With Drive for desktop on macOS, you can:
- Access Drive from Finder
- Sync between local and cloud files
Important:
- When you sync files using Drive for desktop, you can choose to sync by streaming or mirroring. Learn what it means to mirror or stream your files.
- If you sync files on macOS with Drive for desktop, you may need to give macOS permission. Learn how to give macOS permission.
- If you stream files on macOS 12.1 and up, Drive for desktop uses File Provider to give your files built-in support. Learn more about File Provider.
- Check if your macOS version is supported by Drive for desktop to ensure full functionality. Learn which macOS versions Drive for desktop supports.
Give macOS permission to sync files
If you sync certain files, you might need to give macOS permission to access folders and devices. Those folders and devices include:
- Desktop, documents and downloads folders
- Removable and network volumes
- Your photo library
Drive for desktop requires permission to:
- Access folders or devices that you sync with Google Drive or back up to Google Photos
- Use real-time presence or a Bluetooth key to sign in
If you don't initially grant approval and later decide to sync a folder or device, go to 'System preferences' and change your privacy settings.
- On your computer, in the top left-hand corner, click the Apple
System settings
- Open Files and folders or Photos.
- Toggle the permission.
System settings Tip: For changes to take effect, you might need to restart Drive for desktop or your computer.
Use File Provider to stream Drive files
If you use macOS 12.1 and up with Drive for desktop to stream files, Drive for desktop uses macOS's File Provider technology to provide built-in support for cloud file systems like Drive.
To confirm that you're using File Provider:
- Open Drive for desktop.
- Click Settings
Preferences.
- At the top right, click Settings
.
- Under 'Google Drive streaming location', check if you see a notification that says 'Folder location is controlled by macOS'. If so, you are on File Provider. Otherwise, you are not.
Preferences.|
File Provider |
Legacy streaming method |
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Find your files |
You can find your files in the Finder sidebar, under 'Locations'. For advanced users: You can find them in '~/Library/CloudStorage' or '/Users/$USER/Library/CloudStorage' by default. You can't change this location. |
You can find your files in the Finder sidebar, under 'Favourites'. For advanced users: You can find them in '/Volumes/GoogleDrive' by default. You can change this location. |
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Drag-and-drop behaviour |
Dragging items in and out of a Google Drive folder will move them. The cloud file will be binned if moved out. |
Dragging items in and out of a Google Drive folder will copy them and keep the cloud version intact. |
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Spotlight search |
Spotlight search will only search a subset of your files, including any downloaded files. To search all files, use the Drive for desktop search tool or the Drive website. |
Spotlight only searches through your files if you explicitly turn on that functionality in preferences. Otherwise, it won't search at all. |
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Downloading files when syncing is paused |
When syncing is paused, you can't download files. |
When syncing is paused, you can download files. |
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File accessibility when Drive for desktop is not running |
Downloaded and locally created files are accessible when Drive for desktop isn't running. |
Downloaded and locally created files are not accessible when Drive for desktop isn't running. |
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QuickLook preview |
QuickLook previews only work for downloaded files (files without a cloud icon). |
QuickLook previews work for all files, assuming that you have an Internet connection. |
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File streaming |
In many settings, you can't stream files and you need to fully download files before you can examine them. This can cause delays when you examine larger files. |
File data can always be streamed. |
When you drag and drop a folder or file within Finder, that item moves from its original location to its new location, provided that both locations reside on the same disk volume. This remains true even when dragging the item in or out of the Drive for desktop file stream location.
Tip: To copy a file or folder, hold down the Option key and drag it to another location.
To enable Google Drive when using File Provider, you must give explicit approval. To approve:
- Open Finder.
- On the left, under 'Locations', click Google Drive.
- At the top right, click Enable.
You can also give permissions by clicking OK on the pop-up window.
If you do not enable Google Drive, you will not be able to stream your files using File Provider.
Google Drive is unable to start when it encounters a File Provider initialisation error. This error is an error from macOS. If you encounter this error:
- Update your macOS operating system to the latest version
- Restart your computer
