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Send Gravity Forms File Uploads to Google Drive (Folder per Entry, No Zapier)
Send Gravity Forms file uploads to Google Drive with the GravityExtra add-on Watch on YouTube

The Gravity Forms Google Drive Integration Add-on connects your WordPress forms directly to Google Drive via the official Google Drive REST API v3. When a user submits an entry, file uploads, generated PDF contracts, and Word documents are streamed directly to your designated Google Drive folders in real time—eliminating local server disk storage bottlenecks and bypassing recurring monthly middleware subscription fees.

Google Cloud Console OAuth 2.0 Configuration

To securely authenticate your WordPress site with Google Drive without storing master account passwords, this add-on uses Google’s standard OAuth 2.0 protocol. Follow these steps to generate your private Client ID and Client Secret in the Google Cloud Console.

Step 1: Create a New Google Cloud Project

Sign in to the Google Cloud Console. Click the project dropdown at the top navigation bar and select New Project.

Click the NEW PROJECT button in the top-right corner of the modal dialog.

Enter a recognizable Project Name (such as Gravity Forms Drive Integration) and select your Organization if applicable. Then click Create.

Select the newly created project from the notifications menu or the top project picker to make it active.

Step 2: Enable the Google Drive API

In the left sidebar, navigate to APIs & Services > Library. Click on ENABLE APIS AND SERVICES.

Search for Google Drive API in the search bar and select it from the results.

Click the blue ENABLE button to activate the Google Drive API for this project.

Step 3: Configure the OAuth Consent Screen & Publish App

From the left sidebar, navigate to APIs & Services > OAuth consent screen. Select External user type (or Internal if using Google Workspace within an organization), then click Create.

Fill in the basic app details: App name (e.g., Gravity Forms Uploader), User support email, and Developer contact information. Click Save and Continue through the scopes step and return to the dashboard.

Step 4: Create OAuth 2.0 Credentials

In the left sidebar, click on Credentials. Then click CREATE CREDENTIALS > OAuth client ID.

Select Web application from the Application type dropdown. Enter a descriptive name like Gravity Forms Web Client.

Scroll down to Authorized redirect URIs and click ADD URI. Copy the exact Redirect URI displayed in your WordPress admin under Forms > Settings > Google Drive and paste it here. Then click CREATE.

A modal will appear displaying your new Client ID and Client Secret. Copy both values.

Step 5: Connect WordPress to Google Drive

Navigate to Forms > Settings > Google Drive in your WordPress admin dashboard. Paste your App Key (Client ID) and App Secret into the respective fields, then click Click here to connect to Google Drive.

Choose your Google account in the OAuth consent popup window.

Grant the required permissions to allow Gravity Forms to manage files in your Drive, then click Continue.

Destination Folder Depth & Hierarchy

To prevent slow API lookups on accounts with thousands of folders, the add-on includes a configurable Folder Depth Level setting (up to 3 levels). This defines how deep the folder selection dropdown scans your Drive structure.

Depending on your selection (Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3), you can target sub-folders nested inside parent directories with full breadcrumb path visibility.

Configuring Form Uploads & Dynamic Sub-Folders

Add a standard File Upload field to your Gravity Forms layout. The add-on supports single file uploads, multi-file uploads, and all standard file extensions allowed by WordPress.

Next, go to Settings > Google Drive inside your form editor to configure upload behavior and dynamic sub-folder organization.

• Google Drive Enabled: Toggle to activate Drive synchronization for this form.
• Enable Sub Folder: Automatically creates a dedicated sub-folder for every entry submission inside the parent destination folder.
• Sub-Folder Naming Rule: Use Gravity Forms merge tags (such as {Name (First):1.3}_{Name (Last):1.6}_{entry_id} or {date_mdy}) to dynamically name each folder.
• File Upload Field: Select “All File Upload Fields” or restrict uploads to a specific file field.
• Destination Folder: Choose your target Google Drive folder from the real-time folder tree.

Local Server File Retention (Storage Management)

By default, web hosting servers have limited disk storage and strict inode quotas. Accumulating heavy files (videos, high-resolution photography, raw PDFs) inside your WordPress wp-content/uploads/ directory can cause severe backup slowdowns, expensive storage tier upgrades, or hosting crashes.

Dynamic Custom File Renaming with Merge Tags

When users submit forms, their raw file names are often messy or ambiguous (e.g. scan12.pdf, IMG_5839.PNG, resume.docx). The add-on includes a powerful dynamic renaming engine that standardizes all incoming files before they land in Google Drive.

Enable the Enable Custom File Name checkbox in your form feed settings, and input your desired naming pattern in the Custom File Name field.

Special Modifier {original_filename}: This tag extracts the user's original uploaded file name without its extension. The add-on automatically preserves the proper file extension (e.g. .pdf, .jpg, .docx) at the end of the generated string, preventing accidental double extensions like file.pdf.pdf.

File Access Permissions & Notification Merge Tags

By default, files uploaded via Google Drive API inherit permissions from the parent folder. The add-on allows you to override and specify strict granular file access rules directly upon upload.

• Anyone with the link: Grants read-only (viewer) access to anyone who possesses the file URL. Perfect for public application downloads, marketing assets, or open contest submissions.
• Restricted: Restricts file visibility strictly to designated team members. Enter one or more comma-separated email addresses (e.g. hr@company.com, legal@company.com). Only authenticated Google accounts matching those emails will be able to open the file.

Embedding Google Drive Links in Confirmations & Emails

You can include direct links to uploaded Google Drive files inside Gravity Forms Confirmation Messages and Email Notifications using these dedicated merge tags:

• {googledrive:file_urls} — Outputs raw, plain-text Google Drive URLs separated by newlines. Ideal for webhook payloads or plain-text email alerts.
• {googledrive:file_urls_rich_text} — Outputs fully formatted, clickable HTML anchor tags with original file names (e.g. <a href="..." target="_blank">filename.pdf</a>). Ideal for HTML confirmation pages and rich email notifications to clients.

Automatic GravityPDF & MS Word Ingestion

Beyond standard user uploads, the add-on integrates seamlessly with GravityPDF and the Gravity Forms MS Word Premium Add-on. Dynamically generated invoices, certificates, and contract files are automatically captured and uploaded to your Drive folder upon form submission.

To sync generated PDF documents, open Settings > PDF in your form editor and click Add New.

Configure your PDF template name, filename pattern, and appearance, then click Add PDF.

Return to Settings > Google Drive. In the File Upload Field selector, your generated PDF document is now available alongside standard file fields.

Developer Hooks & Filter Reference

Customize file naming schemes, dynamic folder routing, and post-upload automation with these extensible PHP hooks.

Filter: Customize Dynamic Sub-Folder Name

Override the sub-folder naming formula programmatically before directory creation:

// Dynamically prepend entry ID and sanitize folder name
add_filter( 'gform_google_drive_folder_name', function( $folder_name, $form, $entry ) {
    if ( $form['id'] == 5 ) {
        return 'Client_' . $entry['id'] . '_' . sanitize_file_name( $folder_name );
    }
    return $folder_name;
}, 10, 3 );

Action: Post-Upload Drive Webhook & File Logging

Execute actions immediately after a file is successfully uploaded to Google Drive:

// Log Google Drive File ID and direct link in entry meta
add_action( 'gform_google_drive_post_upload', function( $file_id, $file_url, $entry, $form ) {
    gform_update_meta( $entry['id'], 'drive_file_id', $file_id );
    gform_update_meta( $entry['id'], 'drive_view_url', $file_url );
}, 10, 4 );

Troubleshooting & Frequently Asked Questions

Related Resources & Live Demonstration