FilePasterHow to upload a Google Drive file to any website without downloading it
Most upload forms only accept files from your computer. Here's how to get a file from Google Drive into one without the download-then-upload routine.
The usual way: download, then upload
- In Google Drive, right-click the file and choose Download.
- Wait for it to land in your Downloads folder. (A folder comes down as a .zip.)
- On the website, click the upload box, find the file in Downloads and open it.
- Later, delete the copy from Downloads so it doesn't pile up.
Some sites, such as Gmail, have their own "Insert from Drive" button, but it only works with Google Drive and only on that site. Most upload forms (job applications, client portals, Canva, Slack, ChatGPT) don't have one.
The faster way: copy in Drive, paste on the website
FilePaster is a Chrome extension that adds copy and paste between your cloud drive and any upload box:
- Install FilePaster in Chrome (7-day free trial, no card).
- In your drive, select the files or folders and press Alt+Shift+C (⌥ Option+Shift+C on a Mac).
- On the other website, click the upload box and press Alt+Shift+V (⌥ Option+Shift+V on a Mac).
The file arrives as a real file, as if you'd picked it from your computer. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides arrive as Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. Folders arrive as a single .zip on websites.
Good to know
- FilePaster uses the Google account you're already signed in to in Chrome. There's no extra sign-in and no access to grant.
- Files go straight from Google Drive to the website. They don't pass through any FilePaster server.
- Pastes into a website are limited to 1 GB at a time, because the browser holds the files in memory.
FilePaster copies files and folders from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and SharePoint and pastes them into any website or a folder on your computer. 7-day free trial, then $29 a year. See how it works.