Workflow: Google Drive sync for PaperPile
Purpose: Make your PaperPile bibliography files accessible on your local computer via Google Drive.
⚠️ Critical: Two separate steps required
Connecting PaperPile to Google Drive is not enough to get a .bib file. You must also set up a BibTeX Export Workflow. These are two different things:
- Cloud Storage connection (Settings → Data and Files) — stores PDFs in Google Drive
- BibTeX Export Workflow (Profile → Workflows and Integrations) — creates the .bib file ⬅️ This is what you need!
Many students miss step 2 and wonder why they don’t have a .bib file.
Verify first
1. Verify Google Drive is installed
Mac: Look for Google Drive icon in menu bar (top right)
Windows: Look for Google Drive icon in system tray (bottom right)
If not installed: Download from https://www.google.com/drive/download/
2. Verify your Gmail account is connected
Click the Google Drive icon → check that your Gmail account appears.
If not connected:
- Click Google Drive icon → Add Account
- Sign in with your Gmail account (the one linked to PaperPile)
Steps
1. Connect PaperPile to Google Drive (for PDF storage)
- In PaperPile: click Settings (gear icon, bottom left)
- Go to Data and Files
- Scroll down to Cloud Storage
- Select Google Drive
This enables PaperPile to store PDFs in your Google Drive. But this does NOT create a .bib file.
2. ⚠️ Set up BibTeX Export Workflow (REQUIRED for .bib file)
This is the critical step that creates a .bib file you can use locally.
- In PaperPile: click your profile icon (top right — NOT the Settings gear!)
- Select Workflows and Integrations from the dropdown
- Click Add Workflow
- Choose BibTeX Export
- Configure:
- Source: Select “My Library” or your specific ballpark folder
- Destination: Select Google Drive
- Click Finish
- Click Open File in Google Drive to verify the .bib file was created
Common mistake: Looking for this in Settings. It’s NOT in Settings — it’s under your profile icon → Workflows and Integrations.
3. Verify the .bib file appears locally
- Open Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows)
- Navigate to your Google Drive folder
- Look for the .bib file (e.g.,
My Library.bib or [FolderName].bib)
Expected: You see a .bib file with your bibliography.
If the file has a cloud icon: Right-click → “Make available offline” (or “Download”)
4. Note the path to your .bib file
You’ll need this path later to copy the file to your ballpark directory.
Mac: Ctrl-click the file → hold Option → “Copy as Pathname”
Windows: Click in the address bar → copy the path
Troubleshooting
Can’t find the .bib file:
- Did you set up the BibTeX Export Workflow (Step 2)? This is the most common issue.
- Check Workflows and Integrations → your workflow should show “Last run: …”
- The file may be at the root of your Google Drive, not in a PaperPile subfolder
- Search your Google Drive folder for
*.bib
File shows cloud icon, won’t open:
- Right-click → Make available offline
- Wait for download to complete (cloud icon should disappear)
“Workflows and Integrations” not visible:
- Make sure you’re clicking your profile icon (top right), not Settings (bottom left)
- The profile icon is usually your photo or initials
Next step
Once you have the .bib file locally, you can copy it to your ballpark directory using bibliography-setup-myst.