How to Import Files from Google Drive

If you have files scattered across Google Drive that you’d like to manage in your Enoch File cabinet — old receipts, tax records, kids’ school forms, Google Docs and Sheets you’ve been meaning to organize, photos you’ve stashed there over the years — the Google Drive importer brings them in for you.

When you import from Google Drive, your files keep their original format. Google Docs stay as Google Docs, Sheets as Sheets, Slides as Slides, PDFs as PDFs, Word documents as Word documents. Nothing is converted, and you can keep editing everything the same way you did before.

Importing makes a copy of each file in Enoch File. Your originals stay right where they were on Google Drive. Once you’ve confirmed the imported copies landed correctly in Enoch File, you can delete the originals from their old Google Drive location if you want to reclaim the space — or leave them where they are as a backup. Either way, the choice is yours.

The three-step import process

Step 1: Choose where the files will land

Navigate to the drawer or folder in Enoch File where you want the imported files to reside. We recommend creating a new folder for every import — that makes it easy to review what came in before filing individual documents elsewhere. Once you’re in the destination, open the Utility Menu and click Import from Google Drive.

Step 2: Choose your Google account

Google’s account picker will appear. Choose your account and complete the sign-in — you may need to re-enter your password or confirm via two-factor authentication. You’ll do this every time you import. It’s a Google security requirement that applies to any app that touches your Drive files, and it’s there to protect your documents.

Step 3: Select the files

A picker will appear showing your Google Drive folders and files. Navigate to the files you want, select them, and click the blue Select button. Your files will begin uploading into the Enoch File location you chose in Step 1.

You can only select files, not folders. If you want to bring in the contents of a whole folder, open the folder in the picker and select all the files inside.

What to expect during import

Files import at roughly 20 per minute, though large files take longer. Enoch File automatically prevents you from importing files that are already in your cabinet, so you can’t accidentally create duplicates by running the same import twice.

If you want a second copy of a document that’s already in Enoch File, don’t try to import it again from Google Drive — use the 📋 copy command (clipboard icon) instead. See Copying Files for the walkthrough.

Google Docs Benefit

There’s a quiet bonus for heavy Google Docs users: Google-native files (Docs, Sheets, Slides) don’t count against Google Drive storage quota — and neither do their copies inside Enoch File. If you migrate fifty Google Docs into your cabinet, they use zero storage against your Drive quota. (Office files still count against Drive quota, both the original and the copy — but that’s Google’s rule, not something Enoch File controls.)

Importing from another Google account

If you have access to more than one Google account, the importer will accept files from any of them — as long as you can complete the sign-in (password plus two-factor if enabled). This is useful for consolidating family documents from several accounts, or pulling in files from a work account you’re transitioning away from.

Drag and drop from Google Drive won’t work

If you go into your Google Drive directly and manually drag files from another folder into the Enoch Workspace folder, Enoch File won’t see them. This is a Google security restriction — apps like Enoch File can only see the files they were specifically granted access to through Google’s picker, not files that end up in their folder by other means.

The Google Drive importer described above is the only way to bring files from elsewhere on your Google Drive into Enoch File.

A note on cellular data

Importing files can consume significant bandwidth, especially when the files are large. Run Google Drive imports on Wi-Fi rather than a cellular connection to save data and keep the import fast.