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Every year, I teach the same three courses part-time at a local college. This means that I repurpose the same teaching materials and lesson slides for each semester. And right before every semester, I bemoan the fact that despite its many innovations, Google Drive still doesn't offer a built-in way to quickly duplicate a folder and all of its files.
But at least there's a not-too-terrible workaround. Here's how to make a copy of a folder in Google Drive.
Table of contents:
How to copy a folder in Google Drive for the web
Here's how to make a copy of a folder in Google Drive for the web.
Go to Google Drive, and open the folder with the files you want to copy.
Select all the files (use the keyboard shortcut
command+Aon a Mac orCtrl+Ain Windows).Right-click your selection, and select Make a copy. This will create a copy of each of those files in the same folder. Alternatively, you can use your keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste the files in the folder.
Now select all the
Copy offiles (click the first one, holdShift, and then click the last one).Click the Move icon in the toolbar that appears above your list of files.
In the pop-up window, hover over the name of the folder where you want to store your newly copied folder, and then click the View contents icon (
>).
Click New folder.
Enter a folder name, and click Create.
Click Move.
There you go. Nine steps to do something Google could easily turn into a one-click (two, max) process. You'll also want to rename all your files. (Yes—that process is just as manual.)
How to copy a folder in the Google Drive desktop app
If you have the Google Drive desktop app, it's much more convenient to copy an entire folder with all of its files. First, be sure your desktop app is set up to mirror your Drive on the web.
Open Finder (on a Mac) or Explorer (in Windows).
Click Google Drive (under Locations), and then My Drive.
Right-click the folder with the files you want to copy, and click Duplicate.
Unlike copying Drive files on the web, only the parent folder gets tagged with copy at the end of the file name—not the files. Rename the copied folder as you normally would.
Your Drive on the web will automatically reflect any changes made in your desktop app.
Tip: Unless you need access to all your Drive files at all times or you need offline access to all your docs, switch from mirroring to streaming your files. It's a better syncing option overall and takes up far less hard drive space.
How to rename multiple files in a folder at once on a Mac
Let's say you want to add a client or project name to the beginning of every file name in your copied folder. If you copied your files directly in Google Drive for the web, you'd have to manually add it one by one. But when you copy folders using the Google Drive desktop app, you can rename multiple files at once in Finder. As long as you're still mirroring your Drive, the changes you make in your Desktop app will automatically appear in the web app.
Note: For Windows users, you can also rename multiple files at once in Explorer, but you have fewer controls over the naming convention, so it's not as useful.
With Finder open, select all the files you want to rename.
Right-click your highlighted selection, and click Rename.
In the pop-up that appears, choose how you want to replace, add, or format text.
Click Rename.
Your files in your file manager and Google Drive will be updated immediately—though you may have to refresh Drive on the web a few times for the changes to appear.
Automate Google Drive with Zapier
Managing your Google Drive files is one thing. Digging through files to find what you need—especially if you haven't locked down a consistent routine for decluttering your digital workspace—is another.
With Zapier, you can connect Google Drive with 9,000+ apps, so you can streamline your digital file management without the extra legwork. Automatically copy, create, or move files based on events that happen in your other apps. Or, if you already work in an AI assistant like ChatGPT or Claude, Zapier lets the AI securely access and take action across your entire tech stack. That way, you can handle the digging, folder-creating, and file-routing directly from your chat window.
Zapier is the most connected AI orchestration platform—integrating with thousands of apps from partners like Google, Salesforce, and Microsoft. Use forms, data tables, and logic to build secure, automated, AI-powered systems for your business-critical workflows across your organization's technology stack. Learn more.
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This article was originally published in January 2022 by Matthew Guay. The most recent update was in September 2026.
