Google Drive Import
Import media files directly from Google Drive without downloading them to your computer first.
In the Web Uploader
- Click "Import from Google Drive" in the upload area
- Authorize Ads Uploader (one-time setup)
- Select files from the Google Picker dialog
- Files upload automatically to the Uploader
For the picker flow:
- You must own the files you select
- Shared files (even with view access) will cause permission errors
- Same intelligent file naming detection applies (thumbnails, variants, grouping)
Import From Links (CLI, MCP, and API)
Outside the web uploader, media can also be ingested from links. This works with:
- Public HTTPS URLs to individual image or video files
- Public Google Drive file links
- A public Google Drive folder link, imported as a background job
Drive links must be shared as Anyone with the link (Viewer). Private Drive files remain a web-uploader feature via the picker above.
In the CLI, ads upload accepts URLs alongside local paths in the same batch, and ads upload:drive imports a public folder with per-file progress. Through the MCP, give your agent the links and it starts a background ingest job, then polls progress; the file bytes never pass through the conversation.
File naming detection (thumbnails, aspect ratio variants, grouping) applies to link imports the same way it does to direct uploads, so a well-named Drive folder arrives already grouped.