What can you do with Google Drive for desktop

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To upload large amounts of data or make a lot of files available offline, we recommend using Backup and Sync  or Google Drive instead.

If you prefer to work on non-Google formatted files from your desktop, you can install Google Drive for desktop if your administrator has it turned on. Then, you can access uploaded files in any browser or device that has Drive installed.

If you uninstall Drive for desktop, your Drive files won’t be affected. You can still access the files from Drive on the web.

Not sure whether to use Drive for desktop or Backup and Sync?

For a comparison of Backup and Sync and Drive for desktop, see Compare Backup and Sync & Drive for desktop.

What you need:
10 minutes
 Google Workspace account—Don't have one? Start your free 14-day trial today.

Contents

Section 1: Install and set up Drive for desktop 1.1 Install Drive for desktop 1.2 Pause syncing 1.3 Check your sync status Section 2: Access your files 2.1 Open your files 2.2 Search for files 2.3 Access your files from any device 2.4 Access your files off-line 2.5 Avoid version conflicts in Office files Section 3: Manage your files 3.1 Create folders 3.2 Move files to folders 3.3 Update Drive files on your computer 3.4 Delete your files 3.5 Restore deleted files

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