• API documentation
• Query documentation
• Python Regular Expressions Sub function
• Definitions
• Copy files and folders
  • Copy Permissions
  • Copy content of My Drive to a Shared Drive
  • Copy content of a Shared Drive to another Shared Drive
• Move files and folders
  • Simple moves by changing parents
  • Move with ownership change
  • Complex moves
  • Move content of a Shared Drive to another Shared Drive

• https://developers.google.com/drive/api/v3/reference/files
• https://support.google.com/a/answer/7374057
• https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/7338880

• <DriveFileEntity>
• <UserTypeEntity>

<CorporaAttribute> ::= allteamdrives|domain|onlyteamdrives|user
<DomainName> ::= <String>(.<String>)+
<DomainNameList> ::= "<DomainName>(,<DomainName>)*"
<EmailAddress> ::= <String>@<DomainName>
<UniqueID> ::= id:<String>
<UserItem> ::= <EmailAddress>|<UniqueID>|<String>

<DriveFileParentAttribute> ::=
        (parentid <DriveFolderID>)|
        (parentname <DriveFolderName>)|
        (anyownerparentname <DriveFolderName>)|
        (teamdriveparentid <DriveFolderID>)|
        (teamdriveparent <SharedDriveName>)|
        (teamdriveparentid <SharedDriveID> teamdriveparentname <DriveFolderName>)|
        (teamdriveparent <SharedDriveName> teamdriveparentname <DriveFolderName>)

<DriveFileCopyAttribute> ::=
        (contentrestrictions readonly false)|
        (contentrestrictions readonly true [reason <String>])|
        (copyrequireswriterpermission [<Boolean>])|
        (description <String>)|
        ignoredefaultvisibility|
        (keeprevisionforever|pinned)|
        (lastviewedbyme <Time>)|
        (modifieddate|modifiedtime <Time>)|
        (mimetype <MimeType>)|
        (ocrlanguage <Language>)|
        (privateproperty <PropertyKey> <PropertyValue>)|
        (publicproperty <PropertyKey> <PropertyValue>)|
        (property <PropertyKey> <PropertyValue> [private|public])|
        (viewerscancopycontent [<Boolean>])|
        (writerscanshare|writerscantshare [<Boolean>])

gam <UserTypeEntity> copy drivefile <DriveFileEntity>
        [newfilename <DriveFileName>] (replacefilename <RegularExpression> <String>)*
        [newfilename <DriveFileName>] [stripnameprefix <String>]
        [excludetrashed]
        [(csv [todrive <ToDriveAttribute>*] (addcsvdata <FieldName> <String>)*) |
         (returnidonly|returnlinkonly)]
        [summary [<Boolean>]] [showpermissionmessages [<Boolean>]]
        [<DriveFileParentAttribute>]
        [mergewithparent [<Boolean>]] [recursive [depth <Number>]]
        <DriveFileCopyAttribute>*
        [skipids <DriveFileEntity>]
        [copysubfiles [<Boolean>]] [filenamematchpattern <RegularExpression>]
             [filemimetype [not] <MimeTypeList>]
        [copysubfilesownedby any|me|others]
        [copysubfolders [<Boolean>]] [foldernamematchpattern <RegularExpression>]
        [copysubshortcuts [<Boolean>]] [shortcutnamematchpattern <RegularExpression>]
        [duplicatefiles overwriteolder|overwriteall|duplicatename|uniquename|skip]
        [duplicatefolders merge|duplicatename|uniquename|skip]
        [copiedshortcutspointtocopiedfiles [<Boolean>]]
        [copyfilepermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copyfileinheritedpermissions [<Boolean>]
        [copyfilenoninheritedpermissions [<Boolean>]
        [copymergewithparentfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copymergedtopfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copytopfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copytopfolderinheritedpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions never|always|syncallfolders|syncupdatedfolders]
        [copymergedsubfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copysubfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copysubfolderinheritedpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions never|always|syncallfolders|syncupdatedfolders]
        [copysheetprotectedranges [<Boolean>]]
        [copysheetprotectedrangesinheritedpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copysheetprotectedrangesnoninheritedpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [excludepermissionsfromdomains|includepermissionsfromdomains <DomainNameList>]
        (mappermissionsdomain <DomainName> <DomainName>)*
        [sendemailifrequired [<Boolean>]]
        [verifyorganizer [<Boolean>]]

The files/folders specified by <DriveFileEntity> are referred to as source, target refers to where those files are being copied. The files/folders specified by <DriveFileEntity> are referred to as top; when a folder is being copied recursively, the files/folders that it contains are referred as sub.

At its simplest, you copy files/folders by giving the copy a new name and parent location.

By default, files/folders in the Trash are copied; use excludetrashed to prevent these files/folders from being copied.

When a copy operation involves a Shared Drive, GAM verifies that the user is an organizer. Unfortunatley, this fails when the user is not a direct organizer but is a member of a group that is an organizer. Specifying verifyorganizer false suppresses the verification.

When copying folders, you have three modes of operation:

This is the default mode.

Use the recursive option to enable this mode. The depth <Number> argument controls which files or folders within the top folder are copied.

• depth -1 - all files and folders in the top folder and below are copied; this is the default.
• depth 0 - the files or folders in the top folder are copied, no descendants of folders are copied.
• depth N - the files and folders within the top folder and those files and folders N levels below the top folder are copied.

Use the recursive and mergewithparent options to enable this mode. The depth <Number> argument controls which files or folders within the top folder are copied.

• depth -1 - all files and folders in the top folder and below are copied; this is the default.
• depth 0 - the files or folders in the top folder are copied, no descendants of folders are copied.
• depth N - the files and folders within the top folder and those files and folders N levels below the top folder are copied.

• skipids <DriveFileEntity> - Do not copy files/folders with the specified IDs.

You can specify whether sub files, folders and shortcuts are copied. If sub folders are not copied, their contents are not copied.

• copysubfiles false - Sub files are not copied
• copysubfiles [true] - Sub files are copied; this is the default
• copysubfolders false - Sub folders are not copied
• copysubfolders [true] - Sub folders are copied; this is the default
• copysubshortcuts false - Sub shortcuts are not copied
• copysubshortcuts [true] - Sub shortcuts are copied; this is the default

By default, GAM displays a message referencing files and folders not selected for copying by the options above.

• suppressnotselectedmessages false - Do not suppress these messages; this is the default
• suppressnotselectedmessages [true] - Suppress these messages

You can specify restrictions on the MIME types to be copied.

• filemimetypes <MimeTypeList> - Copy sub files with the specified MIME types
• filemimetypes not <MimeTypeList> - Copy sub files with MIME types other than those specified

You can specify <RegularExpression> patterns that limit the items copied based on their name.

• filenamematchpattern <RegularExpression> - Only files whose name matches <RegularExpression> are copied
• foldernamematchpattern <RegularExpression> - Only folders whose name matches <RegularExpression> are copied
• shortcutnamematchpattern <RegularExpression> - Only shortcuts whose name matches <RegularExpression> are copied

• copysubfilesownedby any - All files, regardless of ownership, are copied.
• copysubfilesownedby me - Only files owned by <UserTypeEntity> are copied.
• copysubfilesownedby others - Only files not owned by <UserTypeEntity> are copied.

• newfilename <DriveFileName> - The copied file/folder will be named <DriveFileName>
  • If stripnameprefix <String> is specified, <String> will be stripped from the front of <DriveFileName>
• If you don't specify a new name, the copy will be named "Copy of <ExistingName>" if you're copying the file/folder into the source folder, otherwise the file/folder will retain its current name.

Wnen copying a folder structure, use replacefilename <RegularExpression> <String> to update file/folder names within the structure; this might be used when copying a template folder structure and the file/folder names are updated to reflect some characteristic of the target. You can use multiple replacefilename <RegularExpression> <String> options for complex name mapping.

• copy drivefile name "Top Folder" parentid root recursive newfilename "NewCustomer Folder" replacefilename Template NewCustomer - "Top Folder" is copied as "NewCustomer Folder" and "Template" is replaced by "NewCustomer" in all copied sub files and folders
• copy drivefile name "Template Folder" parentid root recursive replacefilename Template NewCustomer - "Template" is replaced by "NewCustomer" in the copied top folder and in all copied sub files and folders

• parentid <DriveFolderID> - The target folder is identified by <DriveFolderID> which must be writable by <UserTypeEntity>.
• parentname <DriveFolderName> - A search is performed for a folder named <DriveFolderName> owned by <UserTypeEntity>.
• anyownerparentname <DriveFolderName> - A search is performed for a folder named <DriveFolderName> owned by any user but must be writable by <UserTypeEntity>.
• teamdriveparentid <DriveFolderID> - Shared Drive folder ID; when used alone, this indicates a specific Shared Drive folder.
• teamdriveparent <SharedDriveName> - Shared Drive name; when used alone, this indicates the root level of the Shared Drive.
• teamdriveparentid <SharedDriveID> teamdriveparentname <DriveFolderName> - A Shared Drive ID and a folder name on that Shared Drive.
• teamdriveparent <SharedDriveName> teamdriveparentname <DriveFolderName> - A Shared Drive name and a folder name on that Shared Drive.
• If none of the parent options are specified, the copied file/folder will be located in the source folder.

When copying files, these options control the action GAM takes when a target file has the same name and MIME type as the source file:

• duplicatefiles overwriteolder - If the target file has an older modifiedDate than the source file, it will be deleted and replaced by the source file; otherwise no copy will be made; this is the default action.
• duplicatefiles overwriteall - The target file will be deleted and replaced by the source file.
• duplicatefiles duplicatename - The source file will be copied to a duplicate named target file.
• duplicatefiles uniquename - The source file will be copied to the target file after adding (N) to the base of the file name.
• duplicatefiles skip - No copy will be made.

When copying folders, these options control the action GAM takes when a target folder has the same name as the source folder:

• duplicatefolders merge - The contents of the source folder will be merged with the contents of the target folder; this is the default action.
• duplicatefolders duplicatename - The source folder will be copied to a duplicate named target folder.
• duplicatefolders uniquename - The source file will be copied to the target file after adding (N) to the base of the file name.
• duplicatefolders skip - No copy will be made.

No existing parents are copied for source top/sub files/folders.

When a file appears more that once in the copy, the first time the file is processed, it is copied. If it is processed again (because of multiple parents within the source folder structure), a shortcut is created that points to the first copy.

In previous versions, copying shortcuts caused an error because shortcuts can't be copied, they must be re-created.

If a shortcut in the source structure points to a file/folder that is not in the source structure:

• The shortcut is re-created to point to the original file/folder.

If a shortcut in the source structure points to a file/folder that is in the source structure:

• copiedshortcutspointtocopiedfiles omitted or copiedshortcutspointtocopiedfiles true - The shortcut is re-created to point to the copied file/folder.
• copiedshortcutspointtocopiedfiles false - The shortcut is re-created to point to the original file/folder.

These options will generate an error; they were removed in 6.23.00:

• copytopfileparents, copytopfolderparents copysubfileparents and copysubfolderparents.

When a file is copied, its permissions are not copied; these options control copying permissions for files. For options of the form option [<Boolean>]; if <Boolean> is omitted, true is assumed.

When copied, a target file inherits the permissions of its parent folder; this option controls whether GAM copies the existing source file permissions:

• copyfilepermissions false - The permissions of the source top/sub file are not copied to the target file; this is the default action.
• copyfilepermissions true - The permissions of the source top/sub file are copied to the target file

When copyfilepermissions is true, this option controls whether GAM copies inherited source file permissions; this only applies to source files on a Shared Drive.

• copyfileinheritedpermissions false - The inherited permissions of the source file are not copied to the target file
• copyfileinheritedpermissions true - The inherited permissions of the source file are copied to the target file; this is the default action.

When copyfilepermissions is true, this option controls whether GAM copies non-inherited source file permissions; this only applies to source files on a Shared Drive.

• copyfilenoninheritedpermissions false - The non-inherited permissions of the source file are not copied to the target file
• copyfilenoninheritedpermissions true - The non-inherited permissions of the source file are copied to the target file; this is the default action.

When a folder is copied, its permissions are not copied; these options control copying permissions for folders. For options of the form option [<Boolean>]; if <Boolean> is omitted, true is assumed.

When copied, a target folder inherits the permissions of its parent folder; these options control whether/how GAM copies the existing source folder permissions; The default values of options introduced in version 6.14.00 are set to match the behavior of earlier versions.

When mergewithparent is true:

• copymergewithparentfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source top folder are not not copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copymergewithparentfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder.

When mergewithparent is false, duplicatefolders is merge and the top folder is a duplicate:

• copymergedtopfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source top folder are not not copied to the target folder.
• copymergedtopfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.

When duplicatefolders is merge and a sub folder is a duplicate:

• copymergedsubfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source sub folder are not not copied to the target folder.
• copymergedsubfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source sub folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.

When duplicatefolders is duplicatename or uniquename and a top/sub folder is not a duplicate:

• copytopfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copytopfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source top folder are not not copied to the target folder.
• copysubfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source sub folders are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copysubfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source sub folders are not not copied to the target folder.

When copying folder permissions, this option controls whether GAM copies inherited source folder permissions; this only applies to source folders on a Shared Drive.

• copytopfolderinheritedpermissions false - The inherited permissions of the source top folder are not copied to the target folder.
• copytopfolderinheritedpermissions true - The inherited permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copysubfolderinheritedpermissions false - The inherited permissions of the source sub folder are not copied to the target folder.
• copysubfolderinheritedpermissions true - The inherited permissions of the source sub folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.

When copying folder permissions on a merged top/source folder, these options control whether GAM copies non-inherited source folder permissions.

• copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions never - The non-inherited permissions of the source top folder are not copied to the target folder.
• copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions always - The non-inherited permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncallfolders - The non-inherited permissions of the source top folder are synced with the target folder. This requires additional API calls.
• copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncupdatedfolders - The non-inherited permissions of the source top folder are synced with the target folder if the modifiedTime of the source folder is greater than the modifiedtime of the target folder. This requires additional API calls.
• copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions never - The non-inherited permissions of the source sub folder are not copied to the target folder.
• copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions always - The non-inherited permissions of the source sub folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncallfolders - The non-inherited permissions of the source sub folder are synced with the target folder. This requires additional API calls.
• copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncupdatedfolders - The non-inherited permissions of the source sub folder are synced with the target folder if the modifiedTime of the source folder is greater than the modifiedtime of the target folder. This requires additional API calls.

When syncallfolders or syncupdatedfoders is specified:

• A permission on the source folder has been removed since the last copy; it will be removed from the target folder.
• A permission role on the source folder has been changed since the last copy; it will be updated on the target folder.
• A permission expiration time on the source folder has been added/changed/removed since the last copy; it will be added/changed/removed on the target folder.

When excludepermissionsfromdomains <DomainNameList> is specified, any ACL that references a domain in <DomainNameList> will not be copied.

When includepermissionsfromdomains <DomainNameList> is specified, only ACLs that reference a domain in <DomainNameList> will be copied.

When mappermissionsdomain <DomainName> <DomainName> is specified, any ACL that references the first <DomainName> will be modified to reference the second <DomainName> when copied; the original ACL is not modified. The option can be repeated if multiple domain names are to me mapped.

When copying an ACL that references a non Google account, an error is generated unless an email is sent to the account; by default, no email notifications are sent. The sendemailifrequired options instructs GAM to send an email notification in this case.

In versions before 6.03.17, when attempting to copy ACLs, GAM would report any errors; some errors were generated when an attempt was made to inappropriately copy an ACL. Now, GAM will not attempt to copy ACLs unless they are appropriate. When showpermissionmessages is specified GAM will display messages about ACLs not copied, ACLs that were copied and any remaining copy errors.

When the Drive API copies a Google Sheet, the protected ranges within the sheet are not copied. If any of the following options are true, the protected ranges of the source file are copied to the target file.

• copysheetprotectedranges false - The protected ranges of the source file are not copied to the target file; this is the default action.
• copysheetprotectedranges true - The protected ranges and all permissions of the source file are copied to the target file.
• copysheetprotectedrangesinheritedpermissions false - The inherited permissions of the source file are not copied to the target file.
• copysheetprotectedrangesinheritedpermissions true - The protected ranges and inherited permissions of the source file are copied to the target file.
• copysheetprotectedrangesnoninheritedpermissions false - The non-inherited permissions of the source file are not copied to the target file.
• copysheetprotectedrangesnoninheritedpermissions true - The protected ranges and non-inherited permissions of the source file are copied to the target file.

Use the summary option to get a two-line summary of the actions performed.

By default, the user, file name, copied file name and id values are displayed on stdout.

• returnidonly - Display just the file ID of the copied file as output
• returnlinkonly - Display just the file webViewLink of the copied file as output

When copying folders, the option is only useful when copying a folder without recursion.

To retrieve the file ID with returnidonly:

Linux/MacOS
fileId=$(gam user user@domain.com copy drivefile <DriveFileEntity> ... returnidonly)
Windows PowerShell
$fileId = & gam user user@domain.com copy drivefile <DriveFileEntity> ... returnidonly

The file ID will only be valid when the return code of the command is 0; program accordingly.

Alternatively, you can direct the output to a CSV file:

• csv [todrive <ToDriveAttribute>*] - Write user, file name and id, copied file name and id and mimetype values to a CSV file.
  • addcsvdata <FieldName> <String> - Add additional columns of data from the command line to the output

This is most useful when copying a folder with recursion.

The user specified in <UserTypeEntity> must be an organizer/manager of the Shared Drive.

Read Copy Permissions and set permission options as desired in the commands below. To only use the permissions from the Shared Drive, specify:

• copytopfolderpermissions false
• copysubfolderpermissions false
• copyfilepermissions false

Specify the target location on the Shared Drive, either the ID of the Shared Drive itself or a folder on the Shared Drive.

Files/folders in root of My Drive will be merged into <DriveFolderID>

gam user user@domain.com copy drivefile root recursive teamdriveparentid <DriveFolderID> mergewithparent true

Files/folders in root of My Drive will be in a new folder named My Drive created in <DriveFolderID>

gam user user@domain.com copy drivefile root recursive teamdriveparentid <DriveFolderID> mergewithparent false

Files/folders in root of My Drive will be in a new folder named <String> created in <DriveFolderID>

gam user user@domain.com copy drivefile root recursive teamdriveparentid <SharedDriveID> mergewithparent false newfilename <String>

Suppose you have a source Shared Drive called 0AC_1AB with multiple files and folders, and want to copy all of its content to the target Shared Drive 0AE_9ZX.

The following command will copy the content, files and folders inside the source drive recursively, and put them in the target drive.

The example is assuming that the target drive is empty.

• Inherited folder permissions are not copied as they will be automatically generated.
• Inherited file permissions are not copied as they will be automatically generated.
• Non-inherited top folder (the source drive) permissions are copied.
• Non-inherited sub folder permissions are copied.
• Non-inherited file permissions are copied.

gam user user@domain.com copy drivefile teamdriveid 0AC_1AB teamdriveparentid 0AE_9ZX mergewithparent recursive
        copymergewithparentfolderpermissions true
        copytopfolderinheritedpermissions false
        copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions always
        copysubfolderinheritedpermissions false
        copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions always
        copyfilepermissions true
        copyfileinheritedpermissions false
        copyfilenoninheritedpermissions true

Suppose that the source drive has been updated and you want to refresh the target drive.

• Inherited folder permissions are not copied as they will be automatically generated.
• Inherited file permissions are not copied as they will be automatically generated.
• Non-inherited top folder (the source drive) permissions are copied
• Non-inherited sub folder permissions are copied if the source folder has a later modifiedTime that the target folder
• Non-inherited file permissions are copied.
• Files and folders that have been deleted from the source drive will remain on the target drive

gam user user@domain.com copy drivefile teamdriveid 0AC_1AB teamdriveparentid 0AE_9ZX mergewithparent recursive
        copymergewithparentfolderpermissions true
        copytopfolderinheritedpermissions false
        copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncallfolders
        copysubfolderinheritedpermissions false
        copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncupdatedfolders
        copyfilepermissions true
        copyfileinheritedpermissions false
        copyfilenoninheritedpermissions true

Use this command in the following cases:

• Move a file or folder from one location to another on My Drive
• Move a file or folder from one location to another on a Shared Drive
• Move a file from My Drive to a Shared Drive
• Move a file or folder from a Shared Drive to My Drive
• Move a file or folder from a location on a Shared Drive to a location on a different Shared Drive (see notes below)

gam <UserTypeEntity> update drivefile <DriveFileEntity> <DriveFileParentAttribute>

All file/folder IDs are preserved, there is no processing of permissions.

Now, moving content by just changing the parent is also possible to a completely other drive, even in another Workspace account, but there are some very specific requirements.

1. In Drive Sharing settings of the source domain in the root OU you must allow Anyone to move files/folders outside of a Shared Drive (#5). That's because the root OU holds the settings for all SDs.

2. The destination user must be a Manager of both the source (external) SD and the destination SD.

3. The destination user must be allowed to move folders to SDs in the destination domain. That's accomplished by assigning a delegated admin role with that right in the destination domain, or make sure the user is in an OU where migrating files/folders to Shared Drives is allowed.

To transfer ownership of a file/folder and place it in a specific folder on the new owner's My Drive, do:

gam <UserTypeEntity> transfer ownership <DriveFileEntity> <UserItem> 
        [<DriveFileParentAttribute>] norecursion

See: https://github.com/taers232c/GAMADV-XTD3/wiki/Users-Drive-Ownership#transfer-ownership-of-files-that-a-source-user-owns-to-a-target-user

You must use this command when moving between My Drive and Shared Drives. When moving folders, the folder structure on the source drive is recreated on the target drive; this results in new folder IDs.

Files in the trash can't be moved between My Drive and Shared Drives; an error message will be generated for these files.

gam <UserTypeEntity> move drivefile <DriveFileEntity> [newfilename <DriveFileName>]
        [summary [<Boolean>]] [showpermissionmessages [<Boolean>]]
        [<DriveFileParentAttribute>]
        [mergewithparent|mergewithparentretain [<Boolean>]]
        [createshortcutsfornonmovablefiles [<Boolean>]]
        [duplicatefiles overwriteolder|overwriteall|duplicatename|uniquename|skip]
        [duplicatefolders merge|duplicatename|uniquename|skip]
        [copymergewithparentfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copymergedtopfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copytopfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copytopfolderinheritedpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions never|always|syncallfolders|syncupdatedfolders]
        [copymergedsubfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copysubfolderpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copysubfolderinheritedpermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions never|always|syncallfolders|syncupdatedfolders]
        [excludepermissionsfromdomains|includepermissionsfromdomains <DomainNameList>]
        (mappermissionsdomain <DomainName> <DomainName>)*
        [updatefilepermissions [<Boolean>]]
        [retainsourcefolders [<Boolean>]]
        [sendemailifrequired [<Boolean>]]
        [verifyorganizer [<Boolean>]]

The files/folders specified by <DriveFileEntity> are referred to as source, target refers to where those files are being moved. The files/folders specified by <DriveFileEntity> are referred to as top; when a folder is being moved, the files/folders that it contains are referred as sub.

At its simplest, you move files/folders by giving them a new name and parent location.

When a move operation involves a Shared Drive, GAM verifies that the user is an organizer. Unfortunatley, this fails when the user is not a direct organizer but is a member of a group that is an organizer. Specifying verifyorganizer false suppresses the verification.

When moving folders, you have two modes of operation:

This is the default mode.

• mergewithparent [<Boolean>] - If <Boolean> is True or not specified, the top folder is deleted after its sub files/folders are moved
• mergewithparentretain [<Boolean>] - If <Boolean> is True or not specified, the top folder is retained after its sub files/folders are moved

• newfilename <DriveFileName> - The target file/folder will be named <DriveFileName>
• If you don't specify a new name, the target file/folder will be named "Copy of <ExistingName>" if you're moving the file/folder into the source folder, otherwise the file/folder will retain its current name.

• parentid <DriveFolderID> - The target folder is identified by <DriveFolderID> which must be writable by <UserTypeEntity>.
• parentname <DriveFolderName> - A search is performed for a folder named <DriveFolderName> owned by <UserTypeEntity>.
• anyownerparentname <DriveFolderName> - A search is performed for a folder named <DriveFolderName> owned by any user but must be writable by <UserTypeEntity>.
• teamdriveparentid <DriveFolderID> - Shared Drive folder ID; when used alone, this indicates a specific Shared Drive folder.
• teamdriveparent <SharedDriveName> - Shared Drive name; when used alone, this indicates the root level of the Shared Drive.
• teamdriveparentid <SharedDriveID> teamdriveparentname <DriveFolderName> - A Shared Drive ID and a folder name on that Shared Drive.
• teamdriveparent <SharedDriveName> teamdriveparentname <DriveFolderName> - A Shared Drive name and a folder name on that Shared Drive.
• If none of the parent options are specified, the moved file/folder will be located in the source folder.

When moving files, these options control the action GAM takes when a target file has the same name and MIME type as the source file:

• duplicatefiles overwriteolder - If the target file has an older modifiedDate than the source file, it will be deleted and replaced by the source file; otherwise no move will be made; this is the default action.
• duplicatefiles overwriteall - The target file will be deleted and replaced by the source file.
• duplicatefiles duplicatename - The source file will be moved to a duplicate named target file.
• duplicatefiles uniquename - The source file will be moved to the target folder after adding (N) to the base of the file name.
• duplicatefiles skip - No move will be made.

When moving folders, these options control the action GAM takes when a target folder has the same name as the source folder:

• duplicatefolders merge - The contents of the source folder will be merged with the contents of the target folder; this is the default action.
• duplicatefolders duplicatename - The source folder will be moved to a duplicate named target folder.
• duplicatefolders uniquename - The source file will be moved to the target folder after adding (N) to the base of the file name.
• duplicatefolders skip - No move will be made.

By default, an error message is generated when a non-movable file is encountered. A common reason for this is for files owned by users outside of your domain.

The option createshortcutsfornonmovablefiles [<Boolean>] controls what happens in this situation:

• createshortcutsfornonmovablefiles omitted or createshortcutsfornonmovablefiles false - No shortcuts are created and an error message is given explaining why the file can't be moved.
• createshortcutsfornonmovablefiles true - A shortcut is created that points to the non-movable file.

Replace domain.com with your domain.

gam config auto_batch_min 1 csv_output_row_filter "owners.0.emailAddress:notregex:@domain.com$" csv_output_header_drop_filter "^owners$,^paths$" redirect csv ./ExternallyOwnedFiles.csv multiprocess redirect stdout - multiprocess redirect stderr stdout all users print filelist select mydrive_with_orphans showownedby others fields id,name,owners.emailaddress filepath

No existing parents are copied for source top/sub files/folders.

The following options will generate an error; they were removed in 6.23.00:

• copysubfileparents and copysubfolderparents.

When a folder is moved by recreating it, its permissions are not copied; these options control copying permissions for folders.

For options of the form option [<Boolean>]; if <Boolean> is omitted, true is assumed.

When recreated, a target folder inherits the permissions of its parent folder; these options control whether/how GAM copies the existing source folder permissions; The default values of options introduced in version 6.14.00 are set to match the behavior of earlier versions.

When mergewithparent is true:

• copymergewithparentfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source top folder are not not copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copymergewithparentfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder.

When mergewithparent is false, duplicatefolders is merge and the top folder is a duplicate:

• copymergedtopfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source top folder are not not copied to the target folder.
• copymergedtopfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.

When duplicatefolders is merge and a sub folder is a duplicate:

• copymergedsubfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source sub folder are not not copied to the target folder.
• copymergedsubfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source sub folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.

When duplicatefolders is duplicatename or uniquename and a top/sub folder is not a duplicate:

• copytopfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copytopfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source top folder are not not copied to the target folder.
• copysubfolderpermissions true - The permissions of the source sub folders are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copysubfolderpermissions false - The permissions of the source sub folders are not not copied to the target folder.

When copying folder permissions, this option controls whether GAM copies inherited source folder permissions; this only applies to source folders on a Shared Drive.

• copytopfolderinheritedpermissions false - The inherited permissions of the source top folder are not copied to the target folder.
• copytopfolderinheritedpermissions true - The inherited permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copysubfolderinheritedpermissions false - The inherited permissions of the source sub folder are not copied to the target folder.
• copysubfolderinheritedpermissions true - The inherited permissions of the source sub folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.

When copying folder permissions on a merged top/source folder, these options control whether GAM copies non-inherited source folder permissions.

• copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions never - The non-inherited permissions of the source top folder are not copied to the target folder.
• copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions always - The non-inherited permissions of the source top folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncallfolders - The non-inherited permissions of the source top folder are synced with the target folder. This requires additional API calls.
• copytopfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncupdatedfolders - The non-inherited permissions of the source top folder are synced with the target folder if the modifiedTime of the source folder is greater than the modifiedtime of the target folder. This requires additional API calls.
• copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions never - The non-inherited permissions of the source sub folder are not copied to the target folder.
• copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions always - The non-inherited permissions of the source sub folder are copied to the target folder; this is the default action.
• copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncallfolders - The non-inherited permissions of the source sub folder are synced with the target folder. This requires additional API calls.
• copysubfoldernoninheritedpermissions syncupdatedfolders - The non-inherited permissions of the source sub folder are synced with the target folder if the modifiedTime of the source folder is greater than the modifiedtime of the target folder. This requires additional API calls.

When syncallfolders or syncupdatedfoders is specified:

• A permission on the source folder has been removed since the last copy; it will be removed from the target folder.
• A permission role on the source folder has been changed since the last copy; it will be updated on the target folder.
• A permission expiration time on the source folder has been added/changed/removed since the last copy; it will be added/changed/removed on the target folder.

When excludepermissionsfromdomains <DomainNameList> is specified, any ACL that references a domain in <DomainNameList> will not be copied.

When includepermissionsfromdomains <DomainNameList> is specified, only ACLs that reference a domain in <DomainNameList> will be copied.

When mappermissionsdomain <DomainName> <DomainName> is specified, any ACL that references the first <DomainName> will be modified to reference the second <DomainName> when copied; the original ACL is not modified. The option can be repeated if multiple domain names are to me mapped.

When copying an ACL that references a non Google account, an error is generated unless an email is sent to the account; by default, no email notifications are sent. The sendemailifrequired options instructs GAM to send an email notification in this case.

In versions before 6.03.17, when attempting to copy ACLs, GAM would report any errors; some errors were generated when an attempt was made to inappropriately copy an ACL. Now, GAM will not attempt to copy ACLs unless they are appropriate. When showpermissionmessages is specified GAM will display messages about ACLs not copied, ACLs that were copied and any remaining copy errors.

By default, the permissions of a moved file are not modified.

When excludepermissionsfromdomains <DomainNameList> is specified, any ACL that references a domain in <DomainNameList> will be removed.

When includepermissionsfromdomains <DomainNameList> is specified, any ACLs that references a domain not in <DomainNameList> will be removed.

When mappermissionsdomain <DomainName> <DomainName> is specified, any ACL that references the first <DomainName> will be removed; a new ACL with the same properties referencing the second <DomainName> will be created. The option can be repeated if multiple domain names are to me mapped.

When creating an ACL that references a non Google account, an error is generated unless an email is sent to the account; by default, no email notifications are sent. The sendemailifrequired options instructs GAM to send an email notification in this case.

Any ACL that references a deleted group/user will be removed.

The ACLs are updated on the file before it is moved.

Use the summary option to get a two-line summary of the actions performed.

When moving a folder you can use the retainsourcefolders option to cause GAM to retain the top folder and its sub folders while moving the sub files to the target folder; this is typically used with duplicatefolders merge

Moving a Drive folder to a Shared Drive is not directly supported by the API; GAM has to make a copy of the folder on the Shared Drive and recursively adjust the files/folders within it to point to the new parent folder. Once the original folder is emptied, it is deleted unless retainsourcefolders is specified.

Suppose you have a source Shared Drive with ID 0AC_1AB with multiple files and folders, and want to move all of its content to the target Shared Drive with ID 0AE_9ZX.

The following command will change the parents of the top level files and folders from 0AC_1AB to 0AE_9ZX; the sub files and folders will move along with their top level folder.

• No permissions are processed.

gam user user@domain.com move drivefile teamdriveid 0AC_1AB teamdriveparentid 0AE_9ZX mergewithparent 

If you want the source Shared Drive with ID 0AC_1AB to be contained in a top level folder of the target Shared Drive with ID 0AE_9ZX, omit the mergewithparent argument.

gam user user@domain.com move drivefile teamdriveid 0AC_1AB teamdriveparentid 0AE_9ZX