I Built a Tool to Automate Our Studio’s Google Drive Workflow (And You Can Have It For Free)

If you work in a creative studio, agency, or just handle a lot of freelance projects, you know the "New Project" ritual on Google Drive.

Since you cant duplicate or make copies of entire Google Drive folders, it usually goes like this:

1. Create a new folder.
2. Rename it.
3. Create all the subfolders each project needs.
4. Find all the template files and copy them to the relevant folders.
5. Rename the template files so now they're specific to this project.
6. Repeat until you die of boredom.

For a long time, this was just "part of the job." But as my team grew, cracks started to show.

The Problem: It’s never just "One Folder"

The issue wasn't just creating a folder. It was the depth of the structure.

Our project template isn’t simple. It contains over 10 sub-folders (00_Admin, 01_Briefs, 02_Assets, 03_Budget, etc.). Inside those folders are specific template files that need to follow a strict naming convention.

We needed every file to look like this: 2537_Nike_SummerCampaign_Budget_v01.xlsx

But when you do this manually, human error is inevitable. One editor names it ShoeProject_Budget, another names it 2537_Budget_Nike. Six months later, when you're searching the archive for a file, you can't find anything.

I needed a way to enforce 100% consistency across the team, without forcing them to spend 10 minutes renaming files for every job.

The Solution: The "One-Click" Project Creator

I didn't want to pay for a bloated project management SaaS just to create folders. So, I built a custom tool using the Google ecosystem (Sheets + Apps Script).

It turns the entire setup process into a 5-second task.

Here is how it works:

1. The Trigger: We open a simple web form (which I saved as an app on our desktops).
2. The Input: We type in the variables: Client Name, Project Number, and Job Title.
3. The Magic: We hit "Create."

Behind the scenes, the script doesn't just copy the folder. It digs through every single sub-folder and finds any file with a "Tag" in its name (like {{Client}} or {{JobNo}}). It instantly renames those files using the data we just entered.

Why I Moved It to a Google Sheet

Originally, I hard-coded everything. But I wanted this to be flexible—something my team could update without touching code.

I moved the entire "Brain" of the app into a Google Sheet Dashboard.

Now, if we want to change our folder naming structure, or add a new input field (like "Director Name" or "Year"), we just update a cell in the spreadsheet. The app automatically updates itself.

It handles the complex stuff (deep file renaming) but also works for simple tasks. If we just want to duplicate a folder without the fancy renaming, it does that too.

The Result

• Zero-Effort Consistency: It doesn't matter if a Senior Producer or a Junior Intern sets up the project. The folder structure is identical every single time.
• Searchability: Because file names are standardised, our system search actually works.
• Time Saved: It saves about 20 minutes per initial project setup. That doesn't sound like much, but over a year, it adds up to days of lost production time. Not counting the time spent looking for incorrectly named files!

Want to use it?

I realised this problem isn't unique to me. Whether you are a video editor, a graphic designer, or an architect, you probably have a template structure you use on repeat.

I’ve packaged the tool into a public Google Sheet template. You don't need to know how to code to use it.

How to set it up:

1. Copy the Sheet (Link below).
2. Paste the IDs of your own Master Folder and Destination Folder.
3. Customise your questions in the "Variables" tab.
4. Deploy.

You can grab the copy link here: Folder Duplication Tool

Let me know if it helps untangle your Google Drive!