Using Google Drive on Arch Linux - KDE Plasma

NOTE: i’ve been told that problems exist with KDE, in general - not just KDE Plasma. so, if you’re having trouble getting Google Drive to work with Dolphin, these steps may just work anyway

also

i got this info from Reddit but can’t find the links - sorry about that

initial steps #

first, install kio-gdrive

the following command is to install kio-gdrive on Arch Linux. i use CachyOS in particular but any pacman OS works

obviously, you can install kio-gdrive on other GNU/Linux operating systems

sudo pacman -S kio-gdrive

the problem is that simply installing kio-gdrive doesn’t work at all with KDE

however

it works just fine with GNOME

so, before you go to System Settings, Networking, Oneline Accounts, and add Google

do this first:

kate /usr/share/accounts/providers/kde/google.provider

delete all the contents (every line) and copy and paste this XML doc instead:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<provider id="google">
  <name>Google</name>

  <description>GNOME-ID, Google Drive and YouTube</description>
  <icon>im-google</icon>
  <translations>kaccounts-providers</translations>
  <domains>.*google\.com</domains>

  <template>
    <group name="auth">
      <setting name="method">oauth2</setting>
      <setting name="mechanism">web_server</setting>
      <group name="oauth2">
        <group name="web_server">
          <setting name="Host">accounts.google.com</setting>
          <setting name="AuthPath">o/oauth2/auth?access_type=offline&amp;approval_prompt=force</setting>
          <setting name="TokenPath">o/oauth2/token</setting>
          <setting name="RedirectUri">http://localhost/oauth2callback</setting>

          <setting name="ResponseType">code</setting>
          <setting type="as" name="Scope">[
              'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.email',
              'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.profile',
              'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar',
              'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/tasks',
              'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive'
          ]</setting>
          <setting type="as" name="AllowedSchemes">['https']</setting>
          <setting name="ClientId">44438659992-7kgjeitenc16ssihbtdjbgguch7ju55s.apps.googleusercontent.com</setting>
          <setting name="ClientSecret">-gMLuQyDiI0XrQS_vx_mhuYF</setting>
          <setting type="b" name="ForceClientAuthViaRequestBody">true</setting>
        </group>
      </group>
    </group>
  </template>
</provider>

of course, be sure and save the file - it will prompt you for your sudo password and save the file just fine

next steps #

now, go into System Settings

under the Networking section on the left

select Online Accounts

on the upper, right, click + Add Account and choose Google

it should look like

notice it says GNOME and not KDE

enter your Gmail account address and password on the next screens. i use Passkeys, so it’s a bit different for me, but still works

once you’re logged in and given GNOME all the settings, Dolphin will just work, as-is

in Network, Google Drive, of course

and, obviously, you can pin it as well

conclusion #

yes, it’s a bit of work - but very doable

the file, above, is also available for you to just download and use as is - it’s exactly the same as above

File: google.provider

md5sum: a65ed15fb05cb710409434d5f6b87171

September 25, 2025

by Sarah Rogue

GNU/Linux