Use Google Drive for desktop

Virtually Drive for desktop

Drive for desktop is Google'due south desktop sync customer that lets you lot easily manage and share content beyond all your devices and the cloud. This awarding enables you to access your files and folders in a familiar location.

You tin use Drive for desktop to continue your files in sync betwixt the cloud and your computer. Syncing is the process of downloading files from the cloud and uploading files from your computer's hard drive. Afterwards syncing, the files on your computer friction match the files in the cloud. If yous edit, delete, or move a file in one location, the same change happens in the other location. That way, your files are always upward to date and can be accessed from any device.

In Drive for desktop, you can manage how much local storage you utilise and where your content is located by configuring Drive to stream or mirror your files and folders.

What information technology means to mirror or stream your files

Mirroring and streaming are 2 ways to sync your files. In both cases, any changes you make to your files on i device volition be reflected everywhere.

With mirroring, your files are stored in the deject and on your computer, which takes upwardly hard drive infinite. You can access your files at any fourth dimension, fifty-fifty when you lot don't have an internet connection or the Drive for desktop app running. You can access files through a folder on your computer.

With streaming, your files are stored in the cloud. Difficult drive space is only used when you open up files or make them available offline. Files that are not bachelor offline tin can merely be accessed when you're connected to the net. All files, including those available offline, can exist accessed just when the app is running. You tin access files through a mounted drive on your computer.

  • Note: Recent versions of macOS may accept a slightly unlike streaming behavior. Learn more.

While you tin can choose whether to mirror or stream your My Drive files, other folders on your device can merely be mirrored. Additionally, files from shared drives, other computers, and backed-upwards USB devices can only be streamed.

Options for syncing My Drive

You tin stream or mirror My Drive, depending on your preferences.

Configure My Drive for streaming or mirroring

  1. Open Drive for desktop.
  2. Click Settings Settingsand thenPreferences.
  3. On the left, clickFolders from Drive.
  4. Under "My Drive syncing options," selectStream files orMirror files.

Switch from mirroring to streaming

When you switch from mirroring My Bulldoze files to streaming My Bulldoze files, the location of your files on your computer changes. The folder where you lot previously mirrored My Drive files will remain on your computer but will no longer sync. To avoid data loss, make sure that information has finished syncing before cleaning up these folders.

On Windows, you will need to quit Drive for desktop earlier removing the binder from your computer.

Switch from streaming to mirroring

When you switch from streaming to mirroring, My Drive will no longer appear in your Google Drive streaming location. (Shared drives, other computers, and backed-up USB devices will all the same appear.)

Your My Drive files will be downloaded to the folder you cull when configuring this option. If at that place are already files in the selected folder, the application volition attempt to not indistinguishable files that match what's already in the cloud. Files that are not present in the deject already will be uploaded.

Options for other folders on your computer

Configure other folders on your computer

  1. Open up Drive for desktop.
  2. Click Settings Settingsand thenPreferences.
  3. On the left, clickFolders from your computer.
  4. From this carte, y'all tin Add folders to sync with Drive and backup to Photos, and you can edit preferences of folders that are already synced.

Sync to Google Bulldoze and back up to Google Photos

Yous tin can sync a folder with Google Drive or back it upward to Google Photos.

  • If you sync with Google Drive: Everything in the folder volition be mirrored. All changes will be synced between your computer and Google Drive. You can admission all your files from any device at drive.google.com or via the Google Drive app.
  • If y'all dorsum up to Google Photos: Only photos and videos will be uploaded. Changes will not be synced betwixt your computer and Google Photos. You can view your photos and videos from any device at photos.google.com or via the Google Photos app.

Important: If you are storing photos and videos, we recommend only backing up to Google Photos. If you cull to store your files in both places, photos and videos in the folder get uploaded twice, which uses more of your Google account storage.

Requite macOS permission

macOS requires applications similar Drive for desktop to ask for permission to access certain folders and devices including your Desktop, Documents, and Downloads folders, removable and network volumes, and your Photos library.

Drive for desktop will only inquire to admission folders or devices yous choose to sync with Google Drive or back up to Google Photos. Drive for desktop will also ask for admission if you choose to use the Real Time Presence feature or a Bluetooth primal to sign in.

If yous deny admission, but want to continue syncing a folder or device, go to System Preferences and alter your privacy settings. You might need to restart Drive for desktop for changes to take issue.

Troubleshoot errors

In Drive for desktop, y'all might see a "Some errors occurred" banner nether "Activeness." Yous tin view the listing of errors by clicking the link in the banner or by clicking Settings and thenMistake list.

Sync with the Computers tab in Google Drive

If you sync folders on your computer with Google Drive, those folders will appear in Google Bulldoze nether "Computers" on the left of Drive for spider web and on the Drive mobile app. If you add, edit, move, or delete items from these folders on web or mobile, those changes will also exist fabricated on your computer.

Content cache for streaming files

If yous stream My Drive files from Google Drive to your estimator, file data is stored in a local enshroud on your hard drive.

  • If your cache directory path is unavailable, you can't utilise Drive for desktop.
  • The directory stores data well-nigh files you open and make available offline.
  • The cache allows Drive for desktop to open your files faster.

You can discover all files that are bachelor offline and view how your difficult drive space is utilized. To see this info:

Advanced: Change the location of your local cache directory

Apple Photos System Photos Library

You tin can just back up your Arrangement Photos Library to Google Photos. Other Apple Photo Libraries tin can be synced with Drive. If you choose to sync an Apple Photos Library with Bulldoze, everything in the library volition sync, including thumbnails and other metadata.

Your Organisation Photo Library is the only library that can be used with iCloud Photos, Shared Albums, and My Photo Stream. If you have only one photo library, then it's the Arrangement Photo Library. Otherwise, the first photo library that you create or open in Photos will go the System Photograph Library. If y'all're currently using macOS Catalina or later, hard drive infinite volition be temporarily used to download photos and videos from your iCloud and upload them to Google Photos.

Was this helpful?

How can nosotros improve it?