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Is it possible to "map network drive" for Google Drive so it appears as a usual Windows drive in Explorer? (And on a Mac and Linux?) Update 2023. This is now built in to the Google Drive desktop app for Windows. As of around 2022 I recall or maybe a little earlier.
- No just a folder. Well you could use the subst command to map a folder as drive letter I guess. Haven't tested it, google drive might do something...
- Linux support is on its way apparently. and will no doubt use webdav (possibly FTP too). Windows, OSX and Linux all support mounting webdav based f...
- Mountain Duck will map Google drive as a network drive - according to the Mountain Duck website : Mountain Duck lets you mount server and cloud st...
Mar 7, 2024 · It's incredibly easy—you'll just need to install the Google Drive app and sign in with your Google account. Once you've installed the app, Google Drive will appear as the "G:" drive in File Explorer. This wikiHow article teaches you how to add Google Drive to File Explorer on your Windows PC.
- What Is Google Drive for Desktop?
- Download and Install Google Drive for Desktop
- Choose Which Folders Will Get Synced from Google Drive
- Choose Other Folders on Your PC to Sync to Google Drive
- How to Stop Syncing a Folder with Google Drive
- Tweak Your Photo Uploading Settings
- The Best Tech Newsletter Around
Drive for Desktop is a program that automatically syncs specified folders on your PC to your online Google Drive account. You can use it to automatically back up files and photos to the cloud, synchronize files between devices, and interact with cloud-based files in a way that feels more like you're working on your local PC.
You can set Google Drive for Desktop to store files both locally and in the cloud. However, files created with Google Docs, Google Sheets, or any of their other programs are not editable (or even readable) without an internet connection.
It is exceptionally useful if you frequently find yourself moving between multiple computers and need access to files on every device. Even if you don't need it, it is always nice to know that important files are automatically saved.
Related: How to Search Google Drive Directly from Chrome's Address Bar
Naturally, the first thing you'll need to do is actually download Google Drive for Desktop. Make sure to grab the appropriate download for your device (Mac or PC). If you already have Google Drive installed, don't worry---this tool will automatically replace it, no uninstallation necessary.
It should download pretty quickly --- the file is only a few hundred megabytes. In most browsers, you'll see the file name displayed somewhere on the screen once it is done downloading. Just click that to launch the installer.
Drive for Desktop will take a minute or so to install, and then you may be prompted to restart your computer. It probably isn't necessary, but it won't hurt either.
If you previously had the Google Drive app installed, you'll probably automatically log into your Google Account. If not, you'll need to log in using your browser.
After that, a quick small popup will let you know what the app is all about: Backing up your stuff.
By default, Drive for Desktop won't actually download any of the files you have stored online to your PC. It just creates a virtual drive that you can access through File Explorer. The files on the cloud will look and act just like any other file you have on your PC.
How to Sync All of Your Google Drive Files to Your PC
Click the Google Drive icon on your taskbar, click the gear icon in the top right corner, then select "Preferences." Select the "Google Drive" tab, then tick the bubble next to "Mirror Files." All of your files will be available in File Explorer, even if you're offline, once they finish downloading. You still won't be able to open or edit Google Doc or Google Sheet files offline, however.
There are two easy ways to sync another folder to Google Drive. The first uses the Google Drive app directly, the other uses the right-click context menu. Once you sync a folder, you'll need to choose how you want Google Drive to treat it.
Google Drive can handle folder syncing in two different ways:
•Option 1: Uploads every file and folder to Google Drive, and changes to those files (either via the web portal or your PC) are automatically synchronized.
•Option 2: Only uploads photos and videos to Google Photos, and file changes are not automatically synchronized.
Option 1 is ideal if the files and folders are files you tend to work with across multiple devices. Option 2 is aimed at being a long-term backup solution that protects you against data loss. The fact that changes are not automatically synchronized means that an accidental local deletion won't hurt your long-term backups.
You can select both if you want, but you'll wind up storing photos and videos redundantly. That will eat up more of your cloud storage space.
To stop syncing a folder with Google Drive, click the Drive icon on your taskbar again, then click the folder you want to remove.
This is where you can adjust the sync settings that are applied to the folder. In this case, we want to make sure both boxes are not ticked, then click "Done."
Click "Stop Syncing" on the popup to confirm your choice.
It is important to note that there will be online copies of all of the files and folders that were previously synchronized, though they won't update further. If you want to remove them, you'll need to access Google Drive through your browser and delete them manually.
You can also change your photo upload settings. There are two options:
•High Quality: Compresses your images a bit to reduce the amount of storage requires.
•Original Quality: Upload the images exactly as they are. This is the best option if you have lots of free storage left or care about ensuring no quality is lost when your images are uploaded
Modern compression algorithms are pretty good, and you'll likely see a significant size reduction with minimal quality degradation. If there are any pictures you particularly love, however, you should consider backing them up elsewhere in full quality.
To change your image upload settings, head to the configuration page, then click the gear icon in the upper-right corner.
Scroll down until you see a section titled "Google Photos." Select the setting you want, then click the "Done" button in the bottom corner. You can also choose to omit screenshots and RAWs if you want. RAW images are fantastic if you're planning on processing it in some way (like color or contrast correction, for example), but they're enormous compared to JPGs. RAW images can easily be 10 megabytes per picture and larger.
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Mar 27, 2024 · The easiest and quickest way to map Google Drive as a local drive is to utilize Drive for Desktop. It is the desktop application of Google Drive. By installing it on your computer, a virtual disk drive will be generated on your PC called G Drive.
Aug 17, 2023 · Effortlessly integrate Google Drive with Windows using our detailed guide. The basic method will help you to be a pro in maping Google Drive to Windows.
Aug 28, 2023 · How to Add Google Drive as a Drive on PC | Map Google Drive to File Explorer👉 Download Google Drive for Windows: https://www.google.com/drive/download/
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To easily manage and share content across all your devices and the cloud, use Google’s desktop sync client: Drive for desktop. Use Drive for desktop to find your Drive files and folders on...
