Published 2022-06-22 by TechNet New England
Google Drive for Desktop syncs your Google Drive files to your computer so you can access them directly from File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac). ## Install Google Drive for Desktop 1. Go to [google.com/drive/download](https://www.google.com/drive/download/). 2. Click **Download Drive for Desktop**. 3. Run the installer. 4. Sign in with your Google account (or Google Workspace account for work). 5. Complete MFA if prompted. ## How It Works After installation, a **Google Drive** virtual drive appears: **Windows:** A new drive letter (like G:) appears in File Explorer labeled "Google Drive." **Mac:** "Google Drive" appears in the Finder sidebar under Locations. Inside, you will see: **My Drive**: Your personal Google Drive files. **Shared drives**: Team drives (if your organization uses Google Workspace). Files are streamed from the cloud by default. They appear as if they are on your computer, but they are downloaded only when you open them. This saves disk space. ## Make Files Available Offline If you need files available without internet: 1. Right-click a file or folder in the Google Drive folder. 2. Select **Offline access > Available offline**. The file will be downloaded and synced locally. ## Sync Settings 1. Click the **Google Drive icon** in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac). 2. Click the **gear icon > Preferences**. 3. Under **Google Drive**, choose: **Stream files**: Files are in the cloud and downloaded on demand (recommended for most users). **Mirror files**: All files are downloaded to your computer (uses more disk space but works fully offline). ## Troubleshooting **Google Drive not appearing in File Explorer/Finder:** Restart the Google Drive for Desktop app. If it still does not appear, sign out and sign back in. **Files not syncing:** Click the Google Drive icon in the system tray/menu bar and look for error messages. Common causes include insufficient cloud storage, files that are too large, or files with characters in the name that are not supported. **Two Google accounts:** You can sign in to multiple Google accounts in Google Drive for Desktop. Each account's files appear under its own section within the Google Drive folder. **"Access denied" on a shared file:** You may not have edit permission. Ask the file owner to share it with edit access.