How to setup google drive api to upload files from laravel?

1. Create a Shared Drive

In Google Drive (Workspace), create a Shared drive (e.g., “App Uploads”).

2. Add the service account as a member

Add [email protected] to that Shared Drive with at least Content manager.

3. Put your target folder inside that Shared Drive

Create (or pick) a folder inside the shared drive and copy its folder ID.

4. Use the service account JSON and upload into that shared drive folder

Key points:

Authenticate with the service account JSON (not client_id/secret/refresh_token).

Set supportsAllDrives => true.

Parent folder must be in the shared drive.

use Google\Client;
use Google\Service\Drive;
use Google\Service\Drive\DriveFile;

$client = new Client();
$client->setAuthConfig(storage_path('app/google/service-account.json'));
$client->addScope(Drive::DRIVE);

$drive = new Drive($client);

$folderIdInSharedDrive = config('drive.parent_folder_id'); // must be a folder inside the Shared Drive

$fileMetadata = new DriveFile([
    'name' => 'test.pdf',
    'parents' => [$folderIdInSharedDrive],
]);

$content = file_get_contents(storage_path('1770402265.shivam-resume (1).pdf'));

$file = $drive->files->create($fileMetadata, [
    'data' => $content,
    'mimeType' => 'application/pdf',
    'uploadType' => 'multipart',
    'supportsAllDrives' => true,
]);

return $file->id;

If you also search/create subfolders, include shared-drive flags there too (you already have supportsAllDrives => true). When listing folders in shared drives, you often also need:

includeItemsFromAllDrives => true

corpora => 'drive'

driveId => '{SHARED_DRIVE_ID}'

Shared drives are explicitly the recommended path for service accounts JSYK.

so your code should be looking like this

<?php

namespace App\Services;

use Google\Client;
use Google\Service\Drive;
use Google\Service\Drive\DriveFile;

class GoogleDriveService
{
    protected Drive $drive;
    protected string $parentFolderId;
    protected string $sharedDriveId;

    public function __construct()
    {
        $client = new Client();
        $client->setAuthConfig(storage_path('app/google/service-account.json'));
        $client->addScope(Drive::DRIVE);

        $this->drive = new Drive($client);

        $this->parentFolderId = config('drive.parent_folder_id');
        $this->sharedDriveId = config('drive.shared_drive_id');
    }

    /**
     * Upload a file into a subfolder based on the config mapping
     */
    public function uploadByPosition(string $filePath, string $fileName, string $position): array
    {
        $folderMap = config('drive.position_folders', []);
        $folderName = $folderMap[$position] ?? $position;

        $subFolderId = $this->getOrCreateSubFolder($folderName);

        $fileMetadata = new DriveFile([
            'name' => $fileName,
            'parents' => [$subFolderId],
        ]);

        $content = file_get_contents($filePath);

        $file = $this->drive->files->create($fileMetadata, [
            'data' => $content,
            'mimeType' => mime_content_type($filePath),
            'uploadType' => 'multipart',
            'supportsAllDrives' => true,
        ]);

        return [
            'subfolder' => $folderName,
            'file_id' => $file->id,
            'preview_url' => $this->getFileUrl($file->id),
        ];
    }

    /**
     * Simple upload (no position/subfolder logic)
     */
    public function upload(string $filePath, string $fileName): string
    {
        $fileMetadata = new DriveFile([
            'name' => $fileName,
            'parents' => [$this->parentFolderId],
        ]);

        $content = file_get_contents($filePath);

        $file = $this->drive->files->create($fileMetadata, [
            'data' => $content,
            'mimeType' => mime_content_type($filePath),
            'uploadType' => 'multipart',
            'supportsAllDrives' => true,
        ]);

        return $file->id;
    }

    /**
     * Get or create a subfolder under parent
     */
    protected function getOrCreateSubFolder(string $folderName): string
    {
        $response = $this->drive->files->listFiles([
            'q' => "name='{$folderName}' and mimeType='application/vnd.google-apps.folder' and '{$this->parentFolderId}' in parents and trashed=false",
            'spaces' => 'drive',
            'fields' => 'files(id, name)',
            'supportsAllDrives' => true,
            'includeItemsFromAllDrives' => true,
            'corpora' => 'drive',
            'driveId' => $this->sharedDriveId,
        ]);

        if (count($response->files) > 0) {
            return $response->files[0]->id;
        }

        $folderMetadata = new DriveFile([
            'name' => $folderName,
            'mimeType' => 'application/vnd.google-apps.folder',
            'parents' => [$this->parentFolderId],
        ]);

        $folder = $this->drive->files->create($folderMetadata, [
            'fields' => 'id',
            'supportsAllDrives' => true,
        ]);

        return $folder->id;
    }

    /**
     * Generate a preview URL for Google Drive
     */
    public function getFileUrl(string $fileId): string
    {
        return "https://drive.google.com/file/d/{$fileId}/view";
    }
}

and your config

<?php

return [
    'shared_drive_id'  => env('GOOGLE_SHARED_DRIVE_ID'),   // ID of the Shared Drive itself
    'parent_folder_id' => env('GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID'),   // ID of a folder inside that Shared Drive

    'position_folders' => [
        'developer'  => 'Developer Resumes',
        'designer'   => 'Designer Resumes',
        'manager'    => 'Manager Resumes',
        // add more mappings as needed
    ],
];