Google Drive is one of the leading cloud storage services. Many people use it to securely store data on the cloud for easy access or to sync files with a device for backup. Many people also widely use it to share info with others quickly.
When sharing a video with Google Drive, the recipient can't download the shared content if the owner doesn't allow the recipient to download it. An error message stating, "Sorry, the owner hasn't given you permission to download the file" appears if you attempt to download the video from Google Drive without permission.
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Can You Download View-Only Video from Google Drive
The short answer is: Not directly — unless the owner grants permission. When someone shares a Google Drive video with "View only" access, certain restrictions are automatically applied:
- The Download, Copy, and Print options are disabled.
- You cannot save the file to your own Drive.
- Google Drive prevents common download shortcuts via right-click or browser menus.
Therefore, it's not allowed to download Google Drive video without permission, especially for copyrighted, private, or sensitive content. In the following sections, we'll walk you through legal and ethical ways to download or save view-only Google Drive videos — or access similar content without download option.
Important Legal Reminder
Before using any of the methods above to download video from Google Drive that cannot be downloaded, please keep the following in mind:
- Respect the content owner's settings: Some videos are set to "view-only" for privacy, licensing, or copyright reasons. Always consider the original uploader's intention.
- Check usage rights: If the video is educational or shared within an organization (e.g., a classroom), confirm that you're allowed to make a personal copy for offline reference.
- Avoid distributing without consent: Downloading a video for personal use is different from redistributing it — never share or re-upload protected content.
- When in doubt, ask for permission: Reaching out to the video owner is often the best and most respectful way to get the access you need.
This guide is intended for educational and personal use only, especially in cases where users need offline access to legitimately shared content.
Method 1. Ask the Owner to Enable Downloads
If you have access to a view-only video on Google Drive, the simplest and most respectful way to download it is to request permission directly from the owner. This is especially common in educational or workplace scenarios, where content is meant to be shared but download settings may be restricted by default.
Google Drive allows file owners to restrict downloads to prevent redistribution or unauthorized use. However, if you're a legitimate viewer (such as a student, employee, or collaborator), the owner may be willing to grant download access on request.
To request download access:
Step 1. Open the Google Drive video link in your browser.
Step 2. Click the "View Details" ( ⓘ ) icon in the top-right corner to see file info and owner.
Step 3. Note the owner's name and email address.
Step 4. You can leave a comment to apply for the download permission if the file allows commenting, or send an email to the file owner with a polite request.
Method 2. Check Browser Cache with Developer Tools
When you view a video on Drive, some browsers cache parts of it. A set of web developer tools built directly into the Google Chrome browser. You can easily access the cache files and download videos from Google Drive without permission using the Inspect developer tool, even if you are not a website developer. This is not guaranteed and works best with short videos.
✅Here is how it works:
Step 1. Open your Chrome browser. Copy and paste the Google Drive share URL of the video to the URL address bar and load the page.
![paste the shared video url to chrome browser]()
Step 2. Press Command + Shift + C on Mac or Ctrl + Shift + C on PC to open Developer Console. Click the video to play.
![open chrome developer console]()
Step 3. Go to the Network tab at the top of the Developer Console.
Step 4. Locate the Filter box at the top-left corner of the Developer Console and type in "videoplayback".
![find the video url]()
Step 5. Double-click any one of the found URLs, and a new window containing the video will open.
Step 6. Click on the three-dot menu option on the video. Then, select the Download option and save the restricted video to your device.
![download video from google drive without permission via inspect element]()
More Info When Using Developer Tools:
- When you locate the video URL, you may need to modify it to access the actual video file. For example, you need to remove the parameters starting with &range or &s at the end.
- Sometimes, there are 2 videoplayback URLs. Typically, the URL above is for the video, and the one below is for the audio. You need to download both of them and merge them using other tools like ffmpeg (it may produce a very large merged file up to several GB, please ensure you have enough storage space).
Method 3. Using an Online Google Drive Video Downloader Extension
Many Google Drive video downloaders are available, but some fail to detect the videos on Google Drive, and some are only accessible to paid users. Video Downloader PLUS was tested and proven to be an advisable solution for downloading videos from Google Drive. It is free and very easy to use.
✅Follow the instructions to download a video from Google Drive:
Step 1. Search for and find the Video Downloader PLUS Chrome Extension.
![google video downloader chrome extension]()
Step 2. Click the Add to Chrome > Add extension and pin this extension.
Step 3. Play the view-only video from your Google Drive.
Step 4. Click the extension icon, agree to the terms of use, and the video downloader will list all detected videos on Google Drive.
![download video from google drive without permission via a downloader]()
Step 5. Locate the video you want to download with denied permission and click the Download button.
More Info When Using Video Downloader PLUS:
- Although it is texted workable, the extension may not work reliably with all videos, especially those encrypted with view-only restrictions or DRM-protected ones. Success depends on whether the extension can detect and access the video streams. If the owner has disabled link sharing, attempts may fail or be restricted.
Extra Part: How to Download Videos from Online Public Websites
Using a reliable and secure tool is essential if you're looking to download videos from public platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and more. That's where EaseUS Video Downloader comes in. EaseUS Video Downloader is a user-friendly desktop app that lets you download videos from many popular websites for offline viewing, content backup, or personal archiving. It supports high-resolution downloads up to 8K, and even allows bulk downloads, audio extraction, and video playback (built-in video player).
![easeus video downloader]()
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✅ Note: This tool is designed for downloading videos from publicly accessible pages. It should not be used to download private or copyrighted content without permission.
🚀 Key Features
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🚀 Why Choose EaseUS Video Downloader:
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- Transcription and Summary: Double-click the downloaded video to use the AI player for subtitle translation and video summary, perfect for lecture audio or videos.
Conclusion
Downloading view-only videos from Google Drive without permission isn't always straightforward. These restrictions exist to protect the rights and intentions of content owners, whether for privacy, copyright, or security.
In most cases, the best approach is to contact the file owner directly and ask for download access. It's the legal, respectful, and recommended method. If that's not possible, there are limited workarounds — but they should only be used for personal reference, and never to share or distribute protected content.
For videos that are publicly accessible online, such as those on YouTube, Facebook, or TikTok, you can rely on tools like EaseUS Video Downloader to safely and easily download content for offline use.
Tool You Might Need
Download Any Video in High Quality, Anytime
Download publicly available videos from YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more for personal use.
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FAQs on Download View-Only Shared Video from Google Drive
This FAQs section offers more information on downloading videos from Google Drive. Check them out.
1. How do you download files from Google Drive if permission is denied?
The best way is to contact the owner to give you permission to download the files. You will have more options to manage the files once you have full permission.
2. Can you download a video from someone else's Google Drive?
Yes, you can download a video from another user's Google Drive if he or she shares the video with you and grants you the download permission.
3. Can you download a video from Google Drive with view only?
You cannot directly download a video from Google Drive with view-only permission. You either need to use Chrome Inspect Dev Tool or a professional video downloader to bypass the permission restriction.
