Cannot download files on my google drive

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To fix this, close the Google Drive tab — it will give you a warning that files were not saved, select Leave and the download should start properly. To fix this, log out of all Google accounts. Then only log back in with the account that should have access to the file you want to download and try again. The permission errors should now be resolved. So clearing them both could help. The problem is that the process for each browser is quite different and making sure you delete all cached files and cookies is not easy.

When you want full control over the data your browsers retain, you should use an optimization tool like CleanMyMac X. CleanMyMac X is a powerful but intuitive app that lets you tweak any part of your Mac in just a few clicks.

You can scan your drive for old, unused files, get rid of mail attachments, free up RAM, reindex Spotlight, uninstall apps completely, and, of course, clean anything within your browser. After you clear all cache and cookies, make sure the cookies themselves remain enabled for Google Drive to work properly. With ad blockers rising in popularity over the past few years, some web apps started to inadvertently break in unexpected places.

If your WiFi connection is poor or unstable, or simply off, Google Drive might throw all kinds of errors related to file downloading. The best way to troubleshoot your internet connection is to use NetSpot.

NetSpot makes it easy to analyze your wireless network in seconds without all the technical complexities. In that case, any Google account can be used to view or download files. But the owner can also restrict the files to a select few users only based on their email address. In such cases, you need to switch your Google account to the right one. If you are a Google Chrome user, you can sign into multiple Google accounts.

However, one of them is used as a default account. That account is also used for the Google Chrome sync feature. Whenever you receive a Google Drive link accessible from a different account, you need to switch to that account. To do so, open drive. You will be signed in with the default account.

Click on the profile picture at the top-right corner of the Drive screen. Your Google accounts will show up. Click on the one that you want to switch to. A new window will open where you are logged in with your second Google account. If you close the window and open the Google Drive website again, you will be logged in with the default account. Repeat the steps to switch the Google account in Drive.

Then try to download files with only one account registered in Chrome. Do you use ad blocker extensions on your browser? Disable any ad blocker or recently downloaded third-party extensions. That should fix the issue. Similarly, if you are using an antivirus on your computer, disable it temporarily. See if you can download files from Google Drive.

Sometimes, the issue is with a particular browser only. First, update the browser. As good as it is, being a Google service, it is only natural that you face some hiccups while using any other browser other than Google Chrome. After doing some research, I got to know that it is a fairly common problem.

The issue is not with Google per se, but with Microsoft Edge blocking relevant cookies. However, if you or some other extension changed the cookie settings, you may be blocking essential cookies.

If Google Drive cannot place cookies, you will not be able to download files.