Google Drive and Google Photos users - ACTION REQUIRED

Annoucements
1

Hi All

Rclone's internal client-ID will stop working in 2026 - please make your own

We recently received a notification from Google that Google will start charging for API requests on rclone's built in default client-ID for Google Drive and Google Photos. The timescale for this is "Later in 2026, following 90 days of notice".

Since we are many hundreds of times over the free quota this would mean that the rclone project would have to start spending lots of money on quota requests. We don't know exactly how much because Google haven't released the pricing yet, but millions of dollars per year seems likely.

What we are doing

  • Add a warning to rclone (in the next point release) if you are using the default client-ID something like

NOTICE: This remote uses rclone's shared Google Drive client_id, which is
being retired and will stop working during 2026. Create your own client_id
to avoid interruption: https://rclone.org/drive/#making-your-own-client-id

  • Post an update when we know when exactly the 90 days starts
  • Disable the default client-ID before the end of the 90 day period
  • Remove the default client-ID at the next release

What you need to do

  1. Check if you are using the default Google client-ID. You can do this using rclone config show YourDriveOrPhotosRemoteName:. If you have set client_id and client_secret already you have nothing to do. If they are blank or missing then follow the next steps. If you are using a service account you don't need to change anything.
  2. Stop any rclone processes (eg rclone mount) using YourDriveOrPhotosRemoteName:
  3. Make your own client_id and client_secret following the guide in the google drive backend docs and add it to your config.
  4. In step 11 run rclone config reconnect YourDriveOrPhotosRemoteName: and answer "Y" when it asks "Already have a token - refresh?". This part is important otherwise rclone won't actually use your new client_id/client_secret.
  5. Repeat for all your google drive and google photos remotes. You only need to make one client_id/client_secret - you can add this to all your remotes but you must also run rclone config reconnect on each of them.

We are still talking to Google about this but we don't think their plan will change other than the timescales.

Happy rcloning and sorry for the inconvenience

Nick

PS Feedback appreciated.

1 Like
3

Hi,

I will be available and happy to assist those who get stuck creating their client ID.

1 Like
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Should have been done ages ago! Glad I had mine setup this way to start with!

Kudos to you for letting us mooch off of yours for years!

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Well, I wanted to make it easy for users to get going... You are right though @Turner it has been obvious for a while that something like this was coming due to the ever increasing difficulty of getting your client id verified. It took 3 months and $600 last time!