Google’s Drive for Desktop App Streamlines Files and Media Syncing, Replaces Backup, Sync

On Monday, Google publicised the new Drive for desktop available on Windows and macOS that allows you to back up and sync files across different gadgets with ease. Replacing Google Backup, Sync and Drive File Stream, the latest app provides you with an option to automatically sync your devices’ files to the cloud in the background, slashing the time it takes for you to retrieve synced files. 

Credit: Android Police

The contents of the cloud can be instantly accessed on your Mac or PC as well, helping you reduce storage space usage and cut down on network bandwidth. Aside from that, you can choose to sync external storage devices (e.g. flash drives or external hard drives) to the cloud.

This means that if you have enough storage on Google Drive, you could possibly even sync data from NAS devices and ensure that you have backups for your backups. As plenty of people would say when it comes to backups, two is one and one is none.

Credit: Google

Keeping up with work or school assignments will be a breeze with this revamped version of Drive. As Drive files will be stored in the cloud, edits that you or your collaborators made will be immediately reflected everywhere. As a result, you will be able to see revisions in real-time, regardless of whether you accessed the file through the cloud, the app or your local folder.

Integration with Microsoft Outlook and Meet is another feature that professionals or students can maximise. Here, they can schedule video meetings and view synchronous edits on Microsoft Office files.

In a couple of months, Drive for desktop will adopt features from Backup and Sync, which will be out of service starting 1 October 2021. So if you want to back up your files with Drive, be sure to migrate to the new app beforehand. 

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Written by Sophia Lopez