Question 1

What is FolderPal?

Accepted Answer

FolderPal is a Google Drive automation tool that creates repeatable folder and file structures from reusable templates. Instead of manually recreating the same folders for every client, project, event, or workflow, you can build a template once and generate it in Drive whenever you need it.

Question 2

Can FolderPal copy an entire Google Drive folder structure?

Accepted Answer

Yes, including nested folders and the files inside them. To copy a folder once, use a single folder copy — pick the folder, pick where it goes, no setup required. To create the same structure again and again, save it as a template and generate it whenever you need it. Google Drive currently does not have the ability to copy nested folders in the web app.

Question 3

How do Google Drive folder templates work?

Accepted Answer

You design a template using a folder tree editor, adding folders, subfolders, and files in the structure you want. The template is a blueprint for your desired structure. When you generate from the template, FolderPal creates the full structure in your chosen Google Drive destination. You can create templates from scratch or import an existing Drive folder.

Question 4

Can I customize folder and file names?

Accepted Answer

Yes. FolderPal supports custom merge field variables such as {{client_name}}, {{project_code}}, or {{date}}. These placeholders apply to any number of folder and file names in your entire folder tree, letting you tailor your folders exactly as you want them to appear. FolderPal also removes "Copy of…" prefixes and "(1)" suffixes automatically, so you don't waste time renaming files after duplication.

Question 5

What types of files can FolderPal copy?

Accepted Answer

FolderPal supports native Google file creation, including Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as duplicating binary files like .pdf, .txt, and virtually every file format you’re able to store on Google Drive. Files are linked in templates by ID. The file must exist in Drive for file copy operations to succeed as we do not store the file itself.

Question 6

Can I copy files as shortcuts instead of duplicating them?

Accepted Answer

Yes, FolderPal lets you specify which files should be created as shortcuts in a template. When you generate a new folder, those files will be shortcuts to the original file. File shortcuts are handy when you want to conserve space in your Drive or have a single source-of-truth.

Question 7

Are there file size limits when copying files?

Accepted Answer

Yes. There is a 500MB copy limit for an individual file and a 5GB total size limit per template. If you need to include larger files, you can copy them as shortcuts instead, which point to the original file and have no size limit.

Question 8

Can I import an existing Google Drive folder as a template?

Accepted Answer

Yes. FolderPal can import an existing Drive folder structure so you can turn a real workflow into a reusable template instead of rebuilding it manually from scratch.

Question 9

Can I add sharing permissions when creating new folders?

Accepted Answer

FolderPal lets you share folders to specified users, allowing you to set their role and whether they should be notified. You can set sharing rules per-template, such as with your team, or per-generation, for new audiences. You can also import existing sharing permissions from an existing folder in Google Drive. Note that this only imports explicit permissions on that folder; inherited permissions from a parent folder are not carried over.

Question 10

Can FolderPal generate folders in Shared Drives?

Accepted Answer

Yes. FolderPal supports both My Drive and Shared Drives, so teams can generate folder structures in the Drive locations where they already work.

Question 11

How is FolderPal billed?

Accepted Answer

FolderPal plans are charged per workspace. Currently each workspace supports a single user. If you need collaboration or a shared team workspace, contact us and we’ll help you set it up.

Question 12

What happens if a large folder generation job fails?

Accepted Answer

Failed jobs can be reviewed, debugged, and retried. When a folder only succeeds partially, you can retry the partial generation and FolderPal will resume progress for that folder, picking up where it left off. No more broken or hanging folder structures. We do not use Google Apps Scripts. Scripts can be flaky and unreliable for larger jobs, and when things go wrong there’s zero visibility.

Question 13

How does FolderPal respect Google’s API limits?

Accepted Answer

We handle all the Google Drive API limits behind-the-scenes. FolderPal uses a queue-based generation engine that ensures rate-limiting, retries, timeouts, and preserves per-item progress. Folder generations are set up with rate limiting, backoffs, and throughput management to ensure reliability for larger jobs or power users.

Question 14

Can I track previous folder generations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. FolderPal includes a generation history page where you can review past jobs, filter by status, inspect item-level results, and open the created Google Drive folder.

Question 15

Is FolderPal secure?

Accepted Answer

FolderPal uses Google OAuth to connect to Drive, encrypted token storage, and workspace-level access controls. It has also been independently assessed at Assurance Level 1 (AL1, previously Tier 2) against the App Defense Alliance CASA security framework by an authorized CASA lab, and is revalidated annually. The app is designed so users can connect their Drive account, generate folder structures, and manage access through their own Google Workspace environment. Users may revoke access at any time.

Question 16

Does FolderPal store my files?

Accepted Answer

FolderPal does not store any of your files or folders on any database. Files are referenced by ID and labels only. We also do not perform any destructive actions or edit any existing files in your Drive. The primary workflow simply reads your structure and creates new items.

Question 17

What auth scopes does FolderPal require?

Accepted Answer

FolderPal requests the following permission scopes: openid, email, profile, and drive. The drive scope is required for querying nested folders and files. FolderPal only uses this permission to read and create new folders and files, never delete or modify. Because drive is a restricted scope, FolderPal also completes the App Defense Alliance CASA security assessment required by Google, and is currently verified at Assurance Level 1 (AL1, previously Tier 2). You may revoke granted permissions at any time.

Frequently asked questions