If Simple CSV says Google Drive or Google Sheets returned an access page instead of a file, start with the file’s sharing settings. A Google Drive virus-scan page can cause the same error, but needs a different fix.
Why this happens
Google Drive files and Google Sheets are private by default. Simple CSV can only read a file that opens without a Google sign-in or access request.
The Drive file is set to Restricted
The most common cause is that only people added to the Drive file can open it.
To fix it:
- Select the file in Google Drive and click Share
- Under General access, select Anyone with the link
- Set the role to Viewer
- Select Copy link, paste that
drive.google.comURL into Simple CSV and try again
The Google Sheet is set to Restricted
For a spreadsheet with one tab, Simple CSV can read the normal Google Sheets link when anyone with the link can view it.
To fix it:
- Open the sheet and click Share
- Under General access, select Anyone with the link
- Set the role to Viewer
- Copy the normal Google Sheets URL from your browser, paste it into Simple CSV and try again
The wrong tab is published
Publish to web can publish one sheet tab at a time. Selecting Entire Document does not create the single-tab CSV feed Simple CSV needs.
To fix it:
- Select File → Share → Publish to web
- In the first dropdown, choose the exact tab you want to import. Do not choose Entire Document
- In the format dropdown, choose Comma-separated values (.csv)
- Click Publish and copy the generated URL
Google Workspace blocks external sharing
Some company or school Google Workspace accounts disable Anyone with the link or Publish to web for the whole organization.
To fix it:
- Ask a Google Workspace administrator to allow external sharing for the file
- Recreate the import sheet using a personal Google account
Drive asks you to download the file anyway
Google Drive sometimes shows a page saying it cannot scan a file for viruses and asks whether you want to download it anyway. Simple CSV receives that page instead of the data file. It cannot select the download button, so changing the sharing setting will not fix this case.
Export a smaller file or host the data file somewhere that returns it directly. Test the new URL in a private browser window before replacing the URL in Simple CSV.
Use a link Simple CSV supports
Use the original drive.google.com link copied from the file’s Share window. Do not paste a drive.usercontent.google.com download address. Simple CSV does not support that host.
A docs.google.com/document link points to a Google Docs document and is not a supported import source. Export the product data as CSV, XLS, XLSX or XML, or move it into Google Sheets.
It worked before but now it does not
The file or published tab was probably made private after the import was set up. This can happen during a security review, account offboarding or an accidental sharing change.
To fix it:
- Re-check the file’s sharing and publishing settings before changing your product data
- If you use a published CSV, confirm that publishing is still active for the correct tab
How to test your URL
Paste the exact URL you gave Simple CSV into a private or incognito browser window.
- If a Drive share link opens the file preview without asking you to sign in or request access, the file is public
- If a published Sheet downloads a CSV or displays comma-separated data, Simple CSV can read it
- If it opens the sheet without asking you to sign in, a public single-tab Google Sheets link can be read
- If you are asked to sign in or request access, the file is not public yet
- If Google asks you to download the file anyway because it cannot scan it for viruses, use a smaller file or another file host
More help
For the complete setup, visit How to import Shopify products from Google Sheets.
The How to import products to Shopify using CSV guide covers the basic CSV workflow.