Google Drive

[Hawkmoon]

Does anyone use it?

I have a Google Drive account, and I have some documents in it. I would like to be able to see my Google Drive from within Windows File Explorer, just as I can see Dropbox, pCloud, and OneDrive. Supposedly this is possible if you install Google's Backup & Sync app. I just did that, and the files that show up in that aren't the same files I see when I access my Google Drive on-line.

I don't want to back up anything to Google Drive, and I don't want to sync anything with Google Drive. I just want to ba able to access it so I can save files to it and open files from it. Isn't there a way to map Google Drive as a logical drive and just use it that way?

[zxcvbob]

I have looked for the same thing, and I don't think it's available; at least for regular users.  Might be available in the enterprise version, or whatever they call it.  I do use google drive anyway, I just go to drive.google.com to access my stuff.

[zxcvbob]

There's a product called NetDrive that will probably do it, but it's not free.  About $20/yr for a single user license.

[Hawkmoon]

There's a product called NetDrive that will probably do it, but it's not free.  About $20/yr for a single user license.

I found another utility that claims to do it, too, but I'm not in a position to pay for or subscribe to something that just gets me to what should be easy to do for free.

[cordex]

Get Google Drive for Desktop

This shows the difference between the two:
https://support.google.com/drive/answer/7638428?hl=en

That said, Backup and Sync will do it too.  If you aren’t seeing your files you probably aren’t looking in the right spot or are logged in with a second account.

[MechAg94]

We use Google Drive at work.  It works great for storing files, sharing files, allowing group access, and simultaneous access like during meetings or training.  My biggest hang up with it at work is my company didn't pay for a PDF editor to run as a Google app so I still use my hard drive and go back and forth.  Our system will only run files off Google drive in Google Apps. 

In my experience, our set up at work doesn't do drag and drop very well.  It is similar, but not the same.  We were asked to move our shared drive stuff to a different Google drive (team drive) and it won't let me just move it.  I have to download folders and then re-upload them to the new drive. 

The only other thing is if you want to open a new file just as a scratch file to do some temporary notes or figuring, Google will save it.  With Excel, I can open a file, do some quick calcs, then close without saving and there never is a file.  Minor thing. 

[Hawkmoon]

Get Google Drive for Desktop

This shows the difference between the two:
https://support.google.com/drive/answer/7638428?hl=en

That said, Backup and Sync will do it too.  If you aren’t seeing your files you probably aren’t looking in the right spot or are logged in with a second account.

Aha. Yes, Google Drive for Desktop did it, thanks. Backup & Sync did NOT do it. That;'s what I tried when I had two different sets of files -- and I verified that I was (supposedly) logged onto the same account.

[zxcvbob]

Aha. Yes, Google Drive for Desktop did it, thanks. Backup & Sync did NOT do it. That;'s what I tried when I had two different sets of files -- and I verified that I was (supposedly) logged onto the same account.

Does GDD create a virtual drive linked to your cloud storage, or to the local copy of your synced files?  (I have sync disabled; I don't have local copies)

[Hawkmoon]

Does GDD create a virtual drive linked to your cloud storage, or to the local copy of your synced files?  (I have sync disabled; I don't have local copies)

It's mapped to the cloud. There's supposed to be a way to tag files for off-line access but I haven't looked into that yet.