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Have you ever gone to download a file from Google Drive, only to be prevented from doing so? Occasionally I'll make a change to my browser privacy settings, only to find it can no longer download the files I need. It's frustrating because I know it's going to happen when I make the change; I just forget how sensitive Google Drive is to such issues.

Also: How to download YouTube videos for free, plus two other methods

What's the problem? Cookies.

How do you fix the problem? It's easy. I'll demonstrate on a Chromium-based browser, which is based on Chrome, because Chrome is the most widely-used browser on the planet. 

Also: 5 ways Arc browser makes browsing the web fun again

If you use a browser that is not based on Chrome, the basic idea will apply and you shouldn't have any problem translating the fix to your browser of choice.

How to fix the Google Drive download issue

What you need:In order to solve this issue, the only things you'll need are a valid Google account and a Chromium-based browser (such as Sidekick, Opera, Vivaldi, Arc, and Edge). That's it. Let's fix this problem.

1. Open your browser

The first thing to do is open your browser of choice. Of course, if you're reading this, your browser is already open -- so you're already one step ahead of the game.

2. Open Settings

Click the three-dot menu button in the upper right corner and select Settings from the resulting menu. If you're using a browser other than Chrome, the process for accessing the Settings app might be different. For example, opening Arc settings is done from the Arc menu in MacOS.

Accessing Settings from within a Chromium-based browser.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen

3. Go to Privacy & Security

Chances are, if you suddenly can't download files from Google Drive, something was changed in your Privacy & Security settings. For me, I configured my browser to block third-party cookies. 

Also: How to organize your Google Drive with these 5 tips 

If you did the same thing, you can (and should) keep blocking those third-party cookies. However, what you need to do is add an exception for Google Drive.

You should block third-party cookies on your browser, even if it causes problems like this.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen

4. Add an exception for Google Drive

In Settings > "Privacy and security" scroll down until you see "Sites allowed to use third-party cookies" and click Add. In the resulting popup, type drive.google.com in the Site field, click the checkbox for Including third-party cookies on this site, and click Add. Once you've taken care of that, close the Settings tab.

Adding an exception to the third-party cookie blocking policy.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen

If you find any other sites that are not behaving as expected (after you've set your browser to block third-party cookies), add an exception for that address and it should go back to functioning as normal. 

Also: How to disconnect apps from Google Drive

Although this can be a hassle, it's better to block third-party cookies and make exceptions as needed in order to better protect your privacy.

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