Standard Query Parameters

Query parameters that apply to all Drive API operations are shown in the table below.

Notes (on API keys and auth tokens):

  1. The key parameter is required with every request, unless you provide an OAuth 2.0 token with the request.
  2. You must send an authorization token with every request that requires an OAuth scope. OAuth 2.0 is the only supported authorization protocol.
  3. You can provide an OAuth 2.0 token with any request in one of two ways:
    • Using the access_token query parameter like this: ?access_token=oauth2-token
    • Using the HTTP Authorization header like this: Authorization: Bearer oauth2-token

All parameters are optional except where noted.

Parameter Meaning Notes
access_token OAuth 2.0 token for the current user.
callback Callback function.
  • Name of the JavaScript callback function that handles the response.
  • Used in JavaScript JSON-P requests.
fields Selector specifying a subset of fields to include in the response.
  • For more information, see the partial response section in the Performance Tips document.
  • Use for better performance.
key API key. (REQUIRED*)
  • *Required unless you provide an OAuth 2.0 token.
  • Your API key identifies your project and provides you with API access, quota, and reports.
  • Obtain your project's API key from the Google API Console.
prettyPrint

Returns response with indentations and line breaks.
  • Returns the response in a human-readable format if true.
  • Default value: true.
  • When this is false, it can reduce the response payload size, which might lead to better performance in some environments.
quotaUser Alternative to userIp.
  • Lets you enforce per-user quotas from a server-side application even in cases when the user's IP address is unknown. This can occur, for example, with applications that run cron jobs on App Engine on a user's behalf.
  • You can choose any arbitrary string that uniquely identifies a user, but it is limited to 40 characters.
  • Overrides userIp if both are provided.
  • Learn more about Capping API usage.
userIp IP address of the end user for whom the API call is being made.
  • Lets you enforce per-user quotas when calling the API from a server-side application.
  • Learn more about Capping API usage.