Index new Google Drive folder files into Google Sheets automatically

Description: Automatically catalog the contents of any Google Drive folder into a Google Sheets spreadsheet — capturing file names, types, extensions, Drive links, and timestamps in one click. Ideal for teams or individuals who need a living, auditable inventory of shared Drive folders without manually tracking files.

How it works On execution, the workflow reads a target Google Drive folder ID and destination spreadsheet from a single Config node — the only place you need to make changes. Two branches run in parallel: one lists all files and folders inside the target Drive folder; the other reads any rows already present in the index spreadsheet. A filter step compares the two lists by File ID, ensuring only new, previously unindexed files are processed — re-running the workflow will never create duplicates. Each new file is formatted into a structured row containing: File Name, MIME Type, File Extension, Google Drive URL, File ID, and an ISO timestamp of when it was indexed. New rows are appended to the specified sheet automatically.

Set up steps

Connect your Google Drive and Google Sheets OAuth2 accounts in n8n credentials. Create a Google Sheet with the following column headers in row 1 (order does not matter): File Name, MIME Type, File Extension, Google Drive URL, File ID, Indexed At. Open the Config node and fill in three values: your target Google Drive folder ID, your Google Sheets spreadsheet ID, and the sheet tab name (defaults to Sheet1). Run the workflow manually to populate the index. Re-run anytime to append newly added files — existing entries are skipped automatically.

Requirements

Google Drive OAuth2 credentials (n8n built-in) Google Sheets OAuth2 credentials (n8n built-in) A Google Drive folder you want to index A Google Sheet with the column headers listed above already in place

How to customize

Change what's captured**: Edit the List files and folders node to request additional Drive file fields (e.g. createdTime, modifiedTime, owners), then add the corresponding columns to the Prepare Index Row code node. Limit file volume: For folders with 50+ files, add an n8n **Limit node between List files and folders and Merge to process in batches and avoid timeouts. Schedule it: Swap the manual trigger for a **Schedule trigger to keep your index automatically up to date on a recurring basis. Filter by file type: Add an **If or Filter node after List files and folders to only index specific MIME types (e.g. Google Docs only, PDFs only).