Linux Download Google Drive [top] < ULTIMATE – 2025 >

gdown "https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1ABC123DEF456" -O myfile.zip

rclone is a powerful command-line program to manage files on cloud storage. It supports Google Drive among many others.

Google Drive is ubiquitous for file storage and sharing, but on Linux—especially server environments without a graphical interface—downloading large or shared files can be tricky. This guide covers reliable methods to download files from Google Drive using (curl, wget, gdown) and GUI clients for desktops. linux download google drive

gdrive auth

Alternatively, use the file ID:

Best for interactive use, especially on a Linux desktop or server where you need persistent access.

wget --load-cookies /tmp/cookies.txt "https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&confirm=$(wget --quiet --save-cookies /tmp/cookies.txt --keep-session-cookies --no-check-certificate 'https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=FILE_ID' -O- | sed -rn 's/.*confirm=([0-9A-Za-z_]+).*/\1\n/p')&id=FILE_ID" -O filename && rm -rf /tmp/cookies.txt gdown "https://drive

Each method has its advantages. wget is straightforward for direct links but requires sharing and might not work for large files. The gdrive tool is easy to use and doesn't require sharing the file first, but it needs to be installed. rclone offers advanced features and is highly configurable but has a steeper learning curve.

Handles large files, resumes broken downloads, no need for OAuth. Cons: Requires Python/pip. This guide covers reliable methods to download files

rclone copy remote:path/to/file ./ --progress