Note: Drive Sync is no longer supported from May 12, 2018.
Use this tip to change the default folder location in Windows
When you download Google Drive to your PC a default folder will be created in C:Users[your name]Google Drive. If you want to change the name or location of this folder you can do so by following the steps below. This tip is useful if you need the Google Drive folder to have a standard url for all your company - for 3rd party apps for example.
- Click on the Google Drive icon in your system tray (usually bottom right of your Windows task bar)
- Click on the 3 dots icon top right and choose Preferences
- Click on the Account tab and choose Disconnect account, your Drive will be disconnected but your files will stay on your PC
- Click on the Google Drive icon again
- Sign in when asked, step through the set up until you reach a screen with the option Advanced setup or Finished - click on Advanced setup
- Click Change to choose the folder name and location - if you choose an existing folder it must be empty
- Your files will now be re-synced down to your PC in this new location
- Delete the old folder and files - if you want to.
Using Google Drive on a PC is great, but sometimes it can be a struggle to find your Google Drive folder when saving a file. Using the tip below you can add the Google Drive folder to Documents in Windows Explorer, or even set it as your default save location, so whenever you save Windows will start at the Google Drive folder. When your goal is only to have a Google Drive folder on your desktop (Mac), you should remove all tick from folders at setting page of 'My Mac'. ▼ Google Drive (My Drive) If enabled this, B&S. On your computer, go to drive.google.com. At the top left, click New File Upload or Folder Upload. Choose the file or folder you want to upload. Drag files into Google Drive. On your computer, go to drive.google.com. Open or create a folder. To upload files and folders, drag them into the Google Drive folder. Use Backup & Sync. Now You are OK to Delete the Google Drive Stored Files on Your PC. Now you can delete all the files stored on the Google Drive folder on your Computer without affecting the files stored on on the Web. Next time if you think to sync your Google Drive again with your desktop, my suggestion is remove the Google Drive app completely from your PC. The Google Drive client only covers folders under the 'Google Drive' hierarchy you setup. On an individual basis, Sync Docs may do what you want. We often deploy a Gladinet Team edition license (no storage, just license) to create local drive space that caches Drive.
An alternative method, without disconnecting your account:
- Click on the Google Drive icon in your system tray
- Choose Quit Google Drive
- Now move the Google Drive folder within Windows Explorer to a new location - or rename it
- Restart Google Drive from Start --> All Programs
- Google Drive will warn you that it can't find the folder, click on the Google Drive icon again and choose Error - Google Drive folder is missing
- A window will open up, choose Locate folder and go find the new Google Drive folder.
Let us know if you have any other tips on moving the Google Drive default location in the comments.
Using Google Drive is very easy and is open to anyone with a Google account. Google's Drive service is an extremely useful tool for cloud storage. If you don't plan to use the online service or Google Drive mobile app, you can still make use of Google Drive on your computer.
To get the Google Drive application (also known as Google Backup and Sync) for your computer, simply navigate to Google.com/drive from any web browser to download the software. The Google Drive download page is a smart page and will recognize what operating system (OS) you are using. As a result, the page will link you to the appropriate version supported by your computer setup.
With any of the Google Drive computer application versions, a folder is placed on your local hard drive that syncs with your Google Drive account. Inside this folder you can view the contents of your Google Drive.
The Windows Google Drive folder is located in Windows File Explorer.
To find the Mac Google Drive folder, you will need to look in Finder.
The Linux Google Drive folder will be placed in the Linux system file manager.
To use the Google Drive folder like an application:
- Simply drag and drop any file to the Google Drive folder to upload a copy to the cloud.
- Remove any file or folder from the Google Drive folder to delete items from the cloud.
- Right click, Ctrl+click, or long press items in the folder to initialize a pop-out menu and choose Google Drive → Share… to share the files in your Google Drive folder with others.
Because Google Drive is more of a folder than an actual application, the background processes and settings must be accessed through the OS notification tray.
On Windows computers, the notification tray is located on the task bar in the bottom right corner.
Chrome browser extension download. If you are using a Mac, the notifications tray is in the menu bar in the top right corner.
Google Drive Download Where Does It Go
On most flavors of Linux, the notifications tray is located in the menu bar (global menu) in the top right corner.
Google Drive Windows App
Seek out the Google Drive icon (older versions) or Backup and Sync icon in your notification tray and click or tap to adjust your Google Drive sync options, preferences, and settings.