There are a few reasons to sync files locally rather than just accessing Google Drive through your web browser every time.
When using the software, your documents will be simultaneously on your hard drive and available on the web, though you can choose which files and folders are stored locally and which aren’t. What Drive for Desktop doesĭrive for Desktop turns Google Drive into a fully-fledged file syncing service rather than just a cloud storage locker-think Dropbox, OneDrive, and iCloud. But if you want to keep data from Google Drive on your computer and sync it to the cloud, or if you’ve got large batches of files you need to upload to your Drive, then you’ll want to download the desktop application. You can carry on accessing Google Drive in your web browser and mobile apps as always- creating Docs, Sheets, and Slides just the same as before. But desktop software is available as well, allowing you to seamlessly sync files stored in your Google Drive with the file system on your Windows or macOS computer.Īfter four years since its last update, that desktop software setup is changing again, and the current tools (Backup & Sync for free account holders, and Drive File Stream for enterprise customers), will be replaced by a new, single platform called Drive for Desktop. You might be familiar with Google Drive from its web interface or its mobile apps.
