Unexpected Behavior with .gdlink Files in Insync on Ubuntu 24.04

Feature requests
#1

Hi everyone,

I’ve noticed an unexpected behavior with .gdlink files when using Insync on my Ubuntu 24.04 system with Google Chrome 128. This issue does not occur with other Google Drive-related files, such as .gddoc or .gdslides, which open their respective documents (Google Docs, Slides, etc.) directly when double-clicked. However, with .gdlink files (when is linked to a folder in Google Drive), double-clicking opens a browser page that says “No preview available” instead of taking me to the linked folder in Google Drive.

The expected behavior would be for the .gdlink file to open the linked folder directly in the browser, just like how .gddoc files open their corresponding document. Manually navigating through Google Drive to find the linked folder works, but it’s inefficient.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Is there any workaround or solution for this behavior in Insync? I think it would greatly enhance the usability of Google Drive shortcuts in synced folders.

Thanks in advance!

1 Like
#2

Hi @Jose,

We do not support syncing shortcuts from the cloud (as well as symlinks from your local computer). This explains the behavior, which I can see is inconvenient with workflows like yours.

For now, I would recommend syncing from the original location in the cloud so that you can access the file as is. I will be sending this feedback to our engineers so we can assess the necessary improvements in the future.

Thank you!

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#3

Hello @mia:

I am not talking about syncing, but about “opening”. When I double clic the .gdlink file, the internet browser (Firefox or Chrome, it does not matter) is opened, but instead of viewing the content of the folder linked, I see a page with the message “no preview available”. It would be great if the (internet) browser directly opens the google drive folder.

Thank you.

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#4

Hello @Jose. Yes – the file itself cannot be opened after syncing because it is a shortcut instead of the actual file (from the original location), which Insync does not support.

Hope this helps! Nonetheless, I will let our engineers know about your feedback and suggestion to help make the workflow more seamless.

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#5

Thank you very much @mia. Thus, my requested feature would be to make these shortcuts open the folder they point to, through the internet browser. Currently, when I open this .gdlink file, which represents a linked folder, it opens: https://drive.google.com/file/d/<FOLDER_ID>, and it should be istead: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/<FOLDER_ID>

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#6

Thank you for the detailed feature request, @Jose! I have filed this for future consideration, as I can see how much more seamless your workflow would be if this was supported.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything else!