Google Drive Desktop Mac App Alternative
Mar 26, 2020 Google Drive: Lets you disconnect the Google Drive folder for your Google account. Once disconnected, the files within your Mac's Google Drive folder remain on your Mac but are no longer synced with the online data in Google's cloud. You can reconnect by signing back into your Google. Drag the Google Drive icon to the Applications folder icon to continue downloading Google Drive to your desktop. The Applications window will open up and the Google Drive icon will be inside. Select the Google Drive icon. A window will appear asking if you want to open Google Drive. On the right-hand side of the menu bar, the.
What do you know about Google Drive for desktop? Is it true that Google stopped support for Google Drive desktop app? What is the best Google Drive replacement? What are the main features of Google Drive? In the article below you will find answers to all the interesting questions concerning the topic above. So, let’s start.
Quick Summary
Features of Google Drive desktop app for macOS
- Google Drive for desktop is free. It offers 15 GB of free space to any user. However, for a certain fee, you can increase it up to 30 TB.
- Collaboration with files and folders. You can grant access to your files to the owner of another account. Or set certain limits.
- Ubiquity. It has already become difficult to find someone who does not have a Google account or Google Drive app for desktop. In the extreme case, to register an account takes about 1 minute.
- Built-in tools. Tools for collaboration with office documents are already built-into the cloud: Documents (Google Docs), Tables (Google Sheets), Presentations (Google Slides). In addition, you can find file import from Microsoft Office and reverse export. Even more, in Google Drive, there are a number of additional tools that can solve a variety of tasks: from drawing mental maps to video editing.
- Accessibility. Google Drive on desktop can be run on all major operating systems. Any file stored in the cloud is available at any desired moment from any place.
- Documents created in Google Drive, practically do not take up disk space.
Google Inc. introduced the Google Drive desktop application many years ago. Despite its huge popularity, the company decided not to scatter efforts and stop supporting the application in December 2017. However, it is still possible to access Google Drive from desktop using a browser as well as all your files further, using mobile applications. Google representatives said that instead of closing Google Drive desktop client, users are offered an alternative - Google Backup and Sync program that replaces both Google Drive and Google Photos Uploader. The principle of its operation is similar to Google Drive, so there should be no problems with the new user.
What does Google Backup and Sync do
The functionality of the program is as follows:
- Create backup copies of originals or high-quality images from a folder with images.
- Create backup copies of files located on the Google Drive folder on desktop or in the Documents folder (or data located in any other folders that you specify in the application).
- Sync all selected folders from Google Drive to your computer (Mac or Windows).
- Sync all selected files in Google Drive from any other computer you select.
How to set up Google Drive replacement - Google Backup and Sync
- After installing the program, you need to go through the authorization procedure in your Google account, and then set up backups and synchronization.
- Uncheck the checkboxes if you do not want to synchronize all the files located on the desktop (“On Computer”) or in the “Documents” folder.
- Make sure there is a check mark next to the “Upload Images and Videos to Google Photos” option. This action confirms the intention to copy all new media files to a special folder in Google Drive.
- In the next configuration step (Google Drive), you must decide which folders in Google Drive will be automatically synchronized with your local files on your Google Drive desktop folder.
- After you click the Start button, the data synchronization process begins. By clicking on the application icon with the cloud in the menu bar on Mac, you can see the progress of the process. There you can get quick access to the opening of Google Photos, Google Drive and other components of the service.
5 Apps to access Google Drive on desktop
Insync is a cross-platform Google Drive desktop client that will allow you to synchronize your Google Drive data to your computer. The app provides instant synchronization between files on the computer and stored on the Google Drive server, reporting errors, transfer files from the applet, editing documents, the function of sharing the files, etc. Insync offers a 15-day trial period and sells for $29.99 USD.
ExpanDrive is one more Google Drive desktop app that syncs all the files. However, what is worth mentioning is the fact that ExpanDrive mounts your cloud storage as a local vault allowing you to access all your files directly through Finder. The app is currently available on Windows and Mac and offers 7-day trial.
Odrive is an online service, namely cloud manager for quick access to all your files located in different cloud storages. What distinguishes it from similar apps, is the ability to use not only the browser as a tool for managing files but also the installed interaction client directly through Finder. Another advantage of this Google Drive desktop Mac solution is the possibility to select by file which data should be synchronized and which data should be displayed as labels.
WebDrive an application that combines files from different cloud storages and servers. With the help of WebDrive, you are granted the fast and convenient access to files that are stored remotely, it is also a tool that will allow you to use them as if they are located directly on the device itself. In addition, the app uses encryption in order to provide better protection to your online data. Try this client for Google Drive for desktop and check what else it can offer.
CloudMounter an efficient Google Drive desktop client for Mac. In addition, the app supports a great number of other popular cloud services, including Backblaze B2, Amazon S3, and compatible storages, etc as well as remote servers. Unlike the mentioned above apps that synchronize files and after that fill the hard disk space with tones of information, CloudMounter works without any synchronization, directly from the cloud, is integrated with Finder, and provides encryption of the data to strengthen the level of your cloud data protection.
We hope that this article was rather informative. Find the best way to work with your Google Drive data and choose your Google Drive replacement app.
CloudMounter
Version 3.6.611 (4 May, 2020) Release notes
Even almost a decade after its introduction, iCloud continues to offer just 5GB of free cloud storage. It's laughably not enough, so you must look into upgrading to a paid plan sooner rather than later. But that's not all—iCloud Drive, which lets you back up files and folders on your iPhone and Mac, also provides a mediocre experience when accessing your data on non-Apple platforms.
If you find iCloud Drive lacking in the free storage or cross-platform departments, then there are a few alternative cloud storage services that you can readily use on your iPhone or Mac instead. Let's take a close look at five of them—you can then perform a complete switchover from iCloud Drive or use the spare capacity alongside Apple's native cloud storage service. It's your call.
1. Google Drive
If you don't mind Google's dicey track record regarding user privacy, then Google Drive is the perfect alternative to iCloud Drive. Straight off the bat, you get 15GB of free cloud storage to play with on the iPhone and Mac. But that's not the end of the story.
Certain file types (such as those of G Suite documents) aren't counted as part of storage quota, so expect that 15GB to last a while. Also, Google Photos (which you must download separately on the iPhone) lets you upload an unlimited number of photos, albeit in compressed quality, without consuming an iota of space in Google Drive. If you have to upgrade eventually, you can get 100GB for $1.99 per month. That costs nearly the same as iCloud Drive on a cost-per-GB basis.
Google Drive also has lots of other pros—it's super-easy to share files and folders with others, collaborating on G-Suite documents is a breeze, the iPhone app offers Face ID/Touch ID authentication, and you can sync almost any folder on your Mac besides the master Google Drive folder.
Google Drive is available as a downloadable app for the iPhone with complete Files app integration. On the Mac, you must download and set up the Backup & Sync client to access your Google Drive contents or upload locally stored documents and photos online.
Download Google Drive (iPhone)Download Backup & Sync (Mac)Also on Guiding Tech
Google Drive Storage Guide: What Counts and What Doesn't
Read More2. Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft OneDrive offers the same amount of free storage as iCloud Drive. But it's your best option if you use a Windows 10 device alongside your iPhone and Mac, where you can have access to your files across all platforms with minimal issues. It's also integrated with Microsoft Office—if you have the Office 365 subscription, you get 1TB of OneDrive storage space for free.
The OneDrive app on the iPhone runs incredibly well, sports the ability to make files and folders available offline, and provides an integrated scanner that lets you quickly scan and upload documents directly to the cloud. You can also set automatic backups of your photos and videos by enabling the Camera Upload functionality.
Another interesting addition is the Personal Vault, a secure storage folder that lets you back up sensitive documents and protect them with a passcode and biometrics.
On the Mac, OneDrive lets you seamlessly access and upload documents to the OneDrive master folder. Microsoft's cloud storage service also features Files On-Demand functionality, where files are downloaded only when needed to conserve storage space.
Price-wise, OneDrive lets you upgrade to 100GB for $1.99 per month, which is similar to both iCloud Drive and Google Drive on the cost-per-GB scale. If you want to get more than that, you must get an Office 365 subscription, which again nets your 1TB of storage.
Download OneDrive (iPhone)Download OneDrive (Mac)3. Sync
Being an Apple product, iCloud Drive is heavily geared toward user privacy. Free mac mp3 download app. If you want an alternative cloud storage service with that same focus, but with availability (and better functionality) on multiple platforms that include Windows and Android, you must look into using Sync.
Sync comes with 5GB of cloud storage but provides complete end-to-end AES-256 encryption with TLS, which means that only you can see your files (as long as you do a good job of protecting your Sync account credentials). Your data is so private that not even Sync can access it.
On the iPhone, Sync lets you create folders and back up files and images—it also features a dedicated photo syncing module similar to OneDrive's. And on the Mac, Sync will quickly back up any item that you add to the Sync master folder. If you need to upgrade, you can get 2TB of storage for $8 per month; cheaper than iCloud Drive's 2TB for $9.99 per month, though you can only pay annually.
To compliment it's privacy-oriented approach, Sync also features a secure 'Vault.' It lets you securely upload sensitive files, which are then only accessible via the device that uploaded them in the first place or through the Sync.com web app.
Google Drive Desktop Mac App Alternative Download
Download Sync (iPhone)Download Sync (Mac)Also on Guiding Tech
#icloud
Click here to see our icloud articles page4. Dropbox
Dropbox has been around for ages and offers rock-solid cloud storage capabilities that work well across platforms. On the iPhone, you can quickly upload files, share documents with others, and upload your camera roll to the Dropbox servers. And on the Mac, it provides the ability to sync select folders to the cloud, offers Files On-Demand functionality, and 30-day version history for your files.
But on the downside, Dropbox only comes with 2GB of free cloud storage that will run out in no time. You can use it as a locker box for a few extra files that you can't fit into iCloud Drive, or you can choose to upgrade to a paid tier.
The immediate tier—Dropbox Plus—offers up to 2TB of storage for $9.99, and comes with a ton of features such as Smart Syncing, enhanced collaborative features, and improved file searching capabilities. But you may not need so much storage in the first place, which makes Dropbox a tough sell. Also, iCloud Drive features a similarly priced storage tier.
That said, Dropbox also an excellent alternative if you prefer a robust third-party cloud syncing service without tying yourself into Apple's, Google's, or Microsoft's ecosystems.
Download Dropbox (iPhone)Download Dropbox (Mac)5. pCloud
pCloud comes with a dose of everything for the iPhone and Mac—it provides multi-platform access to synced data, lets you share and work on files with others, and provides excellent privacy-related features (such as Sign in with Apple). It also offers 10 GB of free cloud storage, although you must perform a few tasks such as confirming your email and referring the service to others to unlock most of those gigabytes.
pCloud even lets you encrypt your files using a feature called Crypto (not related to cryptocurrencies). It's also carries decent pricing, where you can upgrade to 500GB for just $4.99 per month. pCloud also offers Lifetime plans that you may want to look into.
The pCloud app on the iPhone lets you quickly upload files, documents, and images. It even sports an integrated media player to listen to uploaded music tracks. On the Mac, expect to sync your pCloud contents locally and upload select folders online.
Download pCloud (iPhone)Download pCloud (Mac)Also on Guiding Tech
How to Delete iCloud Storage from iPhone and Mac
Read MoreMake Your Pick
With the cloud storage services listed above, you get a much-improved experience on the iPhone and Mac compared to using the stock iCloud Drive. Google Drive is arguably the best all-around, but OneDrive, Sync, Dropbox, and pCloud also bring their unique twists to the table. Don't forget to try them all out before shelling out cash for a paid storage tier on any single service.
Next up:You can also use a range of third-party services to back up your iPhone photos. Click the next link to check out the best iCloud Photo Backup alternatives.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextTop 5 iCloud Photo Backup Alternatives for iPhoneAlso See#backup #alternatives
Did You Know
Verizon turned down the exclusive rights to sell the first iPhone.