Download and Upload Video to Google Drive from URL Via Google Script

Tips & Tricks
1

:wrench: Purpose:

This lightweight Google Apps Script acts as a server endpoint that receives a file URL (from n8n), downloads the file, uploads it to your specified Google Drive folder, and responds with the file’s metadata (like Drive file ID and URL). This is useful for large video/audio files that n8n cannot handle directly via HTTP Download nodes.

:rocket: Setup Steps:

1. Create a New Script Project

2. Paste the Script Code

Replace the default Code.gs content with the following (your custom script):

function doPost(e) {
  const SECRET_KEY = 'your-strong-secret-here'; // Set your secret key here

  try {
    const data = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);

    // 🔒 Check for correct secret key
    if (!data.secret || data.secret !== SECRET_KEY) {
      return ContentService.createTextOutput("Unauthorized")
        .setMimeType(ContentService.MimeType.TEXT);
    }

    const videoUrl = data.videoUrl;
    const folderId = 'YOUR_FOLDER_ID_HERE'; // Replace with your target folder ID
    const folder = DriveApp.getFolderById(folderId);

    const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(videoUrl);
    const blob = response.getBlob();
    const file = folder.createFile(blob);
    file.setName('uploaded_video.mp4'); // You can customize the name

    return ContentService.createTextOutput(file.getUrl())
      .setMimeType(ContentService.MimeType.TEXT);
  } catch (err) {
    return ContentService.createTextOutput("Error: " + err.message)
      .setMimeType(ContentService.MimeType.TEXT);
  }
}

3. Generate & Set Up Secret Key

To allow authorized post requests to your script only, we need to generate a secret key from aany reliable key generator.

  • You can head over to acte, click generate and copy the “Encryption key 256”.
  • Paste it in the ‘your-strong-secret-here’ placeholder in your script then click save
 const SECRET_KEY = 'your-strong-secret-here'; // Set your secret key here;

4. Replace Folder ID in Code

  • Open the target Drive folder in your browser
  • The folder ID is the part of the URL after /folders/
    Example:
    https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1Xabc12345678defGHIJklmn
  • Paste that ID in the script:
    var folderId = "1Xabc12345678defGHIJklmn";

5. Set Up Deployment as Web App

  • Click “Deploy” > “Manage Deployments” > “New Deployment”
  • Under Select type, choose Web app
  • Description: Upload from URL to Drive
  • Execute as: Me
  • Who has access: Anyone
  • Click Deploy
  • Authorize the script when prompted
  • Copy the Web App URL

:outbox_tray: How to Use in n8n

1. HTTP Request Node

  • Method: POST
  • URL: (your web app URL)
  • Secret Key: (Secret Key set in script)
  • Body Content Type: JSON
  • Paste code:
{
  "videoUrl": "https://example.com/path/to/your.mp4",
  "secret": "your-strong-secret-here"
}
  • videoUrl: The file download URL
  • secret: The generated and set up secret key

2. Rename Node

  • A simple drive update node to rename the file using the file drive url returned from the script.
1 Like
2
4

No I had an issue, asked here, was given options to explore and found this to work, so I shared it here and linked it to the question topic to help anyone in the future.

1 Like