Google Photos to OneDrive automation - Get a Media Item 400 Invalid Argument error

Questions
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1

:bullseye: What is your goal?

I’m trying to build a scenario that automatically transfers new photos from Google Photos to OneDrive. My setup is: Google Photos (Watch Media Items) → Google Photos (Get a Media Item) → OneDrive (Upload a File). The Watch module finds photos successfully but the Get a Media Item module returns a 400 Invalid Argument error when it tries to retrieve the actual file. I’m mapping Media Item ID from the Watch module into Get a Media Item. Has anyone successfully built a Google Photos to OneDrive automation and can share how they handled the file data transfer?

:thinking: What is the problem & what have you tried?

I’m trying to build a scenario that automatically transfers new photos from Google Photos to OneDrive. My setup is: Google Photos (Watch Media Items) → Google Photos (Get a Media Item) → OneDrive (Upload a File). The Watch module finds photos successfully but the Get a Media Item module returns a 400 Invalid Argument error when it tries to retrieve the actual file. I’m mapping Media Item ID from the Watch module into Get a Media Item. Has anyone successfully built a Google Photos to OneDrive automation and can share how they handled the file data transfer?

3

Hey Owen,

shouldn’t you be using the Download a Media File module instead of the Get Media one?

4

The likely issue is this:

Google Photos “Get a Media Item” only works for some app-created items, not every photo in your library. So the Watch Media Items step can see the photo, but Get a Media Item can still fail with 400 Invalid Argument.

A simpler way is:

  1. Use Watch Media Items

  2. Take the photo’s base URL / download URL

  3. Download it with HTTP

  4. Send that file to OneDrive Upload a File

Google’s docs say media items include a baseUrl, and you download the actual bytes by calling that URL with the needed parameter.

So the short answer is:

Do not rely on “Get a Media Item” here.
Use the item from Watch Media Items, then download from its baseUrl, then upload to OneDrive.

Flow:

Google Photos Watch Media Items → HTTP Get a file → OneDrive Upload a File

Also, Google changed some Google Photos Library API scopes in 2025, so reconnecting the Google Photos connection may also help.