Schedule Recurring PDF Exports from Google Classroom Folders
Teachers who want an automatic archive of course materials do not need to manually export from Classroom Drive folders every week. A scheduled Apps Script function can export the Class Drive folder to PDF at the end of each unit or school week, building a timestamped archive automatically.
Finding the Classroom folder ID
Open Google Drive and navigate to your Classroom course folder. Open the folder you want to export automatically. Copy the folder ID from the URL after '/folders/'. Paste this into the DriveApp.getFolderById() call in your script.
Setting a school-calendar-aligned schedule
Instead of a simple weekly trigger, you may want exports aligned with your school calendar: end of each unit, end of each quarter, or at the beginning of each school break. Apps Script supports monthly triggers and custom logic. For non-standard schedules, use a daily trigger and add a date check inside the function to run the export only on specific dates.
Archiving student submission folders
For each assignment with submissions, you can add the submission folder ID to the script and export those as well. This creates a complete archive: course materials plus student submissions, both exported to PDF automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the scheduled export pick up new student submissions automatically?
Yes. The script iterates over all files in the folder each time it runs. New submissions added since the last run are included in the next scheduled export.
Do I need to be logged in for the scheduled export to run?
No. Apps Script triggers run on Google's servers even if you are not logged in or your computer is off.
Ready to Try It?
Install the free Chrome extension and start converting your Google Docs to PDF in one click.
Install Free Extension