Содержание
- What uses your storage space
- Choose who to share with
- Permission propagation
- What it means to sync files and how it works
- Create a permission
- Options for folders on your computer
- Troubleshoot errors
- Stream with FileProvider
- Sync with the Computers tab in Google Drive
- Change the location of your local cache directory
- Request
- What it means to mirror or stream your files
- Method 2: If You Have Backup and Sync Already Installed…
- What it means to sync files and how it works
- Change sharing permissions of shared folders
- Capabilities
- How to edit a folder in Google Drive
- Only newly shared folders are affected, for now
- Options for folders on your computer
- Troubleshoot errors
- Stream with FileProvider
- Sync with the Computers tab in Google Drive
- Change the location of your local cache directory
- Method 1: Download the Folder
- Free Up Disk Space
- How to delete a folder from Google Drive
- What’s changing on the web
- Method 1: Install the Google Drive Desktop Client
- What it means to mirror or stream your files
What uses your storage space
Items that take up space
Google Drive
- Most files in your My Drive. For example:
- PDFs
- Images
- Videos
- Items in your Trash. Learn how to empty your trash.
- As of June 1, 2021, newly created Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, or Jamboard files count toward storage. Files that already exist don’t count toward storage unless they’re modified on or after June 1.Important: For Google Workspace and G Suite editions, this change goes into effect on February 1, 2022.
Messages and attachments, like items in your Spam and Trash folders.
Google Photos
- Photos and videos backed up in Original quality.
- Photos and videos backed up in High quality (now named Storage saver) or Express quality after June 1, 2021. Any photos or videos you backed up in High quality or Express quality before June 1, 2021 will not count toward your Google Account storage. Learn more about Photos backup options.
- On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
- Click Settings Settings.
- On the left, click Manage apps.
- If there’s hidden data, you can find the amount under the app’s description.
- To delete this data, click Options Delete hidden app data.
Items that don’t take up space
Google Drive
- Files in «Shared with me» and shared drives. These files only take up space in the owner’s Google Drive.
- Google Sites.
- Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Jamboard, and Drawings files you create before June 1, 2021, and don’t edit after that date.
Google Photos
Photos and videos backed up in Storage saver quality or Express quality before June 1, 2021.
Storage differences in Google Drive
Items in Google Drive for your computer take up a different amount of space than the same items at drive.google.com.
- Items in your Trash take up space in Google Drive, but aren’t synced to your computer.
- Shared items will take up space on your computer, but not Google Drive.
- Items that are in multiple folders will be synced to all folders on your computer, taking up more space.
- If you only sync some folders to your computer, the storage on your computer will be less than what is shown on Google Drive.
- Your computer may show a slightly different file size than drive.google.com because of Mac or PC requirements.
What happens if you run out of space
Google Drive
You can’t sync or upload new files. You can’t create new files in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard. Until you reduce the amount of storage you use, neither you nor anyone else can edit or copy your affected files. Syncs stop between your computer’s Google Drive folder and My Drive.
Google Photos
You can’t back up any photos or videos. If you want to add any more photos and videos, you can free up Google storage space or buy more Google storage.
Specific people
Like files, you can choose to share with only specific people.
- On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
- Click the folder you want to share.
- Click Share .
- Under «People,» type the email address or Google Group you want to share with.
- To choose how a person can use the folder, click the Down arrow .
- Click Send. An email is sent to people you shared with.
Anyone with a link to the folder
- On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
- Click the folder you want to share.
- Click Share .
- At the top right, click Get shareable link.
- Next to «Anyone with the link,» click the Down arrow .
- Choose whether people can edit or view.
- Copy and paste the link in an email or any place you want to share it.
A group of specific people
You can share files and folders with Google Groups instead of individual people. When you add to or remove members from the group, they will gain or lose permission to the files and folders that the group can see or use.
- Create a Google Group.
- Add members to the group.
- Share the file or folder with the group.
Note: Group members will have to open the file or folder from an invitation or a link before it will appear in «Shared with me.»
Permission propagation
Permission lists for a folder propagate downward and are inherited
by all child files and folders. Whenever permissions or the hierarchy is changed,
the propagation occurs recursively through all nested folders. For example, if
a file exists in a folder and that folder is then moved within another folder,
the permissions on the new folder propagates to the file. If the new folder
grants the user of the file a new role, such as «writer,» it overrides their
old role.
Conversely, if a file inherits the «writer» role from a folder, and is moved to
another folder that provides a «reader» role, the file now inherits the
«reader» role.
Inherited permissions can’t be removed from a file or folder in a shared drive.
Instead these permissions must be adjusted on the direct or indirect parent from
which they were inherited. Inherited permissions can be removed from items under
«My Drive» or «Shared with me.»
Conversely, inherited permissions can be overridden on a file or folder on a
My Drive. So, if a file inherits the role of «writer» from a My Drive folder,
you can set the role of «reader» on the file to lower its permission level.
What it means to sync files and how it works
You can use Drive for desktop to keep your files in sync between the cloud and your computer. Syncing is the process of downloading files from the cloud and uploading files from your computer’s hard drive. After syncing, the files on your computer match the files in the cloud. If you edit, delete, or move a file in one location, the same change happens in the other location. That way, your files are always up to date and can be accessed from any device.
In Drive for desktop, you can choose to stream or mirror My Drive files. Your files are found in different places on your computer based on whether you choose to mirror or stream them.
Create a permission
The following two fields are necessary when creating a permission:
-
. The identifies
the scope of the permission (, , , or ). A
permission with a of applies to a specific user whereas a
permission with a of applies to everyone in a specific domain. -
. The field
identifies the operations that the can perform. For example, a permission
with a of and a of grants a specific user
read-only access to the file or folder. Or, a permission with a of
and the role of grants everyone in the domain the ability
to add comments to a file. For a complete list of roles and the operations
permitted by each, refer to Roles.
When you create a permission where is , you must also provide a
to tie a specific domain
to the permission.
To create a permission:
- Use the Permissions.create method
with the for the associated file or folder. - In the request, identify the and .
- If the is or , provide an . If
the is , provide a .
Options for folders on your computer
You can sync a folder with Google Drive or back it up to Google Photos.
- If you sync with Google Drive: Everything in the folder will be uploaded. All changes will be synced between your computer and Google Drive. You can access all your files from any device at drive.google.com or via the Google Drive app.
- If you back up to Google Photos: Only photos and videos will be uploaded. Changes will not be synced between 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 choose to store your files in both places, photos and videos in the folder get uploaded twice, which uses more of your Google account storage.
Give MacOS permission
MacOS requires applications like 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 ask to access folders or devices you choose to sync with Google Drive, back up to Google Photos, or both. Drive for desktop will also ask for access if you choose to use the Real Time Presence feature or a Bluetooth key to sign in.
If you deny access, but want to continue syncing a folder or device, go to System Preferences and change your privacy settings. You might need to restart Drive for desktop for changes to take effect.
Troubleshoot errors
In Drive for desktop, you might see a “Some errors occurred” banner under “Activity.” You can view the list of errors by clicking the link in the banner or by clicking Settings Error list.
Stream with FileProvider
FileProvider is a way that Drive for desktop streams files from the cloud to your computer. FileProvider chooses the location on your computer to stream files. This location can’t be changed.
Sync with the Computers tab in Google Drive
If you sync folders on your computer with Google Drive, those folders will appear in Google Drive under “Computers” on the left of Drive for 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 be made on your computer.
Change the location of your local cache directory
When streaming files from Google Drive to your computer, a local cache directory is created.
- The directory stores data about files you open and make available offline.
- The cache allows Drive for desktop to open your files faster.
- If your cache directory path is unavailable, you can’t use Drive for desktop.
To change the location of your local cache directory:
- Open Drive for desktop.
- Click Settings Preferences.
- Click Settings .
- Find “Local cache files directory” and click Change.
- Select a new cache location.
- Click Change.
Request
Parameters
Parameter name | Value | Description |
---|---|---|
Optional query parameters | ||
Groupings of files to which the query applies. Supported groupings are: ‘user’ (files created by, opened by, or shared directly with the user), ‘drive’ (files in the specified shared drive as indicated by the ‘driveId’), ‘domain’ (files shared to the user’s domain), and ‘allDrives’ (A combination of ‘user’ and ‘drive’ for all drives where the user is a member). When able, use ‘user’ or ‘drive’, instead of ‘allDrives’, for efficiency. |
||
The body of items (files/documents) to which the query applies. Deprecated: use ‘corpora’ instead. Acceptable values are:
|
||
ID of the shared drive to search. |
||
Whether both My Drive and shared drive items should be included in results. (Default: ) |
||
Specifies which additional view’s permissions to include in the response. Only ‘published’ is supported. |
||
Deprecated use includeItemsFromAllDrives instead. (Default: ) |
||
The maximum number of files to return per page. Partial or empty result pages are possible even before the end of the files list has been reached. |
||
A comma-separated list of sort keys. Valid keys are ‘createdDate’, ‘folder’, ‘lastViewedByMeDate’, ‘modifiedByMeDate’, ‘modifiedDate’, ‘quotaBytesUsed’, ‘recency’, ‘sharedWithMeDate’, ‘starred’, ‘title’, and ‘title_natural’. Each key sorts ascending by default, but may be reversed with the ‘desc’ modifier. Example usage: ?orderBy=folder,modifiedDate desc,title. Please note that there is a current limitation for users with approximately one million files in which the requested sort order is ignored. |
||
Page token for files. |
||
This parameter is deprecated and has no function. Acceptable values are:
|
||
Query string for searching files. See the «Search for files» guide for the supported syntax. |
||
A comma-separated list of spaces to query. Supported values are ‘drive’ and ‘appDataFolder’. |
||
Whether the requesting application supports both My Drives and shared drives. (Default: ) |
||
Deprecated use supportsAllDrives instead. (Default: ) |
||
Deprecated use driveId instead. |
Authorization
This request allows authorization with at least one of the following scopes:
Scope |
---|
Some scopes are restricted and require a security assessment for your app to use them. For more information, see the authentication and authorization page.
What it means to mirror or stream your files
With Drive for desktop, you can access files stored in Google Drive from your computer. Any changes you make to your files will be synced. All files in shared drives, USBs, and other computers will be streamed from the cloud to your computer. You can choose to mirror or stream your My Drive files.
When you mirror files, all of your My Drive files are stored in the cloud and on your computer, which takes up hard drive space. All of your files will be accessible at any time, even when you don’t have an internet connection or the Drive for desktop app running. Files can be accessed through a folder on your computer.
When you stream files, your My Drive files are stored in the cloud. Hard drive space is only used when you open files and make them available offline. Files that are not available offline can only be accessed when you’re connected to the internet. All files, including those available offline, can be accessed only when the app is running. Files can be accessed through a mounted drive on your computer.
Important: These options don’t apply to any folders on your computer that you sync with Google Drive. Folders on your computer sync to the Computers tab in Google Drive.
Switch from mirroring to streaming
When you switch from mirroring My Drive files to streaming My Drive files, the location of your files on your computer changes. With streaming, you can access files via a virtual drive on your computer. The folder where you mirrored My Drive files will remain on your computer but is no longer syncing, and therefore can be removed to avoid losing any changes.
On Windows, you need to quit Drive for desktop before removing the folder from your computer.
Important: In order to stream files from Google Drive to your computer, Drive for desktop uses a virtual drive. The size of this virtual drive depends on the space available on your computer.
Method 2: If You Have Backup and Sync Already Installed…
We mentioned earlier that Google Drive backs up your data to its folder, which, by default, is located in C:\user\<yourusename>\Google Drive. However, you can move the Google Drive folder to a location of your choice. To do this:
- Go to your taskbar and click on the “Backup and Sync” client, usually a white cloud icon located at the bottom right corner of your screen. If you can’t find it in the Taskbar, check in the “Show hidden icons” option.
- At the top right corner of the Google Drive desktop client, click on the three vertical dots to access the settings.
- Select “Preferences…” from the dropdown list. A new pop up screen will open.
- Click on “Settings” in the left pane, and select the “Disconnect Account” link in the screen on the right side, just below your email address.
- You’ll get a prompt asking you to confirm if you want to disconnect. Select “Disconnect”. This action will remove your Google Drive account.
- After the process completes, you’ll receive another notification informing you that your account has been disconnected. Click on “Got it”.
- Next, relaunch the Google Drive desktop client by clicking on its icon in Windows Taskbar.
- Select “Sign in”, and fill in your Google account details. You can use the same Google account that you disconnected or any one of your other accounts.
- On the next popup screen, click “Got it”.
- Choose the folders you want to back up with Google Drive storage and click “Next” when you’re done.
- Click on “Got it” again.
- Moving on, you’ll see that Google Drive has already created a default location. To change the location of the Google Drive folder, click on the “Change…” link. This will open another popup window where you can choose the new location for your Google Drive folder.
- Once you’ve selected the folder, click “Start”. The program will now initiate the backup and sync process.
The steps above also show you how to add Google Drive to the File Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 10. This means you can easily access the contents of the Google Drive folder via File Explorer (Win + E).
What it means to sync files and how it works
You can use Drive for desktop to keep your files in sync between the cloud and your computer. Syncing is the process of downloading files from the cloud and uploading files from your computer’s hard drive. After syncing, the files on your computer match the files in the cloud. If you edit, delete, or move a file in one location, the same change happens in the other location. That way, your files are always up to date and can be accessed from any device.
In Drive for desktop, you can choose to stream or mirror My Drive files. Your files are found in different places on your computer based on whether you choose to mirror or stream them.
When you share a folder, the sharing settings for the files and subfolders inside are updated. Depending on how you shared the folder, the people you shared with will have access to the files inside:
- Can organize, add, & edit: People can open, edit, delete, or move any files within the folder. People can also add files to the folder.
- Can view only: People can see the folder and they can open all files within the folder.
After you share the folder, you can change how the files inside are shared.
Make someone else the owner of a folder
When you transfer ownership of a folder, the files inside keep their original owner. To change the owners of more than one folder:
- On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
- Select the folder that you want to change owners.
- At the top right, click Share .
- Click Advanced.
- To the right of the person’s name, click the Down arrow .
- Click Is owner.
- Click Save changes.
After you make someone else the owner of a folder, you can edit the folder unless the new owner decides to change your access.
Files deleted from shared folders
When someone deletes a file from a shared folder, only the owner can access it.
To get a deleted file back from a shared folder:
- On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
- At the top, click Search Drive.
- Type in the name of the file.
- Right-click the file.
- Click Add to my Drive .
Capabilities
The permission resource doesn’t ultimately determine the current user’s
ability to perform actions on a file or folder. Instead, a
Files resource contains a collection of boolean
fields used to indicate if an action can be performed on a file
or folder. These fields are set by the Google Drive API based on
the current user’s Permissions resource
associated with the file or folder.
For example, when Jon logs into your app and tries to share a file, Jon’s role
is checked in terms of permissions to the file. If
his role enables him to share a file, the related to the file, such
as are filled in relative to the role. Then when Jon wants to
share the file, your app would check the to ensure
is set to .
How to edit a folder in Google Drive
-
To create a new folder inside an existing folder, click on the folder to select it. Then, click the More Actions menu (it looks like three stacked dots), and then click New Folder. From there, the process is the same as described in step 3 of the previous section.
-
If you select a folder, click the More Actions menu, and then click Move To, a window will pop up allowing you to choose a location to move the folder to. Click on the name of the folder that you wish to move the current folder inside, or click the folder icon with the plus sign inside it to instantly create a new folder that you can move the current folder to (you can give it a name, as well). Then click Move.
You can use this same process when you have a file selected to move a file to a folder. Or, to speed up the process, you can click and hold the mouse button down on a file or folder in Google Drive, then move your mouse over to the folder that you want to put it inside, and then release the mouse button.
-
If you select a folder, click More Actions, and then click Add Star, your folder will show up in your Starred menu on the left-hand side. This is an easy way to keep track of files and folders that you use frequently. Repeat this step to remove the folder from the Starred menu.
-
You can change what colours your folders display in, if that helps you keep your folders organized and easier to tell apart. Simply click a folder to select it, then click the More Actions menu, move your mouse cursor over Change Color, and then click the colour that you wish to have your folder display in.
-
You can also rename a folder by clicking on it to select it, then clicking the More Actions menu, and then selecting Rename. A window will pop up allowing you to give your folder a new name. Simply click in the text box inside the pop-up window and type in a new name for your folder, and then click OK.
The feature regression isn’t yet visible if you’re working with folders that have already been shared and organized. So if your family, group of friends, team, or company already uses some shared folders, they won’t be affected until September 2020 — the date at which shared folders and files will be automatically switched to shortcuts for everyone except the original owner.
That temporary reprieve is likely why many of us didn’t notice the change. To see it in action, you have to try to share a file or folder now. On the sender’s end, nothing changes, but on the recipient’s end, things are completely different from what they used to be.
Options for folders on your computer
You can sync a folder with Google Drive or back it up to Google Photos.
- If you sync with Google Drive: Everything in the folder will be uploaded. All changes will be synced between your computer and Google Drive. You can access all your files from any device at drive.google.com or via the Google Drive app.
- If you back up to Google Photos: Only photos and videos will be uploaded. Changes will not be synced between 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 choose to store your files in both places, photos and videos in the folder get uploaded twice, which uses more of your Google account storage.
Give MacOS permission
MacOS requires applications like 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 ask to access folders or devices you choose to sync with Google Drive, back up to Google Photos, or both. Drive for desktop will also ask for access if you choose to use the Real Time Presence feature or a Bluetooth key to sign in.
If you deny access, but want to continue syncing a folder or device, go to System Preferences and change your privacy settings. You might need to restart Drive for desktop for changes to take effect.
Troubleshoot errors
In Drive for desktop, you might see a “Some errors occurred” banner under “Activity.” You can view the list of errors by clicking the link in the banner or by clicking Settings Error list.
Stream with FileProvider
FileProvider is a way that Drive for desktop streams files from the cloud to your computer. FileProvider chooses the location on your computer to stream files. This location can’t be changed.
Sync with the Computers tab in Google Drive
If you sync folders on your computer with Google Drive, those folders will appear in Google Drive under “Computers” on the left of Drive for 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 be made on your computer.
Change the location of your local cache directory
When streaming files from Google Drive to your computer, a local cache directory is created.
- The directory stores data about files you open and make available offline.
- The cache allows Drive for desktop to open your files faster.
- If your cache directory path is unavailable, you can’t use Drive for desktop.
To change the location of your local cache directory:
- Open Drive for desktop.
- Click Settings Preferences.
- Click Settings .
- Find “Local cache files directory” and click Change.
- Select a new cache location.
- Click Change.
Method 1: Download the Folder
The brute-force approach is simple: download the Google Drive folder to your local hard drive. There, you can view storage size details for the downloaded folder in File Explorer, then delete the whole folder when it is no longer needed.
To download a Google Drive folder, follow these steps:
- Click My Drive on the left of the Google Drive page to expand a list of folders.
- Right-click a folder and press “Download” to save a copy to your hard drive.
When you select that option, a “Preparing download” bar will open at the bottom right corner in Google Drive. This tells you that it is zipping the file. It will let you know when it is ready to download, and the folder’s ZIP file will save to your browser’s default download folder.
Open the downloaded Google Drive folder in File Explorer. Since it saves as a compressed ZIP file, you should extract it first by opening the ZIP and pressing “Extract all.” Select a destination path for the extracted folder, and press the “Extract” button.
Right-click the extracted folder in File Explorer and select “Properties” to open the Properties window. The General tab includes folder size details. If you’re finished, you can right-click the folder and select “Delete.”
Free Up Disk Space
One of the main reasons people opt to back up their data to cloud services is security concerns. If your PC is hacked and the data is damaged, you can always log on to your Google Drive account and restore the files and folders from any location.
Others use the cloud service to move some of their files and folders to create more disk space. But, did you know that junk files and unneeded applications can take up valuable space on your hard drives? Each time you do something on your PC, such as use Microsoft Word or update Windows, you leave behind a trail of files.
Over time, these files accumulate, filling up your disk. While you can use the Disk Cleanup utility in Windows, it’s easy to forget to clean up your disk every now and then.
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To always ensure that space hogs don’t waste your hard drive space, Auslogics BoostSpeed has a scheduler that allows you to set a regular interval, say every Tuesday, to have your system inspected and cleaned out.
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How to delete a folder from Google Drive
-
Click on the folder in Google Drive that you wish to delete, in order to select it. Then click the Remove icon in the upper-right corner.
-
From there, click the Trash menu on the left-hand side, click the folder again, and then click Delete Forever in the upper-right corner. In the pop-up that appears to warn you that you can’t take back this action, click Delete Forever to confirm that you want to delete the folder.
Remember that deleting a folder will delete all of the files inside it, so be sure that you’ve moved any files that you want to keep out of the folder before you delete it!
That’s everything you need to know about folders in Google Drive!
What’s changing on the web
On the web, the switch to shortcuts is merely aesthetic from a user’s perspective. As long as you’re online, clicking a received file or folder opens them like you’re used to. However:
- the option to «Move» them to our Drive is grayed out
- the option to «Add to Drive» is now «Add shortcut to Drive»
- dragging and dropping them to your Drive creates a shortcut too.
- Edit: if you highlight the file and type Shift+Z on your keyboard, you should be offered the old option to move it to your Drive. See update note at the end of the post.
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Top: «Move» or «Add» to Drive is no longer possible. You can only add a shortcut. Bottom: Even drag-and-drop creates shortcuts.
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When they’re in your Drive, the icons have a shortcut arrow on them to differentiate them from the files and folders that you own.
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The benefit here is that you can create as many shortcuts as you want, so you could quickly access a shared file or folder from multiple places inside your Drive without duplicating them. Anyone who enjoys hierarchy and organization will love this. File ownership is also clearer on Google’s end: One file, one owner, one place. Fewer sync issues, fewer bugs when people make modifications on their end. Based on the company’s documentation, this aspect seems to be the biggest motivator behind the change.
Interesting side effects
The one file equals one original location equation requires Drive users to adjust the way they think about sharing and moving things around. For example, these are two consequences that make sense in this new paradigm, but that you never had to think about previously:
-
If you are the owner of a file in Drive and move it from your Drive to a shared folder where you’re a recipient (and not the owner), that file will
no longer be yoursstill be yours but it won’t be saved in your Drive. You’re still in control of access privileges and can move it out, and if the owner of the shared folder deletes that folder, your file gets repatriated back to your Drive. - If the owner of a shared folder gave you the privilege to move things around, and you move a file from the shared folder to your Drive, people it’s shared with will lose access. The file no longer obeys to the rule of sharing from its parent folder because it’s no longer there.
Drive will warn you about these, but you may click without reading the warning or realizing what it means.
Method 1: Install the Google Drive Desktop Client
This process applies if you haven’t downloaded the Backup and Sync client to your desktop.
- If you haven’t installed Backup and Sync to your desktop, and you’re logged in to your Google Account, you’ll first need to log out before proceeding.
- Open your browser and search for Google Drive. Scroll down to the bottom of the official webpage and open the “Drive for Mac/PC” link under “Downloads”. This action will open up another tab, with options to download the program.
- Under the “Backup and Sync” section, you’ll see the “Download” button. Click on it.
- To proceed you must select the “Agree and Download” option.
- Choose your preferred location to save the file. Once it’s downloaded, open the containing folder, double-click on the file, and select “Run”.
- Click “Yes” on the system prompt and wait patiently for Google Drive to be installed.
- After the installation completes successfully, click “Close”.
- Now, go to the system tray and click on the “Backup and Sync” option to launch the program.
- Click on the “Get Started” button and enter in your login credentials.
- Click on “Got it” and choose the necessary settings, including the upload quality of your videos and photos.
- Click “Next” and set syncing preferences. On this page, you’ll see the default location of the Google Drive folder. Next to it, you’ll find the “Change…” link.
- Click on it, navigate to the new location where you want to save your Google Drive folder, and click on “Select Folder”. You can also create a new folder to house the Google Drive folder.
- Select “Continue” on the popup screen that appears next.
- After you’re done, click on “Start” and choose the folders and files you want to back up to Google Drive.
What it means to mirror or stream your files
With Drive for desktop, you can access files stored in Google Drive from your computer. Any changes you make to your files will be synced. All files in shared drives, USBs, and other computers will be streamed from the cloud to your computer. You can choose to mirror or stream your My Drive files.
When you mirror files, all of your My Drive files are stored in the cloud and on your computer, which takes up hard drive space. All of your files will be accessible at any time, even when you don’t have an internet connection or the Drive for desktop app running. Files can be accessed through a folder on your computer.
When you stream files, your My Drive files are stored in the cloud. Hard drive space is only used when you open files and make them available offline. Files that are not available offline can only be accessed when you’re connected to the internet. All files, including those available offline, can be accessed only when the app is running. Files can be accessed through a mounted drive on your computer.
Important: These options don’t apply to any folders on your computer that you sync with Google Drive. Folders on your computer sync to the Computers tab in Google Drive.
Switch from mirroring to streaming
When you switch from mirroring My Drive files to streaming My Drive files, the location of your files on your computer changes. With streaming, you can access files via a virtual drive on your computer. The folder where you mirrored My Drive files will remain on your computer but is no longer syncing, and therefore can be removed to avoid losing any changes.
On Windows, you need to quit Drive for desktop before removing the folder from your computer.
Important: In order to stream files from Google Drive to your computer, Drive for desktop uses a virtual drive. The size of this virtual drive depends on the space available on your computer.

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