- When you install Backup and Sync, a new folder (named Google Drive) appears on your computer. Files in My Drive (and any subfolders you select) copy over to this new folder. Changes made in one.
- You can now sync photos and videos to Google Photos and Google Drive from network-attached storage (NAS) devices. To start syncing, mount the network device to your Mac or PC. In the “My Computer ”.
For most of us with Google Backup and Sync application installed on the computer, a lot of our space on the drive is consumed by items you don’t need but got synced anyway. This would mean the Google Drive sync settings have not been configured properly. Not all of us can afford to buy extra space on Google drive, and for those who already upgraded Google storage, free space on the drive is a very valuable resource.
Moreover, if your Google Drive is cluttered with unwanted files, it can get quite difficult to keep up with work pace. This clutter will also contain a lot of duplicate files that result in wastage of drive space. Although you can remove these duplicates using a free duplicate file remover for cloud, it is better to change sync settings of Google Drive Backup and Sync application beforehand and avoid all the pain.
Hence Google Drive provides a way to pre-define what files can be synced to and from the drive. This write-up shall briefly discuss how we can go about managing the synchronization with Google Drive using Backup and Sync application.
How to select folders and files on Computer to sync with Google Drive
Google Backup and Sync application has a lot of advantages. You can easily take an online backup of selected folders or files on your computer without your intervention.
Insync is the Google Drive client that should be the official Google Drive client. Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux and unlike the official Google Drive client, allows you to have multiple accounts setup to sync and will convert Google Docs to Office docs. I have used Insync in the past when I was using Linux full time and was very impressed with it.
However, you might confront problems if you don’t shape your Google Drive sync settings right away. Follow these simple steps to sync selected data on your PC to Google Drive:
- Open Backup and Sync application
- Click on three vertical dots that says “More” and choose preferences
- To the right side of the screen, select the folders you want to sync
- Select Choose folder to add any folder that is not displayed on the list
- Once you have all the files or folders you want to keep syncing, click on OK
- Remove any unwanted files or folders to avoid extra efforts
How to sync specific folders in Google Drive to your computer
If you have files that you continuously want to keep updating across these multiple devices, the easiest way to do it is through Google Drive. You can also work on these files offline.
The same Backup and Sync application can now be configured to make sure this sync process happens appropriately and files from the drive can keep getting synced to your computer.
- Open Backup and Sync application and click on More(three vertical dots)
- Now select preferences and then select Google Drive on the left
- Select the option Sync My Drive to this Computer
- Choose Sync only these folders to specify what to sync
- Now click on OK
How to avoid syncing certain file types on Computer to Google Drive
Google Drive for its simplicity is widely preferred by a lot of professionals from editors to accountants. Some specific applications might generate log files or program files with-in the specified folder, which does not require any backup or sync. Your drive can be kept clear from backing up these specific file types by following the below-mentioned procedure:
- Run Backup and Sync application
- Click on More(three vertical dots) and choose preferences
- Now click on Change to the right side of the screen and select Advanced settings
- Type in the extension of file type that you do not wish to sync and select Add
- Lastly, click on OK to apply changes
Google Drive Sync Macbook
How to sync your SD cards and other USB devices to Google Drive
When we think about cloud storage, convenience is the first thing we all look for. Google Backup and Sync application allow you to automatically sync any form of USB storage device to Google Drive. This will mean you no longer have to manually upload your files every time you connect your camera or SD card to the computer.
Use the below tutorial to automatically upload files to Google Drive from a portable storage media:
- Open the application Backup and Sync on your computer
- Select More (three vertical dots) and choose preferences
- Find and click on the option USB devices & SD cards at the bottom of the screen
- Now choose Plug in a camera to backup files
- Finally hit OK to start uploading files to your Google Drive
Best data sync app for Mac
Google’s G Suite has become an incredibly popular collection of productivity apps, similar to Microsoft Office. For a free text processor, it’s hard to beat Google Docs for Mac and other G Suite products. You can use even use Google Drive offline to store documents, change numbers with Google Sheets offline, or add an image to your presentation with Google Slides offline. When you make edits without internet connectivity, the changes you made will automatically update the next time your device is able to sync with the web.
You should always sign into your Google Docs when you don’t have a stable internet connection if you need to make any changes to your files, but how do you do this? If you’re wondering how to edit Google Docs offline, there is indeed a way to launch your files without any WiFi.
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Learn To Offline Sync Google Docs, Sheets, And Slides
Google Drive Sync For Mac Osx
As Safari is the default browser on Macs, before you can use Google Docs offline, you need to make Google Chrome the default one instead. Without making this change, an offline attempt to open a document, edit Google Sheets offline, or a Google Slides offline file will lead to an error page. Changing your default browser is easy (make sure you have Google Chrome installed first):
In the Apple Menu, choose System Preferences
Select the General icon
In the “Default web browser” section, select Google Chrome
By switching your default browser, Chrome will launch each time you open a URL on your Mac. More importantly, once you’ve made Chrome the default browser, you can set up your Google Drive to offline sync Google Docs and enable offline editing of Google Docs too.

Manage Google Docs Offline extension
Once Google Chrome is your default, you’ll be able to sync your Google Drive files to your Mac using Google Docs Offline extension. You can then use Google Docs without internet and access your most relevant documents for offline viewing and editing. If you’ve been asking yourself how to enable offline editing of Google Docs, installing the Chrome extension is the right first step:
In Chrome, download and install the Google Docs Offline extension
Follow the directions and sign into your Google account
In your My Drive page, select the gear icon in the upper-right corner
Choose Settings
Select General from the list
Check the box beside Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings
Click Done
How to turn on offline sync on Google Docs
Now all the files within Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides should be available within your Chrome browser without the need for a WiFi connection. But you also need them on your Mac. To access G Suite files from your computer, download the personal version of Backup and Sync for Google Drive.
Open Backup and Sync in the Applications folder
Sign into your Google account
Select the option to save files directly to Google Drive
Check the box beside Sync My Drive to this computer and click Start
Your online files will be downloaded to a Google Drive folder on your Mac. Even better, any future files you add to your Google Drive will automatically download to your computer as well. But before you complete a Google Docs offline sync, don’t forget to make sure you have enough available space on your hard drive (or other device) to save your files!
How to work on Google Docs offline from your Finder
To easily access your Google Docs offline, you can launch files directly from your Mac’s Finder. But first download Google Drive for Mac onto your machine. Once done:
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Launch Google Drive from Applications
Sign in with your Google account information. By default, Google Drive will add its folder under your home directory.
Select which folders within Google Drive will sync automatically
Choose whether to have Google Drive launch every time your Mac starts up
Now, a Google Drive folder will be available in your Finder sidebar, so you can effortlessly share documents and files between your Mac and your cloud-enabled Google Drive. When you download Google Drive for Mac, anything you add into your Google Drive folder will be available online as well.
How to make a Google Doc available offline
Once you’ve completed Google Docs offline sync and your Google Drive files are available on your Mac, you can access them directly through Finder. For some users, it may still be easier to access files from drive.google.com though. No problem. With a new Google feature, you can see which of your files are available in Google Drive offline mode. To turn this on, enable a setting that shows file’s offline capability:
Access your Google Drive via drive.google.com
Select Settings and click General
Select Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawing files
Once the setting is enabled, you’ll see an offline icon that tells you which files have been saved on your local drive. You can also switch the toggle to “Offline preview” to display the documents that are available for viewing and editing without the internet connection. Documents and files not accessible offline will turn gray.
To help you, Google Drive makes all the files you’ve recently accessed automatically available offline. In addition, you’re also able to right-click and change the toggle on the “Available offline” setting for each file.
Faster backup and sync for all your files on Mac
Google Drive Sync Mac Folder
Now that you know how to use Google Docs offline on your Mac, you need to make sure you have a safe backup of all the files on your computer. The easy way to do this is with ChronoSync Express.
Keep data safe with ChronoSync Express
Get ChronoSync Express to sync data across devices and schedule backups. Every file you need, securely protected on Mac.
ChronoSync Express gives you peace of mind with regards to keeping files and personal data safe no matter where you are. If you need to remotely synchronize data from your iPhone or iPad, you can schedule backup and synchronization tasks to run during a specific timeframe with no fuss.
More (and better) cloud storage software alternatives
If Google Drive isn’t enough and you need additional cloud storage for your documents, photos, or files, there are lots of alternatives, starting with iCloud and Dropbox. Even when your Mac’s hard drive is packed, you can use increase cloud space to boost your storage capacity.
CloudMounter is a genius app that lets you turn additional space on Google Drive and other cloud storage solutions like Amazon S3 and even OneDrive into a usable place for all your tasks on Mac. It’s as simple as accessing your cloud files with drag and drop.
Both ChronoSync Express and CloudMounter are available on Setapp, a collection of more than 150 Mac apps and utilities you can use daily to make your Mac life easier and more productive. Sign up for a free 7-day trial of Setapp to these apps and many more a go.
Now that you know how to use Google Docs offline, you can update your resume, write articles, or work on that paper right from your web browser or Mac. Make as many edits on the fly without the need for any internet at all!
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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