You’re building a Make.com scenario. You’ve got a Google Drive URL from a form submission, a webhook, or a spreadsheet row. But the Google Drive API doesn’t want the full URL—it wants just the document ID.
So now you’re stuck trying to parse this: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a2B3c4D5e6F7g8H9i0J/edit?usp=sharing
Into this: 1a2B3c4D5e6F7g8H9i0J
If you’ve ever tried to do this with a manual text formula or a fragile “split” operation, you know it’s frustrating. Google’s URLs aren’t consistent—sometimes it’s /d/, sometimes it’s /folders/, sometimes it’s ?id=.
Here’s the good news: I’ve built a simple, reusable Make.com utility that handles all of this for you. One module call, instant results, and it works for Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Folders.
Let’s break down exactly how it works and how you can start using it today.
Why You Need This in Your Automation Toolkit
Google Drive is everywhere in automation workflows. But here’s the catch: most Google Drive modules in Make.com need the document ID, not the full URL.
This comes up constantly when you’re:
- Processing form submissions that include Google Drive links
- Working with spreadsheets that contain document URLs
- Building approval workflows where users share Drive links
- Syncing data between apps that reference Drive files differently
- Have folder URLs saved in your project management system (because that is what humans read and click)
Without a clean way to extract the ID, you’re left cobbling together Text Parser modules, hoping your regex pattern catches every edge case.
The solution? A dedicated “callable scenario” or “child scenario” that does one job brilliantly: take any Google Drive URL and return the clean ID.
Think of it as a specialised tool in your automation toolkit. Instead of rebuilding the same logic in every scenario, you call this utility whenever you need it.
How the “Google ID Extractor” Works
This utility is beautifully simple: three modules, one regex pattern, zero headaches.
Step 1: The Trigger (Start a subscenario)
The first module is “Start a subscenario”. This makes the scenario callable from other workflows.
It defines one input:
- Name:
URL - Type: Text
- Required: Yes
Any scenario that calls this utility must send a Google Drive URL.
Step 2: The “Magic” (Text Parser with Regex)
The second module is a Text Parser using the Regexp:Parser function.
The pattern that does all the heavy lifting is:
(?:/d/|folders/|id=)([a-zA-Z0-9_-]{25,})
What does this regex do?
It looks for three common patterns in Google Drive URLs:
/d/(for Docs, Sheets, Slides)/folders/(for Drive folders)id=(for older URL formats)
Then it captures the 25+ character alphanumeric string that follows. That’s your document ID.
This pattern handles the inconsistency in Google’s URL structure, so you don’t have to.
Step 3: The Result (Return output)
The final module is “Return output”.
It creates one output:
- Name:
googleID - Value:
{{1.$1}}
This sends the extracted ID back to the scenario that called it.
That’s the entire utility. Three modules. One reliable output.
How to Use This Utility in Your Scenarios
Once you’ve imported the utility (see below), using it is dead simple.
In any Make.com scenario:
- Add the “Run Subscenario” module
- Select your “Google ID Extractor” utility
- Pass in the Google Drive URL (from a form, spreadsheet, webhook, etc.)
- Map the returned
googleIDoutput to wherever you need it
For example, if you’re creating a Google Doc from a template, you’d use the googleID output in the “Copy a Document” module’s “Document ID” field.
No text parsing. No formula debugging. Just plug and play.
Get This Scenario for Free
Want to skip the build and start using this utility right now?
I’ve made it publicly available. Click the link below, import it into your Make.com account, and you’re ready to go:
>> Google Drive – Get Document ID from URL
Import takes 10 seconds. You’ll have a production-ready utility in your toolkit immediately.
The Bottom Line
Extracting Google Drive IDs doesn’t need to be complicated, asking GPT to write the regex each time to find a document or folder ID.
This simple utility handles all the edge cases, works across all Google Drive file types, and saves you from rebuilding the same logic over and over.
Grab the free scenario, import it, and start building cleaner, more reliable Google Drive automations today.