.
`thumbnailVersion`	`long`	The thumbnail version for use in thumbnail cache invalidation.
`modifiedByMe`	`boolean`	Whether the file has been modified by this user.
`trashingUser`	`nested object`	If the file has been explicitly trashed, the user who trashed it. Only populated for items in shared drives.
`trashingUser.kind`	`string`	Identifies what kind of resource this is. Value: the fixed string `"drive#user"`.
`trashingUser.displayName`	`string`	A plain text displayable name for this user.
`trashingUser.photoLink`	`string`	A link to the user's profile photo, if available.
`trashingUser.me`	`boolean`	Whether this user is the requesting user.
`trashingUser.permissionId`	`string`	The user's ID as visible in Permission resources.
`trashingUser.emailAddress`	`string`	The email address of the user. This may not be present in certain contexts if the user has not made their email address visible to the requester.
`trashedTime`	`datetime`	The time that the item was trashed (RFC 3339 date-time). Only populated for items in shared drives.
`teamDriveId`	`string`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use `driveId` instead.
`capabilities.canAddChildren`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can add children to this folder. This is always false when the item is not a folder.
`capabilities.canDelete`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can delete this file.
`capabilities.canDownload`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can download this file.
`capabilities.canListChildren`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can list the children of this folder. This is always false when the item is not a folder.
`capabilities.canMoveTeamDriveItem`	`boolean`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use `canMoveItemWithinDrive` or `canMoveItemOutOfDrive` instead.
`capabilities.canMoveItemIntoTeamDrive`	`boolean`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use `canMoveItemOutOfDrive` instead.
`capabilities.canReadTeamDrive`	`boolean`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use `canReadDrive` instead.
`capabilities.canRemoveChildren`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can remove children from this folder. This is always false when the item is not a folder. For a folder in a shared drive, use `canDeleteChildren` or `canTrashChildren` instead.
`capabilities.canRename`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can rename this file.
`capabilities.canTrash`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can move this file to trash.
`capabilities.canUntrash`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can restore this file from trash.
`hasAugmentedPermissions`	`boolean`	Whether there are permissions directly on this file. This field is only populated for items in shared drives.
`capabilities.canChangeViewersCanCopyContent`	`boolean`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated
`permissionIds[]`	`list`	List of permission IDs for users with access to this file.
`capabilities.canChangeCopyRequiresWriterPermission`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can change the `copyRequiresWriterPermission` restriction of this file.
`copyRequiresWriterPermission`	`boolean`	Whether the options to copy, print, or download this file, should be disabled for readers and commenters.	writable
`capabilities.canDeleteChildren`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can delete children of this folder. This is false when the item is not a folder. Only populated for items in shared drives.
`capabilities.canMoveChildrenOutOfTeamDrive`	`boolean`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use `canMoveChildrenOutOfDrive` instead.
`capabilities.canMoveChildrenWithinTeamDrive`	`boolean`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use `canMoveChildrenWithinDrive` instead.
`capabilities.canMoveItemOutOfTeamDrive`	`boolean`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use `canMoveItemOutOfDrive` instead.
`capabilities.canMoveItemWithinTeamDrive`	`boolean`	Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use `canMoveItemWithinDrive` instead.
`capabilities.canTrashChildren`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can trash children of this folder. This is false when the item is not a folder. Only populated for items in shared drives.
`exportLinks`	`object`	Links for exporting Google Docs to specific formats.
`exportLinks.(key)`	`string`	A mapping from export format to URL
`driveId`	`string`	ID of the shared drive the file resides in. Only populated for items in shared drives.
`capabilities.canMoveChildrenOutOfDrive`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can move children of this folder outside of the shared drive. This is false when the item is not a folder. Only populated for items in shared drives.
`capabilities.canMoveChildrenWithinDrive`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can move children of this folder within the shared drive. This is false when the item is not a folder. Only populated for items in shared drives.
`capabilities.canMoveItemOutOfDrive`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can move this item outside of this drive by changing its parent. Note that a request to change the parent of the item may still fail depending on the new parent that is being added.
`capabilities.canMoveItemWithinDrive`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can move this item within this shared drive. Note that a request to change the parent of the item may still fail depending on the new parent that is being added. Only populated for items in shared drives.
`capabilities.canReadDrive`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can read the shared drive to which this file belongs. Only populated for items in shared drives.
`capabilities.canModifyContent`	`boolean`	Whether the current user can modify the content of this file.

Methods

copy: Creates a copy of a file and applies any requested updates with patch semantics.
create: Creates a new file.
delete: Permanently deletes a file owned by the user without moving it to the trash. If the file belongs to a shared drive the user must be an organizer on the parent. If the target is a folder, all descendants owned by the user are also deleted.
emptyTrash: Permanently deletes all of the user's trashed files.
export: Exports a Google Doc to the requested MIME type and returns the exported content. Please note that the exported content is limited to 10MB.
generateIds: Generates a set of file IDs which can be provided in create or copy requests.
get: Gets a file's metadata or content by ID.
list: Lists or searches files.
update: Updates a file's metadata and/or content with patch semantics.
watch: Subscribes to changes to a file