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Auto file organizer for Google Drive: sort PDFs, images & documents by type

Workflow preview

Auto file organizer for Google Drive: sort PDFs, images & documents by type preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

This workflow is provided as-is. Please review and test before using in production.

Overview

Description:

This ready-to-deploy n8n automation template smartly detects and classifies files uploaded to a specified Google Drive folder based on MIME type. It automatically moves each file into its correct destination folder: Documents, PDFs, or Images β€” ensuring a clean and organized Drive, effortlessly.

Perfect for remote teams, admins, educators, legal pros, and automation-focused operations, this workflow eliminates manual sorting and saves hours of repetitive work.

What This Template Does (Step-by-Step)

βš™οΈManual Trigger: Launch the workflow on demand using the "Execute Workflow" trigger.

πŸ“ Search Files in Source Folder (Google Drive): Lists all files inside your chosen folder (e.g., "Uploads").

πŸ” Loop Over Files (SplitInBatches): Iterates through each file one-by-one to ensure reliability.

πŸ“₯ Download File (Google Drive): Retrieves file metadata and MIME type required for filtering.

🧠 Smart File Type Detection via If Nodes

  • application/json β†’ Move to Documents folder
  • application/pdf β†’ Move to PDFs folder
  • image/jpeg β†’ Move to Images folder (Easily customizable to support additional types like PNG, DOCX, etc.)

πŸ“‚ Move Files to Designated Folders: Uses Google Drive API to relocate each file to its proper location.

πŸ” Loop Returns for Next File After each move, the loop picks the next file in queue.

Key Features

βš™οΈ Google Drive API v3 Integration πŸ” OAuth2 for secure access πŸ“„ MIME-type–based routing logic πŸ” Batch-safe with looping logic βœ… File properties are preserved πŸ”„ Auto-removal from source after sorting

Required Integration Google Drive (OAuth2)

Use Cases

  • Auto-organize client uploads
  • Separate scanned PDFs, images, or forms
  • Route invoices, receipts, or contracts into folders
  • Automatically sort uploaded assignments or resources
  • Maintain structured cloud storage without manual intervention

Why Use This Template?

βœ… No-code deployment βœ… Saves hours of manual work βœ… Works across teams, departments, or shared Drives βœ… Easy to expand with more file types or routing rules βœ… Keeps your Drive clean, fast, and organized