Google has been doing its part to make sure everyone has a backup of important data, and it recently released a new tool for Windows and Mac users to take that redundancy to the next level. Appropriately named Backup and Sync, it’s a quick and effective tool to store your important files in the cloud.
Backup & Sync Replaces Google Drive and Google Photos Uploader
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Before we get into it, let’s first talk a little bit about what Backup and Sync actually is. If you’re a heavy Google user, you’re probably already aware of Google’s other sync tools: Google Drive and Google Photos Uploader. Those have both now been rolled into Backup and Sync, so you can control all of your files, videos, images, and more from one app. This is where you’ll control which folders from your Drive are synced to and from your PC or Mac, as well as specifying which image folders should get backed up to your Photos library.
Google Drive is really the core of the Backup and Sync tool, so if you never used the Drive app then a bit of explanation may be in order. Essentially, this new tool will allow you to sync your Google Drive cloud storage with your computer—be that the entire Drive or just specific files and folders. These are then treated as local files on the computer, so your important stuff is always up to date on every computer you own (and in the cloud).
The only exception here are Google Docs files (Sheets, Docs, Slides)—those are still online-only, as Backup and Sync will not download them for offline access. It will, however, put icons in the Google Drive folder so you can double-click them as if they were normal documents (you’ll just need an internet connection to view and edit them.)
Backup and Sync also adds one more tool to the equation: the option to back up specific folders from your PC or Mac to your Google Drive. For example, I use Google Drive to store almost everything, so it’s accessible from all of my other device. But the screenshots folder on my Windows machine isn’t in my Drive folder—it’s in my PC’s Pictures folder. With Backup and Sync, I can then access folder on any of my other devices, any time.
Sound awesome? It is. Here’s how to set it up and get everything synced.
Step One: Download and Install Backup and Sync
Naturally, the first thing you’ll need to do is actually download the Backup and Sync tool. Make sure to grab the appropriate download for your device (Mac or PC). If you already have Google Drive installed, don’t worry—this tool will automatically replace it, no uninstallation necessary.
It should download pretty quickly, and you’ll just need to launch the installer when it’s finished. If you’re using Google Chrome (as you should be), just click the download button at the bottom of the page.
A few seconds later, Backup and Sync will be installed. When it was finished, mine told me to restart my computer for reasons unknown to me—I didn’t do it, and everything still worked fine. Take that, Google.
If you previously had the Google Drive app installed, Backup and Sync should automatically log in to your Google Account. If not, you’ll need to log in. After that, a quick splash screen will let you know what the app is all about: backing up your stuff. Click “Got it” to move into the app.
Step Two: Choose Which Folders Will Get Synced from Google Drive
The Backup and Sync tool is split up into two main sections:
Let’s start with the Google Drive section first—it’s second in the list, but it’s much simpler and will be familiar to anyone who’s used Google Drive in the past.
You have a few specific options in this menu. You can:
These are really straightforward—just choose what you’d like to sync and be done with it.
Step Three: Choose Other Folders On You PC to Sync
Next, let’s look at the My Computer section, where you can select other folders on your PC to sync. There are a few options already available here: Desktop, Documents, and Pictures. You can simply tick the box next to the option to completely back up everything from that location to your Google Drive. Simple.
But if you’d like to get a little more granular and only back up a certain folder, you can do this by clicking the “Choose Folder” option. Just navigate to the folder you’d like to back up, and click “Select Folder.” That’s all there is to it.
NOTE: Files you sync from outsdie your Drive folder won’t show up in Drive alongside all your other files. To access those files, head to Google Drive on the web and click on “My Computers” in the left menu. This option is also available in the Drive mobile apps.
If you want a file or folder to show up under “My Drive”, you’ll need to sync it the old-fashioned way: by putting it inside the Google Drive folder on your PC.
Step Four: Tweak Your Photo Uploading Settings
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Below the folder options in the “My Computer” section, you can also specify how you’d like to back up images (if you choose to back up images from your PC, of course): Original Quality, which will take up space in your Drive, or High Quality, which won’t take up any space in your Drive. The latter uses intelligent compression algorithms to shrink the size of the image without reducing quality, the same as it does in the Google Photos app on Android and iOS devices.
You can also specify how you’d like to control delete options: Remove Items Everywhere, Don’t Remove Items Everywhere, or Ask Me Before Removing Items Everywhere. The last option is set as the default, which really makes the most sense anyway. Feel free to change this according to your specific needs.
Lastly, you can tick the box in the Google Photos section to automatically scan your computer for new pictures and upload them to Google Photos. There’s also a small option at the bottom labeled “USB Devices & SD Cards,” which you can use to automatically upload files from your digital camera or USB drives if you’d like. Just plug in the drive or card and specify what you’d like to do with it.
A Few Additional Notes about Backup and Sync
That’s really all there is to Backup and Sync, but there are a couple of other things worth mentioning:
That’s pretty much it, really. It’s a simple tool.
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iCloud Drive is Apple's answer to a cloud-based storage system. It syncs with your Files app on iPhone and iPad. Over the years, it has improved a lot in terms of usability, including working across various platforms. If you've been storing files in another storage service, like Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive and you want to condense down to just iCloud Drive, you can easily move all of your data with just a few steps.
How to move data from Dropbox to iCloud Drive on a Mac
Dropbox automatically creates a Favorites shortcut in the sidebar of your Finder window, so you can drag and drop files on your Mac.
Your files will sync with iCloud Drive and be removed from Dropbox. If you change your mind (like you forgot you were sharing a folder with someone), you can always drag files and folders back from iCloud Drive into Dropbox the same way.
How to move data from Google Drive to iCloud Drive on a Mac
After you've download Google's Backup and Sync app for Mac and set it up, Google Drive automatically creates a Favorites shortcut in the sidebar of your Finder window, so you can drag and drop files on your Mac.
Then it's not until you're running out of space that you go through the steps to manually empty the trash to delete all its content for good.Although there are number of ways you can configure the Recycle Bin on (and previous versions), emptying the trash on schedule is not one of them. Change recycle bin permissions. It only gets moved to the Recycle Bin, which continues to use valuable space on the hard drive.Even though chances are you already know how to empty the Recycle Bin, you often forget to do such a simple task. In this, we'll walk you through the steps to automatically empty the Recycle Bin using the Task Scheduler to keep the hard drive space optimized, while giving you enough time to recover deleted files.
Your files will sync with iCloud Drive and be removed from Google Drive. If you change your mind, you can always drag files and folders back from iCloud Drive into Google Drive the same way.
A note about Google Drive and macOS High Sierra
While Google's Backup and Sync previously only worked with the older HFS+ file system, the utility has recently been updated to work with the Apple File System (APFS).
How to move data from OneDrive to iCloud Drive on a Mac
One Drive does not automatically create a Favorites shortcut in the sidebar of your Finder window, but you can manually create one.
After you have created a Favorites shortcut for OneDrive in your Finder window's sidebar, you can easily move files to iCloud Drive.
Your files will sync with iCloud Drive and be removed from OneDrive. If you change your mind, you can always drag files and folders back from iCloud Drive into OneDrive the same way.
How to copy files from Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive into iCloud Drive
If you don't want to actually remove files from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive, but want a secondary security measure for backing up your data, you can make copies of files.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions about how to migrate files and folders from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive to iCloud Drive? Post them in the comments section and I'll help you out.
Update September, 2017: Updated the note about APFS in macOS High Sierra, as Google Backup and Sync now works with the newer file system.
macOSMain
Updated September 2017: Added a note about Google Drive and APFS compatibility in macOS High Sierra.
Now that Google Drive storage is stupid-cheap (e.g., two bucks per month for 100GB), you might be wondering about its viability as a backup tool.
It's viable. Though you can't use it to clone an entire hard drive (not a good idea with any cloud-storage service), you can use it for the next best thing: preserving your important data.
All you need is Google's desktop sync utility, which, not unlike Dropbox, adds a special folder to your hard drive that acts as a two-way conduit. Any files or folders you put there will get synced to your Google Drive, and any files or folders you add to your Google Drive will get synced back to that special folder on your PC. Here's how to get started.
Step one: Download and install the Google Drive utility (available for Windows and Mac). For purposes of this tutorial, I loaded the Windows version. Certain aspects may be a bit different for Mac users, but fundamentally it's all the same.
Step two: Run the program, then sign into your Google account. Click through the various setup screens (which provide a few details on using the tool), then click Done when you get to the 'You're all set!' page.
Step three: Your Google Drive will open immediately within an Explorer window, allowing you to peruse all the documents currently stored there. Indeed, Google Drive is now accessible as a folder on your hard drive, available under your username (within the Explorer hierarchy) and in your Explorer Favorites list.
Now, as noted above, you can drag any files or folders to this Google Drive folder to have them 'backed up' to your Drive account. So, for example, if you currently save all your Word files to, say, Documents > Word Docs, you would simply drag Word Docs to Google Drive. Just remember, though, that the next time you start Word, you'll need to access your files via Google Drive > Word Docs, not the previous location. And make sure you save new documents there as well so they get synced to Google Drive.
Needless to say, this can require a bit of fiddling with your regular workflow. Google Drive isn't a backup tool in the traditional sense, though its simple syncing makes it just as effective as the likes of Dropbox. And it's definitely a whole lot cheaper.
By the way, if you're a Google Chrome user, consider installing the Save to Google Drive extension. With it, you can quick-save documents, images, videos, and other files you find online. It's not a backup as we've come to know that process, but it does give you an easy way to archive files from the Web. Just right-click any suitable link, then choose Save to Google Drive.
Are you using (or planning to use) Google Drive for backup purposes? If so, got any tips to share? List 'em in the comments!
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Microsoft OneDrive is a cloud-based storage and syncing solution that works on Macs, PCs, and mobile device with access to the internet. After you install Office 365 with OneDrive on your Mac, it appears to be just another folder. Drop a file or folder of any type into the OneDrive folder, and the data is immediately stored on the OneDrive cloud storage system. OneDrive is included with all Office 365 paid subscriptions.
You can also access your OneDrive content using a web browser Browser-based access allows you to make use of the cloud-based storage on any computing platform you find yourself using without having to install the OneDrive app.
About OneDrive for the Mac
OneDrive from Microsoft may seem like an odd choice for a Mac user to use to store data in the cloud, but there's no reason not to use it. Free OneDrive plans include a free 5GB and paid plans include even more.
OneDrive can be used along with other cloud-based storage services, including Apple’s own iCloud service, Dropbox, and Google Drive. There's nothing to stop you from using all four and taking advantage of the free storage tiers offered by each service.
OneDrive Plans
OneDrive currently offers several tiers of service, including plans that are paired with Office 365.
How to Set Up OneDrive Free on a Mac
For OneDrive to work, you need two basic items: a Microsoft account and the OneDrive for Mac application. Both are free.
If you don't already have a Microsoft ID, go to the Microsoft ID signup screen and select No account? Create one! Supply the requested information and create a password. Before you know it, you'll have a new Microsoft ID.
Using OneDriveGoogle Drive Sign In
OneDrive acts much like any other folder on your Mac. The only difference is that the data within it is also stored on remote OneDrive servers. In the OneDrive folder are three default folders labeled Documents, Pictures, and Public. You can add as many folders as you want and create any system of organization that suits you.
Adding files is as simple as copying or dragging them to the OneDrive folder or appropriate subfolder. After you put files in the OneDrive folder, you can access them from any Mac, PC, or mobile device that has OneDrive installed. You can also access the OneDrive folder from any computer or mobile device using the web interface.
The OneDrive app runs as a menu bar item that includes sync status for files kept in the OneDrive folder. There is also a set of preferences you can adjust by selecting the OneDrive menu bar item and clicking on the gear button. You're set up and have 5GB of free space to use.
Google Drive's shortcut in Windows 7/Vista shows up in your Favorites folder, while in Windows XP, it shows up in your My Documents folder. The shortcuts are easy enough to use, but if you find using a specific drive letter to be more convenient, there's an easy way to map one to your Google Drive account.
If you're comfortable using the command prompt, you can use the DOS command: subst. A better and easier way to create the drive association is using a small program called Visual Subst. It's basically a GUI front-end to the subst command.
Here's how to use Visual Subst to associate a drive letter to your Google Drive account:
Step 1: Download and install Visual Subst.
Step 2: Select the drive letter you want to associate, then type in the path of your Google Drive account, or browse to the path. In Windows 7/Vista, it should be C:UsersUsernameGoogle Drive, where Username is your Windows username.
Step 3: Make sure to check the box next to 'Apply virtual drives on Windows startup,' then hit the green plus button to add the association.
Step 4: After the association has been added, the virtual drive will appear in the Visual Subst list.
How To Connect Google Drive To Mac Finder Iphone
That's it. You should now see your Google Drive account as a drive letter in Windows Explorer. If you want to delete the association, just highlight it in Visual Subst and click on the red X button.
For more on Google Drive, check out our complete guide of tips and tricks for learning how to get started, how to use Google Drive keyboard shortcuts, and to see how to use Google Drive on Android.
How To Connect Google Drive To Mac Finder Free
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