gdown
command-line Google Drive downloader
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
gdown [options] urlorid
DESCRIPTION
gdown is a command-line tool for downloading files and folders from Google Drive, providing wget/curl-like functionality specifically for Drive URLs. It automatically handles Google Drive's download mechanisms, including the virus scan confirmation step that large files require, making automated downloads possible.The tool intelligently extracts file IDs from various Google Drive URL formats, whether they're sharing links, direct file URLs, or folder URLs. It can download individual files, entire folders recursively, and works with both public and shared links without requiring OAuth authentication for public content.gdown is particularly popular in machine learning and data science workflows, where large datasets and model weights are frequently shared via Google Drive. It enables reproducible research pipelines and automated data fetching in scripts. The fuzzy matching option helps when URLs are embedded in redirects or formatted unusually.For files requiring authentication or private Drive content, gdown's functionality is limited. It works best with publicly accessible shared files and folders, making it ideal for open datasets and model distributions.
PARAMETERS
URLORID
Google Drive URL or file ID.-O FILE, --output FILE
Output filename or directory (for folders).--folder
Download an entire folder recursively (limited to ~50 files per folder).--fuzzy
Extract the file ID from non-standard or redirecting URLs.--id
Treat the positional argument strictly as a file ID (deprecated: now inferred automatically).--continue, -c
Resume a partially downloaded file.--format FMT
Export format for Google Docs/Sheets/Slides (e.g. docx, xlsx, pptx, pdf).--speed RATE
Limit download speed (e.g. `10MB`).--proxy URL
Download through an HTTP/HTTPS proxy.--no-cookies
Ignore the cookie cache at `~/.cache/gdown/cookies.txt`.--no-check-certificate
Skip TLS certificate verification.--user-agent STRING
Override the default User-Agent header.--remaining-ok
Continue past the 50-file limit when downloading folders.-q, --quiet
Suppress progress and informational output.-V, --version
Show version information.-h, --help
Display help information.
INSTALL
CAVEATS
Rate limits may apply. Large downloads may fail. Some files require permission. Cannot download private files without authentication.
HISTORY
gdown was created to simplify Google Drive downloads, particularly for machine learning datasets. It provides wget/curl-like functionality for Drive URLs.