Google Drive for desktop release notes archive

These release notes include additions and improvements for versions of Google Drive for desktop older than 18 months. For the most recent release notes, go here instead.

June 23, 2022 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 60.0

Multiple improvements to the performance and stability of macOS users on File Provider.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

June 2, 2022 - Introducing Client-side encryption

Windows and macOS: Version 59.0

Drive for desktop now supports Google Workspace Client-side encryption (CSE). Synced encrypted files appear as shortcuts on Windows and symbolic links on Mac. Additionally, users whose licenses support CSE can encrypt and upload local files to Google Drive. Learn more about Client-side encryption
Note: This capability will be rolled out to users on File Provider in a future release.
Users can now use a configurable keyboard shortcut to search their Drive files. The following mappings are set by default:
- Windows: Ctrl+Alt+g
- MacOS: ⌘+Option+g
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements

Update on September 20, 2022 for macOS users:

macOS users can use Spotlight to search for files in Google Drive for desktop. Spotlight is automatically on for users on File Provider (how to identify if you're on File Provider). Users not on File Provider can manually turn it on:

Open Drive for desktop.
Click Settings Preferences.
At the top right, click Settings .
Turn on Enable Spotlight to search streaming files.

File Provider can only find files that users viewed in Finder locally.

May 12, 2022 - Introducing macOS File Provider support in Drive for desktop

Windows and macOS: Version 58.0

Users who stream their My Drive can now view how hard drive space is utilized and unpin files so space can be reclaimed if needed. You can access the dashboard to manage storage by opening Drive for desktop, clicking settings and selecting Offline Files.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

Update on May 27, 2022 for macOS users:

Starting with version 58, Drive for desktop will be rolling out a change that impacts macOS users over the next few releases. This update adds support for File Provider, a feature introduced by Apple in macOS 12.3 which provides native support for accessing cloud-based file systems like Google Drive. These changes will not impact the core capabilities of Drive for desktop but users will notice some slight changes in the functionality of the product.

For more information on these changes and their impact, see Use File Provider with Drive for desktop.

April 15, 2022 - Improved notifications

Windows and macOS: Version 57.0

Users can now dismiss “Storage Full” notifications.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

Note: Some Mac users can't create shared drives in Drive for desktop. As a workaround, they can create shared drives in their browser at drive.google.com. This issue will be resolved in a future release.

Update on May 20, 2022: Users can now toggle if Google Drive appears in the sidebar in Finder (macOS 10.15.7 and higher) or in the Quick Access Menu (Win10) from Preferences. Note: Workspace customers will need to be on macOS 12+ or Apple Silicon to use this capability.

March 15, 2022 - Pooled Storage Notifications

Windows and macOS: Version 56.0

Added alert notifications when Google Workspace users are nearing their organization’s storage limit, or are at the limit. Learn more about How Google Workspace storage works.
Resolved a real-time presence issue some customers experienced while editing PowerPoint files in Google Drive.
Improved appearance of search box when using multiple monitors.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

January 27, 2022 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 55.0

Windows and macOS: Users can now search all their Drive content from the Drive for desktop UI
macOS: Resolved an issue when connecting a camera.
Resolved an issue where a USB device can block Drive from loading.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

Note: Drive for desktop native search requires version 50 or above.

Ending support for older versions: Support has ended for versions of Drive released more than 12 months ago. Users with Drive for desktop versions 40 through 46 must upgrade to remain supported.

December 14, 2021 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 54.0

Improved in-app notifications to better communicate OS requirement changes and support users in error states.
Added a notification for Windows users if security update KB4474419 is not installed.
Added ability for a user to select a different browser than the computer default when authenticating or opening “Learn More” links. For more information on how to do this, visit this article.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.
Update: To resolve an issue found in 54.0, we have released 54.0.3 to users on January 11th, 2022. If you are experiencing issues with 54.0.0 - 54.0.2, please update to the latest version of Drive for desktop.

Important : Drive for desktop has ended support for macOS 10.11 and 10.12. Please upgrade to a supported version (10.13 High Sierra or newer) to continue using Drive for Desktop.

Important: Windows 7 users must install Microsoft's security update KB4474419 to remain supported and continue receiving updates.

November 22, 2021 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 53.0

Expanded accessibility capabilities including improving keyboard navigation, labels, and more.
Resolved an issue when syncing zip files.
Improved UI when navigating between preferences and help windows.
Users can now navigate to advanced settings when editing a Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint file saved in Google Drive for desktop.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

Important : Drive for desktop will be ending support for macOS 10.11 and 10.12 in December of 2021. Please upgrade to a supported version of macOS before that date to continue using Drive for Desktop.

Important: Windows 7 users must install Microsoft's security update KB4474419 to remain supported and continue receiving updates.

October 14, 2021 - Full Apple silicon (M1) Mac support

Windows and macOS: Version 52.0

Implemented full support for Apple silicon (M1) Mac computers.
Improved accessibility of folders and files created offline.
Added support for some cameras to back up to Drive for desktop.
Added ability to manage and purchase additional cloud storage from within Drive for desktop.
Improved sync performance when connecting to a network after working offline.
Improved progress messaging when uploading files to Drive for desktop from a USB device.
Added ability to call SIP phones via Meet plug-in.

August 26, 2021 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 51.0

Improved unsupported file type messaging when transitioning from Backup and Sync.
Improved error handling when transitioning from Backup and Sync.
Added ability for a user to ignore USB devices in Preferences.
Improved stability of Mac when starting Drive for desktop.
Updated Photos language in Advanced Settings.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

August 11, 2021 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 50.0

Improved error handling when transitioning from Backup and Sync.
Improved text for various error messages.
Improved error list interface.
When submitting user feedback, added feedback submission status.
Added validation of proper mount point configuration.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

June 12, 2021 - Drive for desktop support for Backup and Sync features

Windows and macOS: Version 49.0

We added the following functionality to Drive for desktop:

Ability to sync local folders (like Documents or Desktop) to Google Drive, backup to Google Photos, or both.*
Capability to sync files from external drives (for example, USB) to Google Drive, backup to Google Photos, or both.*
Added a guided flow to transition settings from Backup and Sync to Drive for desktop.*
Ability to sign in with up to four Google accounts at once.
Added notification explaining that Live Photos only get synced as a static photo.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

*Note: These new features in Drive for desktop will not be available to users in organizations where Backup and Sync is disabled.

Learn more about the changes in this blog post.

May 20, 2021 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 48.0

Improved integration with Spotlight search on macOS to increase relevancy of results.
Improved support for Apple silicon (M1) devices (beta).
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

April 5, 2021 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 47.0

Improved clarity on error messages and notifications.
Improved loading time for Google Docs files opened from Drive for desktop.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

February 22, 2021 - Apple silicon (M1) beta

Windows and macOS: Version 46.0

Google Drive for desktop version 46.0 supports Apple silicon (M1) devices in an open beta capacity.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

January 29, 2021 - Google Drive for desktop

Windows and macOS: Version 45.0.12.0

Drive File Stream is now Google Drive for desktop. The branding in the product has also been updated to Google Workspace, the new name for G Suite.
- The mount point path remains the same, so you can still find all your files in the same places, but shortcuts to the application have been renamed to Google Drive.
- On macOS, the application name has been changed to Google Drive. No application name changes on Windows.
Note: Some macOS users report when upgrading from version 44 to 45 of Drive for desktop a “Keychain Not Found” error stating “A keychain cannot be found to store <key number>.” DO NOT click Reset to Defaults. Instead, click Cancel, quit Google Drive for desktop, and restart the application to resolve this issue.
Update: Some macOS 10.11 users reported compatibility issues when upgrading to 45.0.12.0. This issue has been resolved in 45.0.13.0 which was released to users on February 9, 2021.
We are also launching a Drive for desktop Beta. Learn more about the Beta and how to sign up in this form. And learn more about Upcoming changes to Google Drive sync clients.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

November 20, 2020 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 44.0

Optimized uploads to reduce CPU use.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

October 15, 2020 - Additional Google Docs support

Windows and macOS: Version 43.0

On Windows, arbitrary empty folders can now be configured through the registry to use as a Drive File Stream mount point. See “DefaultMountPoint” in Configure Drive File Stream.
"Open with Google Drive" in the right click context menu now opens in Google Docs instead of Google Drive Preview for Microsoft Office files (doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsm, xlsx).
Jamboard files are now supported in Drive File Stream. Double-clicking a .gjam file opens it up in Jamboard.
Refreshed Google Docs file icons
Drive File Stream version 43 and above supports macOS 11 Big Sur. Drive File Stream does not yet support Apple M1 devices.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

September 3, 2020 - Support for subfolder sharing in Drive

Windows and macOS: Version 42.0

Drive File Stream now supports folder sharing in shared drives. Learn more.
Drive File Stream users can now cancel file uploads.
Drive File Stream now supports opening files from drive.google.com that aren’t in My Drive or shared drives (such as files “Shared with me”). You can do this by going to drive.google.comright click on an item and select Open with. If this option is supported by your computer, you can select Apps on your computer to open your file in Drive File Stream. You may also be prompted to create a shortcut to this new file.
Shortcuts can now be created from the context menu of the file or folder.
Drive File Stream now supports showing previous versions of a file through the context menu.
Subfolder sharing improvements.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

July 23, 2020 - Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 41.0

Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

June 16, 2020 - Easily create Google Docs

Windows and macOS: Version 40.0

Drive File Stream now supports creating Google Docs from the Windows context menu
Fixed a performance issue related to Spotlight scans upon remount in macOS
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

May 18, 2020 — Meet plugin

Windows and macOS: Version 39.0

Drive File Stream for Windows includes a Microsoft Office plugin that lets users schedule Google Meet video meetings directly in MicrosoftOutlook Calendar.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

April 22, 2020 — Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 38.0

Drive File Stream will not use excessive bandwidth when many large files are marked "Available offline".
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

March 6, 2020 — Support for subfolder sharing alpha in Drive

Windows and macOS: Version 37.0

Subfolder sharing alpha program is now closed. Please upgrade to version 42 to continue using subfolder sharing.
Drive File Stream now supports folder sharing in shared drives if you're a member of the folder sharing alpha program.
Optimized experience for uploading many small files.
Drive File Stream users can now limit the download and upload rate in Settings.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

January 16, 2020 — Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 36.0

Drive File Stream now supports Mac OS X Dark Mode.
Better handling when a user signs out of Drive File Stream with pending uploads.
Fixed a Windows issue preventing Drive File Stream from launching after restarting the computer.
Fixed an issue where Drive File Stream wouldn’t restart after switching accounts.
Properly handling certificate override for all Windows versions, including Windows 10.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

November 18, 2019 — Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 35.0

Additional bug fixes and performance improvements. (No major updates.)

October 9, 2019 — Support for Drive shortcuts

Windows and macOS: Version 34.0

Drive File Stream now displays shortcuts in Drive if you're a member of the shortcuts beta program.
Drive File Stream now supports improved automatic recovery if local databases become corrupted on the file system.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

August 14, 2019 — Notifications tab

Windows and macOS: Version 33.0

Drive File Stream notifications now contain more helpful information, and in many cases allow users to take action right from the notification. These messages appear in a new “Notifications” tab in the Drive File Stream menu.
If a user changes the default mount point in the preferences dialog, they can now click Reset to restore the original value.
Fixed several small bugs affecting the new Drive File Stream user interface.
Fixed an issue where the Outlook plugin was accidentally disabled.
Fixed an issue where some user interface elements were not verbalized to screen readers.
Fixed an issue where Drive File Stream onboarding messages were not shown to some users.
The Drive File Stream icon no longer disappears when switching accounts.
Fixed an issue that led users to repeatedly see a “Can't complete action” dialog when editing PowerPoint files.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

July 1, 2019 — Bug fix release

Windows and macOS: Version 32.0

Drive File Stream now warns users when they attempt to disconnect their account while they still have files that haven't yet been uploaded to Google Drive. Disconnecting your account deletes the account directory on your machine, including the files that haven't uploaded yet.
Fixed an issue where multiple Drive File Stream volumes were seen in Finder on macOS.
Fixed an issue where files in some shared drives were slow to receive updates.
Fixed an issue where some file names written in Korean caused folders to appear empty.
Fixed an issue that prevented some users from logging in on macOS.
Users can now turn on verbose logging in Drive File Stream to help troubleshoot issues with support. To enable or disable logging, hold Shift and click the gear menu.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

May 15, 2019 — Material redesign

Windows & macOS: Version 31.0

Drive File Stream has a new look, following Google’s latest Material style. This redesign is intended to make it easier for users to see the latest changes to their files and configure Drive File Stream preferences.
Beginning on May 31st, Team Drives are now shared drives. This name change will change the path to items in shared drives, and desktop shortcuts should be updated to reflect these new paths. Learn more in our blog post.
Hidden shared drives no longer appear in Drive File Stream.
Drive File Stream now warns users explicitly when they sign out before all changes have synced to Drive.
On Windows, Drive File Stream now includes desktop shortcuts to Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides by default, on installation. Administrators can turn shortcuts off by adding the --gsuite_shortcuts=false parameter to the Drive File Stream installer.
On macOS, Drive File Stream now also installs .app shortcuts for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to the Applications folder.
Improved thumbnail performance for images, movies, and PDF files. Also disabled thumbnails for other file formats, where users gave us feedback that they are less useful and more likely to trigger unwanted network traffic.
Fixed an issue where updating to macOS 10.14.5 caused Drive File Stream to fail to start. With this release some macOS users will be prompted to re-approve Drive File Stream’s kernel extension in System Preferences.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

March 27, 2019 — Easily open non-Google files from the Drive web app

Windows & macOS: Version 30.1

Drive File Stream now includes a Microsoft Outlook plug-in. This allows users to attach Drive files to emails, save attachments to Drive, and check permissions when sending links. Learn more
Drive File Stream now supports installation on Windows Server 2012+, with support for desktop virtualization use cases.
Drive File Stream now uses cached content more efficiently, resulting in faster downloads that use less network bandwidth.
You can now control the amount of local space used by Drive File Stream's cache by setting the MinFreeDiskSpaceKBytes configuration parameter. Learn more
Users will now see an error if they make more content available offline than can fit on the local hard disk.
Fixed an issue where some shared drives did not update to reflect changes in Google Drive.
Fixed an issue that prevented some users from renaming shared drives.
Fixed an issue that prevented some users from starting Drive File Stream.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

January 28, 2019 — Easily open non-Google files from the Drive web app

Windows & macOS: Version 29.1

With Drive File Stream version 29.1 or higher installed, you can now right click non-Google files in the Drive web application and open them with local applications on your computer, like Microsoft Word. Learn more in the Help Center.
Drive File Stream now supports NTLM and Kerberos authenticated proxies.
Users can now access the preferences dialog while signed out of the application.
Users can now reset their user preferences to the defaults. From the Drive File Stream menu , hold Shift and click MoreReset User Preferences.
Drive File Stream will now allow users to undo an action that may have been unintentional, like removing items from a shared folder or shared drive.
Fixed an issue where Drive File Stream failed to mount for some users.
Fixed an issue where some users with Symantec Endpoint Protection installed were not able to run Drive File Stream.
The Drive File Stream user interface now supports the Burmese and Welsh languages.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

October 17, 2018 — Real-time Presence

Windows & macOS: Version 28.1

Drive File Stream now includes real-time presence in Microsoft Office, which lets users see who’s editing Office files from Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Learn about real-time presence in the announcement blog post and the Help Center.
Fixed an issue that prevented users from searching Drive File Stream with Spotlight.
Added support for macOS Mojave (10.14).
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

September 19, 2018 — Preferences dialog

Windows & macOS: Version 27.1

Drive File Stream now includes a user preferences dialog. This lets users set their own preferences for the local cached files directory, Drive File Stream mount location, and more. From the Drive File Stream menu , click More Preferences. The options to switch or disconnect your account have been moved from the More menu to Preferences. User preferences take precedence over host-level defaults. With this release, administrators can also configure override values. Setting an override will prevent users from customizing this value.
Drive File Stream will now use the local operating system trash folder. This means that users who accidentally delete an item can easily recover it with the built-in “undo” function (CTRL+Z on Windows, CMD+Z on macOS).
Drive File Stream now uploads content in parallel, increasing upload speeds by up to 3x.
Users can now quickly copy an item’s link to their clipboard from the right-click menu.
Users can now click an item in the Drive File Stream status window to view the item in macOS Finder or Windows Explorer.
Fixed an issue where user selection of “Don’t show this again” didn't persist after Drive File Stream was restarted.
Fixed an issue where the list of shared drives you have access to didn't update correctly.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

July 24, 2018 — Smarter cache support and proxy improvements

Windows & macOS: Version 26.1

Drive File Stream is now smarter in how it handles offline files. Before this release, Drive File Stream cached offline files, using up to 10GB of storage space. Drive File Stream now guarantees that it won't use more than 20% of the free local disk space when caching files. Note: This feature is rolling out slowly, and might not be visible to all users for several weeks after release.
Drive File Stream has moved to a new versioning scheme. Starting with version 26.1, each regular release of Drive File Stream will increment the major version number, similar to Chrome.
Users can now search Drive File Stream with Spotlight.
Fixed an issue where some large PowerPoint or Excel files failed to open consistently.
Users can now save Adobe After Effects files to Drive File Stream.
Fixed an issue on macOS where Drive File Stream did not respect the bypass list of hosts and domains supplied in System Preferences.
Fixed an issue on macOS where Office documents saved from Drive File Stream appeared as ZIP archives in the Drive web application.
Fixed an issue where users weren't able to switch accounts if their current account was not allowed to use Drive File Stream.
Proxy settings deployed via Web Proxy Auto Discovery are now properly applied.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

May 7, 2018 — Right-click to share

Windows: 25.252.280.1656 | macOS: 25.252.280.1658

You can now right-click a file in Drive File Stream to share with Google Drive. (This feature is rolling out slowly to all users.)
Fixed an issue where proxy settings deployed via Web Proxy Auto Discovery on macOS were not being reflected in Drive File Stream.
Fixed an issue where proxy settings changed without using the macOS default command.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

March 21, 2018 — Bug fix release

Windows: 25.196.222.1747 | macOS: 25.196.225.242

Windows

Fixed system slowdowns when copying fonts or viewing font folders with large icons.
Fixed slowdowns in Windows Explorer when working with Microsoft Office files.
Added a --force_stop option to the uninstaller, to quit Drive File Stream if it's running. To learn more, see Uninstall Drive File Stream.

macOS

Fixed an issue where Microsoft Word files were incorrectly recognized as zip files when uploaded from macOS.
Configuration settings are no longer ignored on macOS 10.11 (El Capitan).
Fixed a problem with extracting files from a zip file.

All platforms

Fixed an issue with system slowdowns when using Drive File Stream with ESET-based Virus Checkers.
Users can now move files between 2 shared drives.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

February 22, 2018 — Customize cache location, set bandwidth, and pause syncing

Windows: 25.157.185.3 | macOS: 25.157.185.1505

You can now customize the content cache location for Drive File Stream to any directory on a connected APFS, HFS+, or NTFS file system. For details, see Configure Drive File Stream.
You can also now limit the upload and download bandwidth of Drive File Stream. See Configure Drive File Stream.
Users can now pause syncing. While paused, Drive File Stream will not upload local changes to Google Drive, and new versions of files made available offline will not be downloaded. From the Drive File Stream menu , click MorePause Syncing.
Users can now provide diagnostic logs when they submit feedback. From the Drive File Stream menu , click MoreSubmit Feedback. In the feedback window, check Include diagnostic logs. To inspect the logs that will be included, click the "diagnostic logs" link.
Bug fixes and performance improvements.

January 30, 2018 — Customize mount location and proxy settings

Windows: 25.157.165.2150 | macOS: 25.157.172.2329

You can now customize Drive File Stream using the registry on Windows or the defaults command on macOS. These configurations can be set at the user or host level, and persist when Drive File Stream restarts. With this release, you can customize the default letter drive on Windows, the mount point on macOS, and proxy settings. For details, see Configure Drive File Stream.
Fixed an issue where some users with custom SSO configurations were not able to sign in.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

December 10, 2017 — Stability release

Windows: 25.102.133.409 | macOS: 25.102.133.222

Drive File Stream now supports systems with Internet Explorer 8 installed.
The user interface has migrated to use Chromium Embedded Framework, for increased reliability.
The Drive File Stream menu now indicates when Drive File Stream is offline.
Fixed an issue where some users were experiencing problems saving files in Acrobat Reader format.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

November 15, 2017 — Windows bug fix release

Windows: 25.1.99.2312

Fixed an issue where some users were getting signed out periodically.
Fixed an issue where some users experienced problems saving files using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

November 2, 2017 — Bug fix release

Windows: 25.1.92.1924 | macOS: 25.1.95.1717

Fixed an issue where machines running Windows 10 Fall Creators Update or the latest version of Microsoft Office had trouble saving files.
Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

September 26, 2017 — Initial release

Windows: 25.1.53.29 | macOS: 25.1.53.30

Stream terabytes of files from the cloud, thereby using hardly any disk space.
Access shared drives and My Drive from Drive File Stream.
Mark files, folders, and shared drives for offline access.
Mounts as a letter drive on Windows and a Volume on macOS, just like a network drive.

_{Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.}

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