Backup and Synchronization is a fast and effective tool for storing your important files in the cloud.Google Drive Not Syncing? Here is how to synchronize your desktop pc?
Google Drive Not Syncing | How to Synchronize Your Desktop PC?
Backup & Synchronization Replaces Google Drive and Google Photos Uploader
Before we get into it, let’s first talk a little about what Backup and Synchronizationactuallyis. If you are a heavy Google user, you might already know of other Google synchronization tools: Google Drive and Google Photo Uploader. Both have now been rolled into Backup and Synchronization, so you can control all files, videos, images and more from one application.
This is where you control which folders from your Drive are synchronized to and from your PC or Mac, and determine which image folders should be backed up to your Photos library.
Google Drive is really the core of the Backup and Synchronization tool, so if you have never used the Drive application then a little explanation might be in order.
Basically, this new tool will allow you to synchronize your Google Drive cloud storage with your computer-be the entire Drive or only certain files and folders. These are then treated as local files on the computer, so your important items are always updated on every computer you have (and in the cloud).
Here is the Google Docs file (Sheets, Docs, Slides) – they’re still online, because Backup and Sync won’t download it for offline access. However, it will place an icon in the Google Drive folder so you can double-click as if it were a normal document (you only need an internet connection to view and edit it.)
Backup and Synchronization also adds one more tool to the equation: option to back up certain folders from your PC or Mac to your Google Drive. For example, I use Google Drive to storealmosteverything, so I can access it from all my other devices. But the screenshot folder on my Windows machine isn’t in my Drive folder – it’s in my Pictures PC folder. With Backup and Synchronization, I can then access the folder on my other device at any time.
Sounds amazing? This. Here’s how to set it up and synchronize everything.
Step 1: Download and Install Backup and Sync
Of course, the first thing you must do is download the Backup and Synchronization tool. Be sure to take the appropriate download for your device (Mac or PC). If you have already installed Google Drive, don’t worry – this tool will automatically replace it, no installation is needed.
This must be downloaded fast enough, and you only need to launch the installer after it’s finished. If you use Google Chrome (as it should), 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, I told me to restart my computer for reasons I didn’t know about – I didn’t do it, and everything was still functioning properly. Take that, Google.
If you previously installed the Google Drive application, Backup and Synchronization will automatically be signed in to your Google Account. If not, you must enter. After that, the splash screen will quickly tell you exactly what this application is: back up your items. Click “OK” to enter the application.
Step 2: Choose Which Folders To Sync From Google Drive
The Backup and Synchronization Tool is divided into two main sections:
- Google Drive:This performs the same function as the original Google Drive application. You need to select what folders are synchronized from your Google Drive cloud storage, and they will appear in the Google Drive folder on your PC. Whatever you put in that folder will also be synced to Google Drive.
- My computer: This is new section which allows you to synchronize files between your computer and Drive without placing them in a special Google Drive folder. Just select the folders from your computer that you want to synchronize, and they will synchronize to your cloud storage (although they will appear in a separate part of Google Drive interface, rather than with all your other Drive files.)
Let’s start with the first part of Google Drive — that’s the second on the list, but it’s far simpler and will be familiar to anyone who used Google Drive in the past.
You have several special options on this menu. You can:
- Sync My Drive to this Computer:Use this option to enable / disable synchronization of your Google Drive to your computer.
- Sync Everything in My Drive:Literally synchronize all of your Google Drive content to your computer.
- Only Synchronize This Folder:Allows you to determine which folders are synchronized from Drive to your computer.
It’s very easy – just choose what you want to synchronize and finish with it.
Step 3: Choose Another Folder on Your PC to Synchronize
Next, let’s look at the My Computer section, where you can choose other folders on your PC to synchronize. There are several options available here: Desktop, Documents, and Images. All you have to do is check the box next to the option to back everything up from that location to your Google Drive. Simple.
But if you want to get a little more detailed and only back up certain folders, you can do that by clicking the “Select Folder” option. Simply navigate to the folder you want to back up, and click “Select Folder.” That is it.
NOTE: Files that you synchronize from the outside of your Drive folder will not appear in Drive along with all your other files. To access the files, visit Google Drive on the web and click “My Computers” in the left hand menu. This option is also available in the Drive mobile app.
If you want a file or folder to appear under “My Drive”, you have to sync it the old way: by placing it in the Google Drive folder on your PC.
Step 4: Tweaking Your Photo Upload Settings
Under the folder options in the “My Computer” section, you can also specify how you want 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 Quality High, which won’t use up any space in your Drive.
The latter uses an intelligent compression algorithm to reduce the size of the image without reducing quality, the same as in the Google Photos application on Android and iOS devices.
You can also specify how you want to control the deletion options: Delete Items Everywhere, Don’t Delete Items Everywhere, or Ask Me Before Deleting Items Everywhere. The last option is set as default, which really makes the most sense. Feel free to change it to suit your specific needs.
Finally, you can check the box in the Google Photos section to automatically scan your computer for new images and upload them to Google Photos.
There is also a small option at the bottom labeled “USB Devices & SD Cards,” which you can use to upload files automatically from your digital camera or USB drive if you want. Just plug in the drive or card and decide what you want to do with it.
Some Additional Notes about Backup and Synchronization
That’s really all there is to Backup and Synchronization, but there are a few other things that are worth mentioning:
- You can change the name of your computer by clicking on the “My Computer” text (or the like) at the top of the “My Computer” page and giving it a specific name.
- You can easily increase your Drive storage or disconnect your account from the “Settings” tab.
- System setup rules, file synchronization icons, and right-click settings can also be modified on the Settings tab.
- Backup and Sync network activities can be limited in the “Network Settings” section of the Settings tab. Proxies can be specific, and download / upload rates are closed if necessary.
- The Backup and Synchronization Tool will live in your computer’s system tray while it is running. To access the settings, just click the icon in the tray, click the three dot menu in the upper right corner, and select “Preferences.”
Now i hope that you can resolve the issue of Google Drive Not Syncing easily.