Job applications with a resume
Screen candidates with a few questions, collect the resume, and save it to a hiring folder named after the role. Log the applicant and the file link in Google Sheets for the recruiter's shortlist.
Google Drive chatbot integration
The Google Drive step moves files out of the conversation and into your Drive. A resume, a photo of damage or a signed form that a visitor uploads in the chat is saved to the folder you choose, and the link comes back to the flow.
Build on the Free plan. The Google Drive step runs on Pro ($39/month) and above.
- Builder step
- Google Drive: Upload, Download, List files
- How you connect
- Sign in with Google (OAuth, Drive access)
- Largest upload
- 25 MB per file
- Plan
- Pro and above (native integrations)
- Google accounts
- 3 on Pro, 10 on Business
What it does
What the Google Drive step can do
Collecting a file in a chat is only half the job. Someone still has to download it, rename it and put it where the team can find it. The Google Drive step does that last part automatically. Pair it with file upload in the chat: the visitor uploads a file, and the next step saves it into a Drive folder with a name you choose, such as the visitor's name and the date.
The step can also point the other way. Download looks up a file in your Drive and saves its link, so the bot can hand a visitor a brochure, a price list or a form to fill in. List files reads what is in a folder, which helps when the right file depends on the visitor's answers.
Save a visitor's upload to Drive
Point the step at the file the visitor uploaded, with ${ANSWERS.file} or the variable your upload question saves, and it is copied into Drive. A file from any public URL works too.
Name it and choose the folder
Give the file a name built from variables, such as ${name} - ID document, and pick the destination folder. Leave the folder empty to save to the root of My Drive.
Get a file's link
Download looks up a file you select and saves its Drive link to a variable, ready to send to the visitor or the team.
List a folder
List files returns the files in a folder with their names, types and links, leaving out anything in the trash. Use it to show available documents or to check that a file exists.
File type kept
The file's type is taken from the upload, so a PDF stays a PDF and an image stays an image in Drive.
Reference
Settings in the Google Drive step
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Account | The connected Google account whose Drive is used. |
| Operation | Upload, Download or List files. |
| File URL or variable | For Upload: the file to save, usually ${ANSWERS.file} from an upload question. |
| File name | Optional. Without it the name is taken from the uploaded file. |
| Destination folder | Optional. Empty saves to the root of My Drive. |
| File | For Download: picked from the list, or the ID from a drive.google.com/file/d/ link. |
| Folder | For List files: the folder to list. Empty lists the root. |
| Save result | Upload and Download save the file's Drive link. List files saves the list. |
Setup
How to save chat uploads to Google Drive
About five minutes. You need a Pro or higher workspace and the Google account whose Drive should receive the files.
- 1
Ask for the file
Add a file upload question to the flow and save the answer to a variable, for example
file. See file upload for the question types. - 2
Add the Google Drive step after it
Drag the Google Drive step in after the upload question and choose Upload.
- 3
Connect your Google account
Choose Connect and approve Drive access in Google's window. Use a shared team account if several people need to see the files.
- 4
Point the step at the upload
In File URL or variable, enter
${ANSWERS.file}, or the variable your upload question uses. - 5
Name the file and pick a folder
Use a name that will make sense in Drive, such as
${name} - resume, and choose the folder. A folder that is already shared with your team means nobody needs to forward links. - 6
Save the link and test
Name the result variable, upload a test file in preview, and open the folder to check it arrived. Send the saved link to the team in a Gmail step or to Google Sheets as part of the visitor's row.
Recipes
Flows people build with Google Drive
Insurance and warranty claims
Ask what happened, collect photos of the damage and the receipt, and save each file into the claim's folder. The adjuster opens one folder instead of an inbox thread.
Client documents for an intake
Law firms, accountants and agencies collect IDs, contracts and briefs during intake. Save them to Drive and write the summary into a document with the Google Docs step.
Hand visitors the right document
Keep brochures, menus or price lists in Drive. Use Download to fetch the right file's link based on the visitor's answers and share it in the chat.
Access
Permissions and access
What Google is asked for
The Drive step asks Google for Drive access so it can save files, look them up and list folders. Your email address and basic profile label the account in the dashboard.
Who can see the saved files
Files are saved as the connected account and follow the sharing of the folder they land in. Saving into a folder that is shared only with your team keeps visitor documents private to the team.
Disconnecting
Remove the account on the Integrations page, or revoke Conferbot in your Google Account under third-party connections. Files already saved stay in Drive.
Good to know
Limits and behaviour to plan around
25 MB per uploaded file
The step fetches the file and saves it to Drive. Files larger than 25 MB, or that take longer than 20 seconds to fetch, are not saved. Ask for photos rather than videos where you can.
Only public file addresses
For safety, the step only fetches files from public internet addresses. Uploads made in the chat qualify; links to private networks or internal servers are refused.
A failed upload does not stop the chat
If the file cannot be fetched or Drive rejects it, the conversation continues and the result variable stays empty. Add a message that asks the visitor to email the file if the link is missing.
Drive storage and quotas
Saved files count toward the connected account's Google storage. Google also applies its own API quotas, which normal chat volumes stay well within.
Troubleshooting
Fixing common Google Drive problems
| What you see | Why, and the fix |
|---|---|
| "Missing required input: fileUrl" | The upload variable was empty when the step ran. Put the Drive step after the upload question and check the variable name, such as ${ANSWERS.file}. |
| "Cannot fetch the file to upload" | The file is larger than 25 MB, took too long to download, or sits at an address that is not public. Ask for a smaller file or a different format. |
| The file landed in the wrong place | No destination folder was set, so it went to the root of My Drive. Pick the folder in the step. |
| The team cannot open the file | The folder is not shared with them. Share the destination folder in Google Drive; new files inherit its sharing. |
| The file list is empty | The account has no files it can see in that folder, or the connection expired. Reconnect and refresh, or enter the file ID from its link. |
FAQ
Google Drive integration: common questions
Can a chatbot save uploaded files to Google Drive?
Yes. Add a file upload question, then a Google Drive step set to Upload with the upload's variable, such as ${ANSWERS.file}. The file is saved to the folder you choose and its Drive link is saved for later steps.
How big can the files be?
Up to 25 MB per file. Larger files, or files that take more than 20 seconds to fetch, are not saved.
Can I choose the file name and folder?
Yes. The name accepts variables, such as the visitor's name, and you can pick any folder in the connected Drive. Without a folder the file goes to the root of My Drive.
Who can see the files?
Files are saved as the connected Google account and inherit the sharing of their folder. Use a folder shared only with your team.
Can the bot send visitors a file from Drive?
Yes. The Download operation looks up a file and saves its Drive link, which the bot can send in the chat. Make sure the file's sharing lets the visitor open it.
Does it work on WhatsApp and Telegram?
The Drive step runs on the server, so it works wherever the flow can collect a file and pass its address to the step.
Which plan includes Google Drive?
Google Drive is a native integration, included on Pro and above. You can build and preview the flow on any plan.
What happens if the upload fails?
The conversation continues and the result variable stays empty. Add a fallback message so the visitor knows to send the file another way.
Is my visitors' data safe?
Files travel from the chat to your own Google Drive over Google's API and are stored under your account's sharing settings. Keep sensitive files in folders with limited access.
Stop forwarding attachments by hand
Start free with Conferbot - the free plan includes 600 conversations a month and needs no credit card, so you can build the upload flow today. The Google Drive step switches on with Pro.
Checked against Conferbot's product and Google Drive's documentation on November 3, 2026: Google Drive API: uploading files, Google Drive API: usage limits.
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Guides for Google Drive flows
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