You click a shared Google Drive link, hit Download, and get a wall instead of a file: “Sorry, you can’t view or download this file at this time. Too many users have viewed or downloaded this file recently.” Some people see it worded as “Download quota is exceeded for this file, so you can’t download it at this time.” Either way, the file is right there and Drive won’t hand it over.
The good news is that this is usually not about you. Google’s own help page explains it as a temporary limit on a popular file. But a file can also refuse to download for two other reasons that look similar: the owner has switched off downloading, or something in your browser is blocking Drive. The fix depends on which one you’ve hit, so start by working out which case you’re in.
Tell which case you’re in
Read the exact message, then match it to the list below.
- “Too many users have viewed or downloaded this file recently” (or “Download quota is exceeded”) → the file is popular and Drive has put a temporary hold on it. See the sections for downloaders and owners below.
- No error, but there is simply no Download option, or download and print are greyed out → the owner has restricted downloading for viewers and commenters. Google Drive Help says that if you can’t download a file, the owner may have disabled the options to print, download or copy.
- The download starts and fails, or nothing happens when you click Download, on files that aren’t widely shared → more likely a browser issue (extensions or blocked cookies).
What Google says causes the quota error
Google Drive Help states that this error “occurs when a file receives high view or download volume over a short period.” In plain terms, the link has been passed around, lots of people opened or downloaded it at about the same time, and Drive has paused further access to that file for a while.
Google does not publish the number of views or downloads that trips the limit, and it does not publish a file size at which it kicks in. Any figure you see quoted on other sites is a guess. What Google does say is that the restriction is temporary and “typically resets within 24 hours.”
Because the cause is the traffic on the file, switching browsers or devices is not something Google lists as a fix for this message.
If you’re trying to download: make your own copy
Google’s help page gives one official workaround for this exact error. You need to be signed in to a Google account, and the steps are written for Google Drive on a computer.
- On your computer, open Google Drive.
- Go to Shared with me and find the file.
- Right-click the file and select Make a copy.
- Open My Drive to find the copied file.
- Right-click the new copy and select Download.
If you don’t see Make a copy at all, the owner may have turned off copying for people in your role, which Google says owners can do. In that case your options are to wait for the hold to lift, usually within a day according to Google, or to ask the owner to share it another way.
If you’re not in a hurry, simply trying again later is a legitimate fix. Google describes the block as temporary, so the original link should work again once it resets.
If downloads fail for other reasons: check your browser
When there is no quota message and downloads still fail, Google Drive Help suggests two browser checks.
- Turn off all extensions and try to download again.
- Allow third-party cookies for Drive. Google says blocking third-party cookies in Chrome will prevent you from downloading through Google Drive. In Chrome, enter chrome://settings/cookies in the address bar, find Sites allowed to use third-party cookies, click Add, enter drive.google.com and click Add again. Also check Sites that can never use cookies and remove any entries for googleusercontent.com, drive.google.com or google.com.
If you own the file: share it so it doesn’t get locked
If your file keeps getting this error, it means more people want it than a single public Drive link handles comfortably. Google’s help page gives owners two specific suggestions.
First, share access directly with specific people or Google Groups rather than using a public link. A link that anyone can open is the kind that ends up posted in group chats and forums, which is exactly how a file gets a burst of traffic. To tighten an existing link, open Share, go to General access, click the down arrow, choose Restricted and click Done. Google says that when general access is Restricted, only people with access can open the file, so you then add the people or groups who need it.
Second, Google recommends using Google Cloud Storage or a dedicated hosting service for large files such as ZIP archives, media files or installers. If you are distributing a download to an audience, rather than collaborating on a document with a few people, Drive is not the tool Google suggests for it.
While you’re in the sharing settings, it is worth checking that you haven’t blocked downloads by accident. In the Share dialog, click Settings at the top right and look under People who can download, copy, and print. If the boxes for viewers and commenters are unchecked, those people won’t be able to download or use Make a copy, which removes the official workaround for them as well.
What doesn’t work
There is no setting the owner can flip to reset the quota early, and Google doesn’t offer a way to request a higher limit for a single file on its help page. The official options are the ones above: wait for the restriction to reset, make a copy, or change how the file is shared.
You will also find plenty of “bypass” tricks on other sites, such as bundling the file with others or using third-party download tools. None of these come from Google, some were written for older versions of Drive, and they are not needed when Make a copy works.
Another way to share a file with many people
If you regularly hand out files to an audience, OneSol’s Send lets you share files by link up to 5 GB, and the same free OneSol page can hold one link to all your profiles and a form that doesn’t make people sign in. It is one alternative to a public Drive link, not a replacement for Drive itself.