Frequently asked questions

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.

Yes. FolderPal can generate a full folder hierarchy, including nested folders and files, from a saved template. It is designed for repeatable structures like client onboarding folders, project kickoff folders, monthly reporting folders, event folders, and team workflows. Google Drive currently does not have the ability to copy nested folders in the web app.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

FolderPal uses a queue-based generation engine that handles all the creation logic for you. It ensures rate-limiting, retries, timeouts, and per-item progress is preserved for resiliency. Failed jobs can be reviewed, debugged, and retried. 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.

We handle all the Google Drive API limits behind-the-scenes. Folder generations are set up with rate limiting, backoffs, and throughput management to ensure reliability for larger jobs or power users.

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.

FolderPal uses Google OAuth to connect to Drive, encrypted token storage, and workspace-level access controls. 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.

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.

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. You may revoke granted permissions at any time.