Why is Google Drive not downloading documents
One of the problems when using Drive is that sometimes we find that we cannot download documents. We try to download one that we have shared with another user, but we find some kind of error that prevents it. This can happen for different reasons, as we will see.
A common one is that there is some conflict with some extension that we have installed. For example if we have recently installed a plugin in Chrome and it does not work well, this could lead to errors. It can even happen with an extension that has been installed for a long time.
Another problem may be your own browser. It is usually due to having an outdated version. It can also happen that there is a corrupt file and that this prevents it from working as it should and, among other things, does not allow us to download documents from Drive.
On the other hand, the malware it can also affect the operation of the browser. More specifically, adware usually affects, which can be search bars that appear in the browser, annoying pop-up advertising, etc. This happens if, for example, we have clicked on a malicious link that downloads an add-on to us.
Even a simple configuration error in Chrome could also be interfering with the downloads, in addition to an antivirus or firewall that we have installed and that can block it when it detects a false positive.
How to fix problems downloading documents in Drive
After explaining what are the main causes that can cause Google Drive not to download documents correctly, we are going to show what we can do to solve it. A series of steps that will solve the problem depending on the cause that caused it.
Check that the browser is up to date
The first thing to do is verify that the browser is up to date. In case we use an older version, it is important that we update it as soon as possible. It may be the cause of this problem, but it could also be the entry of computer attacks.
Google Chrome updates automatically, but sometimes there can be problems with those changes not being applied. To do it manually we have to go to the menu, enter Help and Google Chrome Information. It will show us what version we have and if there is an update or not.
Review installed extensions
Also important check plugins that we have installed in Chrome and see if any have a problem. This is another common cause for us not being able to download Google Docs. They conflict with the program and it doesn’t work as it should.
In this case we have to go to the menu and enter More tools and Extensions. All the ones we have installed will appear there. We can easily disable them. For example, we can do this if we have recently added one and we suspect that it is having problems.
Enable multiple downloads
In this case the problem is a bad Chrome configuration. We can easily change it and enable multiple downloads, which is an option that the browser brings. We have to go to the menu at the top right, Settings, Security and privacy, Site settings, click on Additional permissions, Automatic downloads and there make sure that the option of Sites can request permission to download multiple files automatically is checked.
Additionally, we must also check that Google Drive is not added to the list of services that cannot be downloaded. It would appear at the bottom, right where we have seen the option that they can request permissions to download files.
Remove malware
Could the browser have adware? This occurs when downloading programs from unsafe sources, clicking on a malicious link, or the like. We may be installing something without realizing it and that puts our security at risk and affects the operation of the program.
What we are going to do is a complete analysis of the system and this also includes the browser. See if there are any malicious files that prevent it from working properly, something we have installed, etc.
See if any security program interferes
Although it is important to have security programs, such as a antivirus Like Windows Defender or Avast, the truth is that sometimes they can create problems. This happens especially if we have more than one installed and it generates conflict. Therefore, what we are going to do is see if any of these tools may be interfering.
We can simply test it disabling the antivirus or firewall momentarily and try to download documents from Google Drive. If in this way we can do it without problems, we already know what the cause is. Maybe we should configure the antivirus and make sure that it is not blocking just that service or downloads in general.
Our advice is not to use more than one antivirus on your computer. It is a mistake to believe that by having several installed we will be more protected. On the contrary, there may be the negative effect that they generate conflicts between them and we cannot correctly navigate or download files.
Try incognito mode
If all this has not helped and we continue with the same problem, a way to verify that it is not a configuration failure and before reinstalling the browser, we can test the incognito mode. This will automatically disable the extensions for that new window.
In case we still see that there are still problems for download documents from Google Drive, we can try to completely reinstall Google Chrome. Our advice is to delete all the files and make sure that the installation is completely clean.
An alternative to Chrome will always be to use any other browser, such as Firefox or Edge. We can also prove this if we encounter errors of this type and we do not really know what could have happened.
Ultimately, if you have trouble downloading documents from Google Drive in your browser, these steps can be helpful. Normally it will occur due to a conflict between the browser and some extension or antivirus that we have, but it could also be due to a failure with the program itself. We can take these recommendations into account and see if in this way we can download Google Docs without problems.
