--- title: "Google Drive import: clip shared videos without re-uploading" canonical: "https://blitzreels.com/changelog/from-google-drive-to-your-next-clip" --- # Google Drive import: clip shared videos without re-uploading Milestone: 2026-06-10 Article published: 2026-09-26 Status: Product update Paste a Google Drive file link that anyone can open and BlitzReels pulls the video into your workspace for transcription, clip suggestions and editing. ![The Google Drive icon linked by an arrow to the BlitzReels icon.](https://blitzreels.com/images/changelog/from-google-drive-to-your-next-clip.jpg) ## Raw footage usually sits in Drive first Links from YouTube, TikTok or Instagram work for videos that are already out. A lot of footage gets edited before it’s published anywhere: you record, drop the files in a shared Google Drive folder, and whoever edits downloads them, then uploads them to the editor again. A long 1080p recording can weigh several gigabytes, and it makes that trip twice. On June 10, 2026 we added Google Drive file links to the clip page. A recording nobody has published yet can become your next clip without passing through anyone’s computer. It sits in the same field as the [YouTube link import](https://blitzreels.com/changelog/start-with-a-youtube-link) and the TikTok, Instagram, X and Facebook links the page already took, so there’s nothing new to learn. ## How to import a Drive video 1. In Google Drive, open the file’s sharing settings and set general access so anyone with the link can view it. 2. Copy the file link. It looks like drive.google.com/file/d/ followed by the file ID. 3. Click “Clip a long video” in BlitzReels and paste the link. The page recognizes it as a Google Drive video. 4. Generate clips. BlitzReels copies the file into your workspace, transcribes it and runs it through the same clip flow as an upload. If the import fails, check the sharing setting first. The file has to open for someone who isn’t signed in to your Google account. ## What you get - The file goes from Drive to BlitzReels directly, with no download on your side and no second upload. - Drive imports accept MP4, MOV, M4V and WebM videos up to 20 GB. - Paste the same Drive link again and BlitzReels reuses the video it already imported instead of creating a duplicate. - Transcription, [clip suggestions](https://blitzreels.com/changelog/long-videos-short-stories), captions and framing work the same way they do for a file you upload. ## Who it’s for Teams and [agencies](https://blitzreels.com/use-cases/agencies) are the obvious fit. The person recording drops footage into a shared folder, and the person editing pastes the links without filling up their own hard drive. It also suits [podcast and interview clips](https://blitzreels.com/use-cases/clips) when a guest or a remote producer sends the raw recording through Drive. Solo creators get something out of it too. If you record on one device and edit on another, put the file in Drive from the first and paste the link from the second. A typical week could look like this: you record three episodes on Monday, drop them in a shared folder and send the file links to your editor. They paste each link on the clip page, generate clips and send back the best ones, and the raw files never land on their laptop. ## Limits This import works one file at a time, from a link anyone can open. - Private files aren’t supported. BlitzReels doesn’t connect to your Google account, so it can’t open a file shared only with specific people. - Folder links don’t import their contents, and there’s no folder sync that picks up new recordings automatically. - Each user can start up to 10 Drive imports per hour. - On a trial, Drive links count toward the same import allowance as uploads and other links. From the terminal, blitzreels media import-google-drive with --url runs the same import, and the public API has a matching endpoint. The [CLI documentation](https://blitzreels.com/docs/cli) covers setup and sign-in. ## Questions ### Can BlitzReels import a private Google Drive video? No. The file has to be shared so that anyone with the link can view it, because BlitzReels doesn’t sign in to your Google account. ### Can I import a whole Google Drive folder? No. Paste one file link at a time. Folder links and automatic folder sync aren’t supported. ### Which files does Google Drive import accept? MP4, MOV, M4V and WebM videos up to 20 GB, shared so that anyone with the link can view them. ### Do I need to download the video from Drive before importing it? No. BlitzReels fetches the file from Drive itself, so you skip the download and the second upload. ### Can I import Google Drive files from the CLI or API? Yes. The CLI command blitzreels media import-google-drive takes a shared file link, and the public API has a matching Google Drive import endpoint. ## Put a shared recording to work Share the Drive file with anyone who has the link, then paste it on the clip page. [Import from Google Drive](https://blitzreels.com/clipping) We wrote this story later, looking back at our product history. The date at the top marks the work described here; features and access may have changed since then.