Once you download the file, you will see a checkmark beside the thumbnail.
Select Offline access > Available offline, and Drive will download the file. Step 4: Right-click on the file you want to use and open the context menu. You need to download them to see the content. That means these files and folders are online only. Step 3: You will see all the files and folders with a little cloud icon. Step 2: Go to Google Drive and open the My Drive menu. Step 1: Open File Manager menu (use Windows + E keys).
You have already set up PC folders to sync with Google Drive and select to stream the entire My Drive in the File Manager. You can mirror them on a PC and keep them available for offline use anytime.Īs for this tutorial, we will use the Stream files option as it makes sense for most out there. This is ideal when you don’t have internet access all the time to download required files from Drive. Whatever folder you select, Drive will store all the folder content on computer and cloud. If you prefer the old way of using Google Drive on a PC, you must go with Mirror files. You can keep a file or folder that you need for offline use. It will keep all the My Drive files in the cloud, and you have an option to keep necessary files offline on the PC.Įven if your Google Drive has 100GB+ data, it won’t take any space on the PC. This should be the ideal option for most to use in Google Drive for Windows 11. You can view all the Google Drive files and folders on a PC without taking a single MB on a computer.įrom the Google Drive Preferences menu, select Google Drive, and you have two options to choose from – Stream files and Mirror files.
Instead of syncing Drive folders to PC, you have an option to stream the entire Google Drive library to the computer. This is one of the best features that Google borrowed from Drive File Stream. It will skip files and documents from the folder and only upload photos, gifs, and videos to Google Photos. If you edit or remove files, those changes will be automatically synced.īack up to Google Photos: Google Photos is purely a media backup service. Sync with Google Drive: It will upload all files and folders, including photos and videos. You can either sync the folder with Google Drive or Back up to Google Photos. My Computer: This option will allow you to safely back up your PC files to Google Drive and Google Photos.Ĭlick on Add folder and select a folder from PC to sync with Google Drive. Step 3: Click on Preferences and it will open the Google Drive Preferences menu. Step 2: Select Google Drive and open Settings. Step 1: Click on the up-arrow icon in the Windows 11 taskbar.
Step 3: Open the File Manager, find the downloaded file and install Google Drive on your PC.ĭownload Drive for Desktop Set up Google Drive on Windows 11Īfter successful Drive installation on PC, Google Drive will ask you to sign in with your Google account.Īfter setting it up, go to Google Drive preferences and make changes. Step 2: Click Download Drive for desktop and save the. Step 1: Visit Google Drive on the web using the link below. You need to rely on the official website to download the app. There’s also the option to sync external storage devices including hard drives and flash drives as well the possibility to choose automatic sync to Google Photos.Unfortunately, Google Drive isn’t available from Microsoft Store. Users can sync and access multiple format files including a background sync option. In terms of looks and features, Drive for desktop will be nearly identical to the standard web-based Drive client. From October 1 onwards Google will shut down its Back up and Sync app and users will no longer be able to sign in to that platform. Then from August 18 onwards users still on the Backup and Sync app will start receiving an in-app notification guiding them to transition to the new Drive app. Starting on July 19, Google will begin transitioning its users to the new Drive for desktop app.
Now, the Alphabet subsidiary is going full circle and again releasing a new Drive app for Windows and macOS. For reference back in 2017, Google split off its desktop Drive app in favor of Backup and Sync for individuals and Drive for desktop which was strictly for business users. Google announced its unified Drive for desktop app which will replace the Sync and Backup for individuals.