How to Sync Files and Folder with Google Drive?

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Written By Alan Williams

Oct 29, 2021 • Proven solutions

Have you been looking for how to sync local folders to Google Drive? We are glad to inform you that you just picked the right post. Google Drive is undoubtedly the most popular cloud storage platform in the world today. Because of this& many people use this platform to store personal and work files and collaborate with others.

In this post& we will show you different ways to sync files and folders with Google Drive. We will also show you a tool that makes the process very easy. Read on to find out.

Table of Contents

Part 1

Part 1: How to Sync Local Files and Folders to Google Drive

If you think that you are the only one with this challenge& then you are wrong. Many people are in your shoes and are seeking how to sync the folder with Google Drive. There are many reasons people need to do this& such as making it easy to access files on the go.

There are two ways to sync local files and folders to Google Drive. You can either use the Google Drive folder or Backup and Sync. Both methods are pretty simple& and you can handle them without external help. This section will show you how to use both by breaking down the processes into steps.

Using Backup and Sync

This app integrates Google Drive with Google Photos Uploader. It is easy to sync folders& files& and media from your local drive to your Google Drive. There are two sections on Backup and Sync. They are Google Drive and My Computer.

With My Computer& it is easy to sync your folders from your local drive to Google Drive. It also allows you to sync videos and photos. When you use Google Drive& it allows you to sync the folders in your “My Drive” section to your PC. This means that even if you are offline& you can see these folders and access their contents. Check the steps below to use Backup and Sync to sync the local folder to Google Drive.

Step 1 – Download Backup and Sync to your computer and sign in using your Google Drive account details. After this& begin the first sync.

Step 2 – Uncheck any default folders in the “My Computer” section& then click “Choose Folder.” This will lead you to mount any specific folders located on your computer. After this& click “Next.”

Step 3 – By now& you should have completed the first sync. Go to your taskbar and click the “Backup and Sync” icon. Tap “Settings” then select “Preferences” in the options menu.

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Step 4 – Select all the options you prefer under “Google Drive” and then click “Start.” By default& “My Drive to this computer” is always selected. Click on “Sync everything in My Drive” or “Sync only these folders” to decide.

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Step 5 – After the initial sync operation& the local folders on your computer sync with the “My Computer” folder in Google Drive. You must check if the process is successful. The good news here is that you will also have the Google Drive folder on your computer.

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After your first sync& you will see extra options on the menu. These include:

  • Removing items.
  • Use Devices and SD cards.

With the first option& you have the opportunity to decide how you want to delete files. The options here include:

  • Remove items everywhere.
  • Don’t remove items everywhere.
  • Ask me before removing items everywhere.

The second option makes it possible to back up an SD card to your Google Drive. This includes backing up documents& photos& music& videos& and folders.

Using Google Drive folder

In this case& you will be using the Google Drive folder on your computer to sync the folders. When you are done& the folders will be synced& and you can always check if the process was successful. Here are the steps:

Step 1 – Go to your desktop and double-click on “Backup and Sync.” After this& open the Google Drive folder.

Step 2 – Select the folder that you need to backup and right-click. This will provide you with a list of options& including a copy.

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Step 3 – Click on copy and then open the desired folder in Google Drive and paste it here. When you do& the local folder syncs automatically.

Part 2

Part 2: How to Sync Google Drive Files and Folders to Computer?

Another important thing that you should learn if you use Google Drive often is a “Google Drive file sync.” This is very important as it helps you sync the files on your Google Drive with your computer. The process isn’t difficult as Google has provided PC users with the Google Drive tool.

All you need to do is to install the app on your computer. When you do& it creates a Google Drive folder on the computer. As such& any files that you put in the My Drive section of your Google Drive on the web appear here. It also means that when you put any files in the folder on your computer& they sync automatically.

There are several advantages to doing this. The two most prominent advantages include:

  1. Ease to open files and work on them using apps installed on your computer. A typical example is opening a doc file in MS Word on your computer. As such& there is no need to upload or download non-Google files.
  2. Access your files offline. This is probably the most important advantage of syncing Google Drive with your computer. However& it doesn’t make Google files available offline automatically. The only way to access them offline is by enabling offline mode in your Google Chrome.

Here’s how to carry out a “Google Drive file sync:”

Step 1 – Open Google Drive in your web browser and log in using the appropriate account details.

Step 2 – Click on “Settings” and select “download drive.” If this option isn’t available& it may have been removed by the domain administrator. You can download Google Drive to your PC by visiting https://www.google.com/drive/download.

Step 3 – Click on “Download for PC.”

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Step 4 – Click on “Accept and Install.” This will begin the download.

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Step 5 – After downloading the installation file& install it on your computer.

Step 6 – If Google Drive doesn’t open automatically on your PC& search for it on your PC and launch it.

Step 7 – Set up Google Drive on your PC by clicking “Get started.”

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Step 8 – Log in using your Google Drive account details. Keep clicking on “Next” until you reach the “sync options” page.

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Step 9 – Decide if you prefer syncing the whole drive or certain folders.

Step 10 – After this& click on “Start Sync” and the process begins.

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Part 3

Part 3: How to Sync Google Drive Shared Folder

When someone shares a file or folder with you on Google Drive& you see such items in the “Shared with me” folder. Usually& the files here will not sync with your local computer. The only way to make them sync is by adding them to the “My Drive” folder. Alternatively& you can add them to any other folder that is synced to your local drive.

Here’s how to do a “Google Drive sync shared folder to desktop” in steps:

Step 1 – Connect your computer to the internet.

Step 2 – Click on the “Google Drive” icon located on your computer. For a Mac PC& the icon will be in the menu bar sitting at the screen's top-right. On a Windows PC& you’d see it in the taskbar at the bottom-right of the screen.

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Step 3 – Click on the options button (3 vertical dots). It is located at the top-right edge of your screen.

Step 4 – Click on “Preferences.”

Step 5 – Click on “visit shared with me.”

Step 6 – The “shared with me” folder opens in your browser.

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Step 7 – Drag the folders and files into the “My Drive” folder that is already synced with your PC.

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There you go. The files and folders sync immediately with the folder on your computer.

Part 4

Part 4: How to Sync Files use Wondershare InClowdz

We are sure that all the methods above may seem quite complicated. Everyone wants a straightforward method& and that’s what we will introduce you to in this section. Ever heard of Wondershare InClowdz?

This app makes it easy to sync a local folder to Google Drive and vice versa. It also makes it easy to migrate files from one drive to another and manage files on your cloud drive. Interesting right?

Migrate, Sync, Manage Clouds Files in One Place

  • • Migrate cloud files such as photos, music, documents from one drive to another, like Dropbox to Google Drive.
  • • Backup your music, photos, videos in one could drive to another to keep files safe.
  • • Manage all cloud drives such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, box, and Amazon S3 in one place.
  • • Sync clouds files such as music, photos, videos, etc., from one cloud drive to another.

Here’s how to use Wondershare InClowdz to sync your files and folders:

Step 1 – Download Wondershare InClowdz to your computer and install it.

Step 2 – Launch the app and sign in using the right details. If this is your first time& take a few minutes to create an account.

Step 3 – Click on Management in the pane on the left side of the screen.

inclowdz

Step 4 – Add Google Drive and follow the on-screen instructions to authorize it.

inclowdz

Step 5 – Click on Google Drive within the app to open it. Select the files that you want to sync and right-click on them. Select the corresponding operation from the options menu.

Conclusion

Great job! Now you know how to sync a local folder to Google Drive in different ways. We have suggested that you make use of Wondershare InClowdz. This app makes the whole process very easy.

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