Google Drive

Last updated: October 8, 2026

New: Our Google Drive integration now supports Shared Drives!

The Iris Google Drive Integration allows you to allows you to upload documents from Google Drive into your Knowledge Map in Iris

Two ways to connect Google Drive

Iris can connect to Google Drive in one of two ways. Both let Iris read and sync your files — the difference is who connects and how hands-off it stays over time.

1. Personal connection (per-user)

Each person signs in with their own Google account and picks the files or folders to share with Iris. Iris only ever sees what that person already has access to.

  • Best for: individuals and smaller teams who want to be up and running in a couple of clicks.

    Note: Because it's tied to each person's Google sign-in, syncing can quietly stop if that sign-in expires, a password changes, or the person leaves your organization. If files stop updating, just remove the sync rule and add it again to reconnect. We'll let you know if nothing has synced in over 20 days so you can check it over.

2. Organization connection (Service Account)

An admin connects Google Drive once for the whole organization using a Google "service account." From then on, syncing runs on its own — it doesn't depend on any one person staying signed in, so it keeps working even as people join or leave.

  • Best for: larger teams, or anyone who wants reliable, set-and-forget syncing across the whole org.

    Note: Your Google Workspace admin needs to set it up, and you'll choose a Workspace account for Iris to sync as (it needs access to the files you want synced). Turning on an organization connection replaces any personal Google connections for your org. Previously synced folders stay synced.

Which should you choose?

If it's...

You should pick

Just you or a small team, you want to add files fast

Personal connection

Whole organization, want reliability that survives people coming and going

Organization connection (Service Account)

Personal connection (per-user) Integration Steps

  1. From the Iris integrations page, locate the Google Drive module.

  2. Ensure both the Google Drive and Google Spreadsheet Addon toggles are turned on and click Connect

  3. Sign in with your Google account.

  4. Grant Iris the following permissions:

    1. See and download all your Google Drive files.

    2. See, edit, create, and delete all your Google Sheets spreadsheets.

  5. Click Allow to complete the connection.

Note: The integration only adds files into the knowledge map when executed by the user. No data is referenced continuously.

Organization connection (per-user) Integration Steps

  1. Access Google Cloud Console: Go to Google Cloud Console and sign in with your administrator account. Select or create the relevant project.

  2. Create the Service Account:

    • Open the navigation menu (≡) and go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.

    • Click + Create Service Account at the top.

    • Enter a name (e.g., Iris Drive Sync) and description, then click Create and Continue.

    • (Optional) Assign any required project-level roles or click Done.

  3. Generate & Download the JSON Key File:

    • In the Service Accounts table, click on the newly created service account email.

    • Navigate to the Keys tab at the top.

    • Click Add Key > Create new key.

    • Select JSON as the key type and click Create.

    • Where to find it: The .json file will immediately download to your computer's Downloads folder (or your browser's default download directory).

  4. Upload the file to the Iris Google Drive Integration (linked here) and select Connect Service Account