Copy Folder Structure Without Files in Google Drive

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Created on June 07, 2026

Description

Why?

Google Drive desktop lets you copy full folders—contents and all. But what if you only want to copy the folder names (not the files) from one drive location to another? Maybe you're reusing a folder structure or duplicating a template structure, but without this workflow each copy will hold different content. This n8n workflow helps you clone just the structure—no clutter, no file duplicates.

How it works

Load this workflow into your n8n instance
Setup GDRIVE credentials if you have not already (see video below)
Double-click "edit this node"
Enter the SOURCE folder ID (into "EDIT_THIS_NODE") - see image on where to get folder ID
Enter the DESTINATION folder ID
Run the workflow

What it does

Creates all new folders in destination that were in the source folder
Skips folders in destination that already exist

What it doesn't do (yet)

Does not copy over any nested folders
Does not copy over any files

Requirements
n8n
Google drive API must be setup in your n8n (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ai1EPznlAc)
Future Updates

If I get requests for these features I would build them:

Copy nested folder structure within the destination drive.
Flag (on/off) - to copy nested folder structure
Better error handling
Some kind of feedback output log on what was created

Nodes Used (2)

Code
n8n-nodes-base.code
Google Drive
n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive