This tutorial presents How to Use Google Drive as an FTP Server Online or Map Network Drive. Google Drive is a powerful platform that is capable of storing various types of files such as APK, XLS, and CSV, regardless of the standard file format. And the fact that Google Drive can be accessed from anywhere (even from your smartphone) is an added bonus.
Although conventional backup and synchronization methods are very good, this method has several limitations. First, you lose your local PC storage. Secondly, you can’t use it as a backup system. That’s because when you delete a file from your system it will automatically be deleted from the cloud storage too.
Use Google Drive As An FTP Server Online Or Map Network Drive
That’s why it makes sense to use Google Drive as an FTP Server online or Network Drive. When used as an FTP server online, you control the backup and synchronization solution. You don’t need to synchronize the drive folder to the PC. You also don’t need to worry about storage.
Second, if you use it as a Network Drive, you get the ease of exploring all of your files and folders from Windows Explorer. That way, you can save a large amount of local storage because it does not synchronize the entire folder / drive to your PC.
Obviously, here we will take the help of two third-party tools – RaiDrive and Google Drive FTP Adapte. While the first tool is for Network Drive, the latter will be used to create an FTP server.
RaiDrive is a lightweight tool that allows you to access your Google Drive files and folders in the form of Network Drive. This tool measures around 16MB. You can download RaiDrive [ from here ].
On the other hand, the Google Drive FTP Adapter is a simple JAR file. To run it, you must have the Java Runtime Environment (JRE 8) on your PC. If you don’t have it, you can download it [ from here ]. As for the Google Drive FTP Adapter, you can download it [ from here ].
And after you install it, remember to keep the connection private .
How to Configure RaiDrive for Mapping Network Drive
Step 1: After installing RaiDrive, open it, and the application will display a Welcome screen. Click on the Add button at the top.
Select Google Drive and press the OK button .
Step 2: When you are asked for permission, click Allow. After your credentials and permissions have been verified, you will be able to see Network Drive. You can choose the drive name from the dropdown. By default, RaiDrive named it Drive Z.
You can also set the drive name. So, if you want to add multiple drives, you can always set a name that is easily distinguishable.
Here, you can change settings such as entering sign-on re-connection, read-only, public or private connections, etc. As soon as you click Apply or OK, you will be directed to your computer network location.
As you can see from the screenshot below, you will be able to see all files and folders. All you need to do is click on one of them, and the file will open in your default browser. All changes to Network Drive will occur in real-time. And the file transfer speed will depend on your internet speed.
Additionally, you can always check the amount of free Drive storage.
To change settings, all you need to do is click on the gear icon and make changes.
How to Configure RaiDrive to Google Drive FTP Adapter
Configuring the Google Drive FTP Adapter is a simple process, all you need to do is run the JAR file. However, as we mentioned above, you need the JAVA Runtime Environment in your system before you can run it.
Step 1: After JRE is set, double click on the FTP Adapter file. That will direct you to the browser where you will be asked to select your Google Account. All you have to do is select the account where you want to set up an FTP server, enter the password and provide the necessary permissions.
After validation, you will see a simple confirmation message in the browser. At this point, Agan has completed the first step.
Step 2: Next, you will need an FTP client to act as a bridge between your port and Google Drive. Although you can use any FTP client you choose, but in this article, we use FileZilla. FileZilla is free open-source software. You can download FileZilla [ from here ].
After you download and install FileZilla, enter the following port address in the host address,
ftp: // user: user @ localhost: 1821 /
Or, you can enter the following values:
- Host: Localhost
- Username: user
- Password: user
- Port: 1821
That is all. You will be able to see all your folders in the right panel. Now, all you need to do is transfer files from your PC to the right panel. Sweet and simple, right?
We agree that with Google Drive, uploading files and documents is an easy process. However, there is always room for improvement and this tool allows you to do that.
So which method better suits your needs? FTP or Network Drive? Having Google Drive as Network Drive has its own charm.