Needless to say, Google Drive requires you to log in to your Google account to access your cloud storage. Sync files from local folders and shared drives

Google took this step to improve the overall user experience and, if you have a look at the feature set of the new Drive for desktop, you will already get the feeling that it succeeded to do so. What Google Drive brings to the table is a bundle of the best feature in the two aforementioned apps, now deprecated. Going back to the old name, which Google replaced with “Backup and Sync” back in 2018 has logic, since the Google Workspace is now available to everyone. Google Drive, or Drive for desktop, as it is advertised by its maker, is the result between the merger of Drive File Stream (Google’s tools for business users) and the former Backup and Sync. The dilemma remains what backup and synchronization software solution to use from the various options out there, some more popular than others. When it comes to data backups, a single fact is certain: you should definitely act upon it. Google Backup and Sync stops working on October 1st 2021. Personally, I'm also holding out hope for a Linux client.Note: Users of Backup and Sync will start to receive in-product notifications to migrate to Google Drive (Drive for desktop). It will be interesting to see if Google can actually produce a good syncing client for both personal and work accounts, or if the eventual replacement will be just as bad as Backup and Sync. New features to Google Drive for desktop include syncing folders like Documents or Desktop or Drive storage, uploading from USB devices, uploading photos and videos to either Google Photos or Google Drive, and support for multiple accounts. We are bringing features from Backup and Sync to Google Drive for desktop to create a simpler user experience.

Some of the planned changes are explained in the beta test application: You can still mark files or folders for offline access, and Google started allowing regular Gmail accounts to access File Stream last year.įor now, Google is renaming File Stream to 'Google Drive for desktop,' and the company is starting work on an upgraded version with some functionality ported from Backup and Sync.

Unlike Backup and Sync, which downloads all your selected folders and keeps them synchronized, File Stream displays your files as empty aliases that are only downloaded when an application wants to open them (similar to how OneDrive and Dropbox work by default). Google plans to eventually replace the current Backup and Sync application with File Stream, which is what enterprise customers have been using for a few years now.

Google sync and backup offline install