Once open, scroll down and expand the option for the respective computer type – Windows or Mac. Open Google’s dedicated page to deploy Google Drive for desktop.

We would like to point out that although Google claims that this feature has been added, we were unable to verify this as the option to do so has yet to be incorporated. It can be concluded from the table above that the major difference between the new Drive for desktop and Drive File Stream is support to synchronize individual local folders, which you previously couldn’t. ) Yes No Yes Backup photos and videos to Google Photos Yes No Yes Backup photos and videos directly to Google Photos (Opposed to Google Drive ) No No Yes Access multiple accounts simultaneously Yes No Yes Upload Apple Photos Library Yes No Yes Upload from USB Yes No Yes Dark mode No Yes Yes File extensions that you can ignore Yes No No Comparison of Google Drive synchronization apps ) Yes Yes Yes See who’s editing (real-time ) No Yes Yes Integrates with Microsoft Outlook, Meet scheduling No Yes Yes Sync local folders (Documents, Desktop, etc. Let us dig into the detailed comparison using the table below: Backup and Sync File Stream Drive for desktop Use the files in My Drive Yes Yes Yes Use files in shared drives No Yes, if your plan includes shared drivers or you’re invited to a shared drive Yes, if your plan includes shared drivers or you’re invited to a shared drive Sync only selected folders in My Drive to your computer Yes No, but you can stream files instead to save disk space No, but you can stream files instead to save disk space Sync only individual files in My Drive for offline use No Yes Yes Open and store non-Google files (Microsoft Office, etc.

However, with the addition of another similar application (Drive for desktop), we feel that it is important to compare all of them to understand why Microsoft felt the need for a unified app in the first place.Īll three apps are used to backup and sync data between a computer and the cloud. We have already discussed the major differences in File Stream and Backup and Sync. Difference between Google Drive for desktop, File Stream, and Backup and Sync Let us continue to see what changes have been made to Google Drive for desktop so far and what is intended, and how it is different from the older versions.

Install google drive mac