Google Drive became an extension of Google Docs and is now an important part of Google’s business Workspace service. It is mostly a competitor to Microsoft 365, with a mix of file modifying and different collaboration features. For home users, it’s mainly about traditional cloud storage and mobile backup– Google Drive can keep all your pictures and videos backed up from both Android and iPhone. It’s wonderfully simple and simple to establish on your phone.
In 2021, Google released a new variation of Drive for Windows and Mac that changes the old Backup & Sync application. It’s special amongst the significant cloud storage services since you can choose in between 2 totally different methods to connect. The default option is called “streaming files” and involves connecting to Google Drive similar to a network drive, but with smart caching so that files you’ve opened are quicker to resume, and different other quirks.
If you want a file to be offered when your computer system is offline, you can right-click on it and choose Available offline.
Instead of Stream files you can choose Mirror files that makes Google Drive work more like Dropbox, with one big difference: you can’t opt out of any files or folders– whatever is always in sync. This may be a much better method to use Google Drive if you don’t have a lot of area and want to utilize it primarily as a method to keep particular files integrated across multiple gadgets.
Confusing settings
Google has not made it easy for the typical user to understand the settings in Google Drive. As if the choice in between streaming and matching wasn’t enough, you can also add additional folders to be synced. In Google Drive settings, there are 2 tabs: Under Google Drive, you’ll find the setting to stream or mirror. Under My PC, you can add more folders, and select whether they should be integrated or whether images and videos should be supported.
If you select to sync, it works similar to matching files– all the contents of that folder are kept in sync between your computer system and Google Drive. The backup function copies all brand-new pictures and videos in the folder to Google Photos however does not delete anything from there if you erase it on your computer. If you tick both choices, Google will both sync and back up your pictures and videos, taking up two times the area on Drive.
Even if you select to sync Google Drive with “mirror files,” you will still access Google Drive as a network drive on your computer system, as this is the only way to see files and folders shared with you by other users. By default, Google Drive is located as a disc with the drive letter G, but you can also pick to put it as a folder in Google Settings (click on the equipment in the leading right corner).
One drawback of Google Drive for synchronization is that it does not use so-called block-level copying. This means that files need to be submitted in their totality each time you make changes to them. On the other hand, Google Drive is the cloud storage service that supplies the most area totally free accounts, at 15 gigabytes.
Realities:
Checked: 2023
Maker: Google
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, IOS
Free account space: 15 GB
Storage space: 15 GB, 100 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB
Monthly price: Free, $1.99/ mo, $2.99/ mo, $9.99/ mo
. Synchronization of optional files and folders: Yes and no (see above).
Household sharing: Yes (up to 6 users).
Backup feature: Automatic backup of photos.
File history: Yes (30 days or 100 variations).
Other functions: VPN, additional editing functions in Google Photos, with 2TB, bonus features in Meet are included.
This evaluation originally appeared on pcforallse and was equated from Swedish to English.
