How to Upload a Folder to Google Drive (2026 Guide)
Google Drive accepts whole folders, including nested subfolders, through three different methods, each with its own quirks. Drag-and-drop is fastest for one-time uploads, Drive for desktop is the right call for ongoing sync, and the mobile apps require a workaround because they don’t support folder uploads directly.
1. Drag and Drop From Your Desktop
The simplest method works in any modern browser, but it’s most reliable in Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
- Open drive.google.com.
- Navigate to the folder where you want the upload to land, either My Drive or a shared drive.
- Open Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows) in another window.
- Drag the folder from your computer directly into the Drive window.
- Drive shows an upload progress panel in the bottom-right. Wait for it to finish before closing the tab.
Drive preserves the entire folder structure, including nested subfolders. Files upload in parallel, so a folder with hundreds of small files is faster than you’d expect.
Heads up: Don’t close the browser tab while the upload is in progress. If you do, Drive cancels in-flight uploads, and you’ll have to re-upload the missing files. The progress panel is your friend, keep it visible until you see “Upload complete.”
2. Use the Folder Upload Button
If drag-and-drop is finicky on your machine (some browsers and OS combinations are flaky), the explicit upload button is more reliable.
- In Drive, click + New in the top-left.
- Hover over Folder upload.
- Pick the folder from the OS file picker.
- Click Upload (Mac) or OK (Windows).
- The same upload progress panel appears in the bottom-right.
This method works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari: though Safari occasionally struggles with very large folders. If you’re moving more than a few gigabytes, Chrome or Edge are the safest bet.
Files vs Folder upload
The same + New menu has both File upload and Folder upload. They’re separate options because Drive needs to handle the directory tree differently, folder uploads ask for browser permission to read the entire directory, file uploads don’t. If the Folder upload option is missing, you’re likely on a browser that doesn’t support it (older Safari versions, niche browsers).
3. Drive for Desktop, For Ongoing Sync
For folders you’ll keep updating, Drive for desktop (the renamed Backup and Sync) gives you a synced Google Drive location in Finder or File Explorer that mirrors the cloud.
Set up Drive for desktop
- Download the installer from google.com/drive/download.
- Install and sign in with your Google account.
- Drive for desktop creates a Google Drive virtual drive (Mac: in Finder sidebar; Windows: in This PC as drive G:).
- Open it, you’ll see My Drive and any Shared drives you have access to.
Upload by syncing
- Drag a folder from anywhere on your computer into the Google Drive location.
- Drive for desktop uploads it in the background, you’ll see a sync icon next to each file as it goes.
- Once everything syncs, the folder shows up at drive.google.com automatically.
Drive for desktop streams files on demand by default, meaning your laptop doesn’t store full copies unless you ask. Right-click any folder and choose Offline access > Available offline to keep a local copy.
Mirror vs stream
Drive for desktop offers two modes per folder:
- Stream files (default), files live in the cloud; local cache is created on demand. Saves disk space.
- Mirror files: full local copy of everything, like the old Backup and Sync. Useful if you work offline often.
Set this in Drive for desktop preferences > Google Drive > My Drive syncing options.
4. File Size Limits
| Plan | Per-file size limit | Total storage |
|---|---|---|
| Free Google account | 5 GB per file (most file types) | 15 GB shared with Gmail and Photos |
| Google One Basic | 5 GB per file | 100 GB |
| Google One Premium / 2 TB+ | 5 GB per file | 2 TB and up |
| Workspace Business Starter | 5 GB per file | 30 GB per user |
| Workspace Business Standard / Plus | 5 TB per file | 2 TB / 5 TB pooled per user |
| Workspace Enterprise | 5 TB per file | Custom |
Native Google file types (Docs, Sheets, Slides) have their own limits:
- Google Docs: up to 1.02 million characters or about 50 MB after conversion
- Google Sheets: up to 10 million cells per spreadsheet
- Google Slides: up to 100 MB after conversion
These limits apply per file inside the upload. If a single video or zip file exceeds your plan’s limit, the upload of that file fails, but other files in the folder still go through.
5. Upload From Mobile (the Zip Workaround)
The Google Drive mobile apps (Android and iOS) do not support folder upload. Tapping the + button only gives you Upload (single files) and Scan (camera to PDF). You have two options.
Android, zip the folder first
- Open a file manager (the built-in Files app on most Android phones, or Files by Google).
- Long-press the folder you want to upload and select Compress > Zip.
- Open the Google Drive app.
- Tap + > Upload and pick the .zip file.
- After upload, open the zip on a desktop browser at drive.google.com and right-click > Extract if you need the folder structure restored. (This requires the Zip Extractor add-on or downloading the zip locally to extract.)
iOS, use the Files app
- Open the Files app on iPhone or iPad.
- Long-press the folder and tap Compress.
- Tap the resulting .zip file, then Share.
- Choose Save to Drive (or open the Drive app and import).
Or: install Drive for desktop on your laptop
For ongoing mobile workflows, the path of least resistance is to point the mobile app at the cloud and let Drive for desktop handle uploads from your computer. You can then access the same files on mobile.
Quick Reference
| Method | Preserves folder structure? | Best for | Browser/OS notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drag and drop | Yes | One-time uploads, small to medium folders | Chrome and Edge most reliable |
| + New > Folder upload | Yes | Same as drag-and-drop, more reliable in Safari/Firefox | Works in all major browsers |
| Drive for desktop | Yes | Ongoing sync, large or frequently-updated folders | Mac and Windows |
| Mobile app (zip) | Only inside the zip | Last-resort upload from phone | Native folder upload not supported |
Which Method Should You Use?
- Uploading a folder once? Drag and drop in Chrome or Edge. Fastest and easiest.
- Browser refusing to cooperate? Use + New > Folder upload for the explicit picker.
- Folder you’ll keep updating? Install Drive for desktop and treat the synced Google Drive folder as the canonical version.
- On mobile only? Zip the folder first, then upload the zip. Or, better, do the upload from a desktop later.
- File over 5 GB? Check your plan, you’ll need Workspace Business Standard or higher for the 5 TB per-file ceiling.
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More on Google Drive: How to organize Google Drive · How to share a folder in Google Drive · How to recover deleted files in Google Drive · How to add Google Calendar to Outlook
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