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Copilot Agent Download File from Google Drive link

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Posted on by ROSEBLACK

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Hello Experts,

I'm building an agent to download files from Google Drive links.

The flow below gets stuck at the HTTP action. Could you help me identify the issue?

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Vish WR 3,748 on at

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@ROSEBLACK

The flow structure looks fine, so I'd focus on the HTTP step itself.

A few common causes:

- The Google Drive file isn't shared as "Anyone with the link", so the HTTP action receives a sign-in page instead of the file.
- The generated DirectLink is incorrect or still points to a Google Drive preview page rather than a direct download URL.
- For larger files, Google may return a virus scan confirmation page instead of the actual file content, which can cause the HTTP action to fail or appear stuck.

I'd check the HTTP action's run history first and inspect the response. If the body contains HTML instead of file content, the issue is usually the link format or sharing permissions rather than the flow itself.

Vishnu WR

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chiaraalina 2,425 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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HI @ROSEBLACK

Your HTTP action is unauthenticated. It can only download Google Drive files that are public “Anyone with the link”. Share it again correctly and then copy the link.

If you need to get private file then I recommend to use Google Drive connector or HTTP action where the Authorization header contains a valid Google OAuth bearer token.
Example: Authorization: Bearer eyJ...

Let me know if it worked!

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Valantis 6,735 on at

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Hi @ROSEBLACK,

The HTTP action getting stuck on Google Drive links is almost always one of two things.

1. Wrong URL format: the share link from Google Drive is a preview URL, not a direct download.

Replace it with:https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=FILE_ID

Get the FILE_ID from your share link it's the long string between /d/ and /view. This is the most common cause.

2. File not publicly shared: if the file isn't set to "Anyone with the link", the HTTP action gets a Google login page back instead of the file content. Check the sharing settings and make sure it's public.

For large files (over 25MB): Google returns a virus scan warning page instead of the file. The HTTP action gets HTML back instead of binary content. At that size, switch to the Google Drive connector with proper OAuth authentication instead of HTTP.

Check the run history of the HTTP action and look at the response body, if it contains HTML, it's one of the above issues.

Best regards,

Valantis

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ROSEBLACK 225 on at

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Hello Vish WR chiaraalina Valantis

I have already shared the file with the "Anyone with the link" permission.

The file size is only 4 MB (<25MB)

I can open the shared link in a private/incognito browser window and download the file without any issues.

This flow is intended to support downloading files from any shared Google Drive link. The file type is not fixed and may be an image, PDF, Office document, ZIP file, or other supported file formats.

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Valantis 6,735 on at

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Hi @ROSEBLACK,

Since the file is public, under 25MB, and opens fine in incognito, the issue is almost certainly the URL format.

The link you open in the browser (https://drive.google.com/file/d/FILE_ID/view) is a preview page, not a direct file download. Even though it works in the browser by redirecting you to the download, the HTTP action doesn't follow that redirect the same way.

Convert your link to:

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=FILE_ID

Extract the FILE_ID from your share link and replace it. Test this URL directly in your incognito browser first it should immediately start downloading the file rather than opening a preview page.

Then use that exact URL in your HTTP action. Check the run history and expand the HTTP action output to see the response status code and body that will confirm whether it's now returning binary content or still returning HTML.

Best regards,

Valantis

✅ If this helped solve your issue, please Accept as Solution so others can find it quickly.

❤️ If it didn’t fully solve it but was still useful, please click “Yes” on “Was this reply helpful?” or leave a Like :).

🏷️ For follow-ups @Valantis.

📝 https://valantisond365.com/

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Haque 3,653 on at

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Hi @ROSEBLACK,

Please make sure you are using the correct URL and correct HTTP Method. The Google Drive file download URL should be in the correct format, typically: https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{fileId}?alt=media

Use the HTTP GET method to download the file content.

Also - I would recommend to check headers and query Parameters. Include the Authorization header: Authorization: Bearer {access_token}
Note: Ensure no conflicting headers or missing required headers.

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ROSEBLACK 225 on at

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Hello Valantis Haque

If I use the Google connector, will there be a file download limit (<25MB)?

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