With Google Drive File Stream, the contents of your Google Drive appears on your Mac like a regular drive.Unlike Google Backup & Sync (and the old Google Drive app), the files are not all copied to your computer. This saves a lot of space on your drive and almost eliminates sync errors. File Stream is only available for Google Apps G-Suite users. For regular Google accounts (Gmail), use Google Backup & Sync.

1. How To Download From Google Drive On Mac
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4. Backup Mac On Google Drive

Look for Google Drive File Stream in your Mac’s top menu bar. It’s a white triangle inside a dark square. If it’s there, skip to Accessing Files below.

Download the latest version of Google Drive File Stream for Mac - View files on Google Drive and edit directly on your computer. Read 2 user reviews of Google Drive File Stream on MacUpdate. Jul 25, 2014 How to fix the Google Drive sign in error, grayed out menu bar icon when upgrading to Mac OS X Yosemite Beta. Steps: 1) Kill Google Drive in the Activity Monitor 2) Remove (rm -rf) the folder. Download the Yosemite installer from the Mac App Store and make sure it’s in your main Applications folder (/Applications)—it’s called. Download and install the Google Drive app to your Mac if you haven't already. Once you've installed and added it to your applications, a Google Drive folder should appear in your Finder.

Configuring Google Drive File Stream the first time

Google Drive File Stream may already be installed on your computer. Click Launchpad (rocket icon) and look for Google Drive File Stream. Or click the Finder desktop, click the Go menu at the top of the screen and choose Applications. The app must include the words File Stream. If you found it, open and skip to 3 below.

1. Need to download Google Drive File Stream? Click this link to sign into your Google account and download.
2. Follow the steps toinstall from a disk image download. You’ll open the installer icon that looks like a package.
3. Open Google Drive File Stream from the Launchpad or Applications folder (see above).
4. Was a system extension blocked? Click Open Security Preferences (or click the Apple menu, choose System Preferences and Security & Privacy). Click Allow. Now restart the computer and open Google Drive File Stream from the Launchpad or Applications folder again.
5. Click the Google Drive File Stream icon in the top menu bar and sign into Google Drive with your email address and password.
6. Google Drive is added to the desktop. You can also add it to the dock – just drag it from the desktop to the right side of the dock near the trash.

Accessing files in your Google Drive

1. Click the Google Drive icon in the menu bar, desktop or sidebar. Can’t find it? Click the Launcher (rocket icon), then open Google Drive File Stream (make sure it says File Stream). If you have trouble, see Configuring the first time above.
2. Your files are inside My Drive, which is in the Google Drive icon. Copy files & folders to your Google Drive and they are uploaded. You can then delete the original copies. Create folders inside and organize just like any drive. You may also save files directly to Google Drive from any application – it’s a drive in the left side bar of open & save windows.
3. Folders with a cloud icon are available as long as you’re online. Files will be automatically downloaded when you open them, and uploaded when you save.
4. Need to access files when you don’t have internet? You can choose folders for offline-access. Hold the Control key and click a folder inside your Google Drive. Choose Drive File Stream and Available Offline. Any changes you (or others) make will not be updated until you’re connected to the internet again. Be selective about which files/folders you make available offline.
5. Collaborate with Shared Folders. When you add items to a folder, they’re shared with other people. Be careful: removing items may delete them from other people’s computers & devices. You’ll need to sign into Google Drive on the web and add shared folders to your drive. Learn how to share folders.
6. Google Drive Docs are special icons that open in a web browser so you can edit Google Docs, Sheets & Slides on the web.

Google Drive File Stream tips

Missing shared folders? If your Google Drive folder doesn’t show items other people have shared with you, you may need to log into Google Drive on the web and add them to your drive. See Google Drive collaboration for details.

There’s so much you can do with Google Drive. If you sometimes use Windows, install the Google Drive app on your PC. It’s also an easy way to share files between your computer, iPhone and iPad.

Learn more about using Google apps with a Mac.

Expand cloud storage on Mac

Google Drive is an online storage solution by Google. It allows you to store and sync data across your devices with its 15 GB of free storage space, while its integration with Google Docs for Mac gives your friends or coworkers access to the files or folders you designate for sharing.

There’s an official Google Drive app for Mac too — an upgraded 2017 version of which is called Backup & Sync and is sometimes referred to as the new Google Drive. Google Drive Backup and Sync download is free and you can expect to install it and have it running in no time and little effort.

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How To Set Up And Use Google Drive For Mac?

With Google Drive, you can create and edit documents online. But if you rely on Drive for files backup and sync, it’s much more convenient to use the app. To start using Google Drive on Mac, the first thing you need is a Google Drive account.

How to create a Google Drive account?

If you have an account on any of Google services, like Gmail, YouTube, or Google Play, then you actually already have a Google Drive account.

Simply log in to a Google Drive website or app with your existing credentials. Or create a Google account for free by following these steps:

1. Go to google.com/drive and click on the blue Go to Google Drive button

2. Click Create Account

3. Follow the onscreen instructions to create a new Google account (this will also serve as your new Gmail email address)

How to install Google Drive for Mac?

How To Download From Google Drive On Mac

Once you have a Google account, you can download Google Drive for Mac and use it. Here’s how you can do the Google Backup and Sync download:

1. Go to google.com/drive and click Download near the top of the page

2. Click on the Download button under Backup and Sync

3. Read and agree to the terms of service to start the download of Google Drive for Mac

4. The Google Drive Installer will be downloaded to your Mac’s Downloads folder

When the download is complete, double-click the installer (the file is called InstallBackupAndSync.dmg). Then click and drag the Backup and Sync From Google icon to the Applications folder. Boom, done!

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How to sync Google Drive on Mac for the first time?

The first time you open Google Drive on Mac, you have to go through a few steps to get it set up properly. After that accessing Google Drive will be effortless. But to get things up and running:

1. Launch Google Drive from the Applications folder by clicking on Backup and Sync From Google

2. A warning sign will appear cautioning that Google Drive is an application you downloaded from the internet ➙ click Open

3. On the welcome to Google Drive window that appears click Get Started

4. Sign in to your Google account with your Gmail email address and password

5. The Google Drive Installer will display a number of tips about using the app and then add a special Google Drive folder to your Home directory on Mac ➙ click Next

6. You can designate items in your Google Drive folder to be shared with anyone ➙ click Next ➙ Done

The installer will finish by adding a Google Drive menu bar icon and a Google Drive sidebar icon to the Finder. This sets up the two key elements for you to work with Google Drive for Mac: Google Drive folder and Google Drive menu bar icon.

Most of the time you’ll use the Google Drive folder — to store items you want to save to the Google cloud as well as share with others. Google Drive menu bar icon is handy for quick access and configuring Google Drive settings.

How to use Google Drive menu bar icon?

The menu bar Google Drive icon gives you quick access to the Google Drive folder on your Mac, opens Google Drive in your browser, displays recent documents that you have added or updated, and tells you if the Google Drive sync has completed. But more importantly, the menu bar icon contains additional Google Drive settings. To set up Google Drive to your liking:

1. Click on the Google Drive icon in the menu bar and a dropdown menu will appear

2. Click on the vertical ellipsis in the top right corner ➙ choose Preferences from the menu

The Google Drive Preferences menu lets you configure your Google Drive settings with a three-tab interface.

• My Mac tab allows you to decide whether you want to keep the default setting and have all the folders in your Google Drive folder synced automatically to the cloud or designate only specific folders for Google Drive sync.

• Google Drive tab manages the connection between your Google Drive folder and the cloud. This is where you go in case of Google Drive not syncing. To sync Google Drive folder with the cloud, make sure you’re signed in to your Google account.

• Settings tab gives you options to have Google Drive automatically launch when you log in to your Mac, show confirmation messages when shared items are removed from Google Drive, and upgrade your storage to another plan.

How to use Google Drive on Mac?

Now that your Google Drive setup is complete, you have access to this additional storage for you to do as you wish. However, one of the best uses would be to link your Google Drive to multiple devices — for easy access from all of them.

Also remember that Google Drive lets you create and work with others on documents in Google’s own versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in real-time (called Docs, Sheets, and Slides respectively). To enable collaboration on a Google Docs file, simply tap on Share in the top right corner and enter the names or email addresses of the people you wish to engage.

More tips for making Google Drive better

As convenient as Google Drive is, people often use more than one service for their personal and professional data storage. Some popular alternatives include Apple’s iCloud, Microsoft’s OneDrive, and Dropbox. Using a combination of cloud-based storages increases your Mac’s disk space to being virtually unlimited, as long as you have an active internet connection. But in truth, managing different cloud accounts can turn into quite a hustle.

Luckily, there are apps like CloudMounter that allow you to use all your storage solutions in one place, connecting them to your Mac as if they were your regular external drives.

Expand your storage with CloudMounter

Stop worrying about choosing the best storage solution. You can use all of them from one spot with CloudMounter. Give it a try!

This trick lets you deal with cloud data in the same manner as you’d with local one, and even move files between the clouds. Another great benefit of using CloudMounter is the latest encryption algorithm that guarantees the security of your cloud files. Plus, it allows encrypting sensitive data on the cloud and doesn’t share your login info with any third parties.

CloudMounter works perfectly with all major cloud services and could very well become your ultimate cloud manager if you’re constantly dealing with storage issues or feel there’s not enough free space on your Mac’s SSD.

Not even a bit less vital when dealing with loads of data is making sure you have a good backup of the most important files. Get Backup Pro is an elegant backup app just for that.

Get Backup Pro is fast, reliable, and offers a mix of four different backup methods: simple copy, clone, incremental, and versioned. With this app, you can back up folders or files that you think are important, cut the size of archives up to 60% by conducting compressed backups, effortlessly migrate data to a new disk with bootable backups via cloning, and schedule Stealth mode backups — with Get Backup Pro automatically closing once all scheduled processes are finished.

It goes without saying that cloud storage encourages collaboration and file sharing. If you work with different files online and often need to share links, Dropshare should be your app of choice for fast and secure file exchange.

Dropshare is a platform that works brilliantly with your favorite cloud services and lets you upload files in bulk with its easy drag & drop functionality, as well as securely share files, documents, and photos with password-protected expiring download links, and even set your own keyboard shortcuts to complete routine tasks faster.

If you’re still asking yourself how to use Google Backup and Sync — 15 GB of free storage space, excellent collaboration features, and ability to access your files from any of your devices will surely give you lots of ideas on how to make the most of it. With clouds come possibilities, but you‘re the one who really decides what is Google Drive going to be on your Mac.

Best of all, you can find CloudMounter, Get Backup Pro, and Dropshare mentioned above on a free 7-day trial through Setapp, a platform of more than 150 useful Mac utilities that could change the way you work day to day. Ready for action on cloud Google?

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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