These are various settings within the Google Drive for Desktop application that allow you to configure how files sync, how Google Drive behaves on your computer, and how your photos and videos are uploaded to Google Photos. Below is a breakdown of each section and how you can use them effectively for your convenience:
1. Real-Time
Presence in Microsoft Office
- What It Is: This feature allows you to see
if someone else is currently editing a shared Microsoft Office file (Word,
Excel, PowerPoint) in real-time.
- How to Use It: If you’re collaborating on an
Office document in Google Drive, you can check if anyone else is editing
the file by looking for their presence indicator. This is especially
useful in a team setting, as you can see live updates from multiple users
working on the same file.
Steps:
- If you're editing or viewing a shared Office file
in Google Drive and someone else is working on it, you’ll see a real-time
indicator (like a colored dot or their name) showing that they're also
editing the document.
2. Cache
Settings
- What It Is: Cache settings control how much
space on your computer Google Drive can use for temporary files (cached
files). Cached files allow for faster access to files you’ve opened
recently.
Key Options:
- Limit Cache Size: Control the maximum
amount of storage Google Drive can use for cached files.
- Offline Files: Files that are made
available offline, and those needing to sync, are not affected by this
limit.
- How to Use It:
- Set Cache Size Limit: If you want to
prevent Google Drive from using too much storage space on your computer,
set a cache size limit. This will make sure only a certain amount of
storage is dedicated to cached files. For example, if you have a limited
hard drive, you might set the cache to use only 5 GB of space.
- Note: If a file is marked for offline use
or needs to sync with the cloud, it won't be impacted by this cache
limit.
Important Notes:
- No Data Loss: Changing the cache location
won't delete your files. It only affects where temporary files are stored.
Your actual Google Drive data (the files you’ve uploaded) stays in the
cloud, and only the cached copies will be stored in the new location.
- Performance: If you're moving the cache to a
slower hard drive, it might impact the speed at which files sync or load.
Make sure the drive you're using for caching is fast enough to handle this
if you have large files or lots of syncing.
- Space: If you’re changing the cache location
to a larger drive, it’s a good idea to make sure there’s plenty of free
space, as cached files can take up a significant amount of room over time.
Example:
- If your C: drive is almost full but you have
a lot of space on D: drive, you can change the cache folder
location to D:\GoogleDriveCache.
- This way, Google Drive will store its temporary
files on D: and won’t use up space on your main C: drive.
3. Google
Drive Streaming Location
- What It Is: This setting controls where
Google Drive files are stored locally on your computer or streamed from
the cloud.
Two Key
Options:
- Drive Letter: Allows you to map your Google
Drive to a virtual drive letter (like G: or H:), so it behaves like any
other drive on your computer.
- Folder: You can select a specific folder on
your computer to stream Google Drive files to, making it easier to
organize files.
- How to Use It:
- Stream Files to a Virtual Drive: If you
prefer Google Drive to act like a physical drive on your computer, you
can assign it a drive letter (e.g., G:). This folder will be created
automatically and will be 15GB in size. If you open a file, it
will be downloaded to that folder temporarily. This way, you can access
Google Drive files as though they’re stored locally.
- Stream Files to a Folder: If you want your
files organized into a specific folder on your computer, you can specify
the folder (e.g., D:\YourFolderName). Here files to always be
available offline, and it will be saved fully on your computer (even when
you're not connected to the internet). This can be useful if you want all
your files in one spot without creating a separate drive letter.
4. Show
Google Drive in Quick Access in File Explorer
- What It Is: This feature allows Google Drive
to show up directly in Quick Access in File Explorer, giving you
easy access to your files.
- How to Use It:
- Turn on this option if you want to quickly access
your Google Drive files from File Explorer without opening the Google
Drive app.
- The benefit is that Google Drive will be treated
like a local folder on your computer, and you can drag-and-drop files in
and out just like any other folder.
5. Google
Photos Settings
- What It Is: This section controls how photos
and videos are uploaded to Google Photos, including the quality and types
of files.
Key Options:
- Upload Size:
- Storage Saver: Upload
photos and videos in reduced quality to save storage space.
- Original Quality: Upload
photos and videos in their original resolution without compression.
- File Types:
- Upload Screenshots:
Enable this to automatically upload any screenshots you take to Google
Photos.
- Upload RAW Files: Enable
this to upload RAW photo files, which are often used by professional
photographers for higher image quality.
- How to Use It:
- Choose Upload Size: Select Storage Saver
to conserve space if you don't need ultra-high-quality images (ideal for
everyday users). Use Original Quality if you want to preserve the
highest photo/video resolution.
- Enable RAW Upload: If you're a photographer
or work with RAW files, make sure this is enabled to back up your
high-quality photos.
6. Launch on
Login
- What It Is: This setting allows Google Drive
to automatically start when you log into your computer.
- How to Use It:
- Turn this setting on if you want Google Drive to
start syncing as soon as your computer boots up. This ensures your files
are always up-to-date without having to manually open the Google Drive
app.
7. Local
Cached Files Directory
- What It Is: This setting controls where
Google Drive will store the cached (temporary) files on your computer.
- How to Use It:
- Changing the Directory: By default, Google
Drive stores cached files in C:\Users<Your-Username>\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS.
However, if you have limited space on your C: drive, you can move
the cached files to another location (e.g., D:\GoogleDriveCache).
- Why Move the Cache: Moving the cache
location is helpful if your main drive is running low on storage. For
example, if you have a large amount of storage on D: drive, you
can change the cache location there.
8. Proxy
Settings
- What It Is: This setting is used to
configure how Google Drive connects to the internet if you're using a
proxy server.
Key Options:
- Auto-detect: Google Drive will
automatically detect your network settings.
- Direct Connection: Choose this if you're
manually configuring a connection or using a specific proxy server.
- How to Use It:
- Most users can leave this on Auto-detect,
but if you're in a corporate network or need to use a specific proxy, you
can switch to Direct Connection and enter your proxy settings.
9. Bandwidth
Settings
- What It Is: This controls the speed at which
Google Drive uploads or downloads files.
Key Options:
- Download Rate: Limits how fast files are
downloaded from Google Drive.
- Upload Rate: Limits how fast files are
uploaded to Google Drive.
- How to Use It:
- Set Download and Upload Rates: If you have
limited bandwidth (slow internet connection), you can adjust the upload
and download rates to prevent Google Drive from using all of your
available bandwidth. For example, you might set a 2 MB/s limit for
downloading files, so other activities (like streaming videos) are not
interrupted.
10. Configure
Hotkeys
- What It Is: Hotkeys allow you to quickly
access Google Drive features using keyboard shortcuts.
Key Options:
- Search (Ctrl + Alt + G): Opens Google Drive
search.
- How to Use It:
- You can customize the hotkey combination to suit
your preferences. For example, if Ctrl + Alt + G doesn’t work for
you, you can change it to another combination.
11. Help
Improve Drive for Desktop
- What It Is: Google asks if you want to send
diagnostic information to improve Google Drive.
- How to Use It:
- If you’re okay with sharing usage data, enable
this option. If you prefer privacy, you can turn it off.
12.
Notification Preferences
- What It Is: This controls notifications from
Google Drive.
Key Option:
- Prompt me to back up devices: Google Drive
will remind you if it detects a device (like a USB drive) that isn’t
backed up.
- How to Use It:
- Enable this option if you want to be reminded to
back up your devices (phones, cameras, etc.) to Google Drive.
In Google
Drive for Desktop, you may notice two main folders in the Google Drive
folder on your computer:
- My Drive
- Other computers
These folders
represent different aspects of your Google Drive and how they are synced or
accessed. Let’s break them down and explain what each one means and how they
are used.
1. My Drive
Folder
- What It Is:
- The "My Drive" folder represents
the main storage area of your Google Drive. It’s where all the
files and folders you’ve uploaded, created, or organized are stored. This
is your personal drive where everything you sync or store in Google Drive
will go.
- When you access Google Drive through your web
browser (drive.google.com), you are viewing My Drive — the main
section of your cloud storage.
- How It Works:
- Files and folders in My Drive are fully
synced with your Google Drive account, meaning that if you add,
modify, or delete something on your computer’s My Drive folder, it
will also reflect on your cloud account (and vice versa, as long
as you’re online).
- The My Drive folder is where files are
stored locally on your computer when you have Google Drive for
Desktop set to sync them. You can set files to be available
offline (fully downloaded to your device) or choose to stream
them (download them temporarily when accessed).
- Use Cases:
- Primary Use: My Drive is where you
store all of your personal files, documents, photos, and folders. It’s
the main part of your Google Drive storage that is synced to your
computer.
- Offline Files: If you need files to be
always accessible without an internet connection, you will store them in My
Drive and mark them for offline access.
- File Organization: Any files you move into
or organize within My Drive will sync across all devices linked to
your Google account. For example, if you create or move a folder on your
computer, that same folder will appear in My Drive on your other
devices and in the cloud.
2. Other
Computers Folder
- What It Is:
- The "Other computers" folder
represents files and folders from other computers where you have Google
Drive for Desktop installed and synced. If you have multiple
computers or devices connected to the same Google Drive account, files
stored on those devices will appear in the Other computers folder.
- This folder shows the synced data that originates
from other machines or locations.
- How It Works:
- Files from other devices you own (e.g., a
different laptop, desktop, or mobile device with Google Drive) will show
up in this folder. These files are not necessarily part of your main
Google Drive storage (My Drive), but they are linked to your
account through other devices.
- If a file or folder is marked to be available on a
particular computer, you can access it by navigating to the Other
computers section, but the files might not be stored directly in your
My Drive folder unless you manually move or copy them.
- The Other computers folder is essentially a
way to keep files from different devices organized and accessible in one
central location. However, these files are still only available on
those devices unless you choose to sync them to your current computer.
- Use Cases:
- Access Files from Multiple Devices: If you
have a file saved on your desktop at home, but you need to access it from
your laptop at work, you can use the Other computers folder to
find that file as long as both devices are syncing with Google Drive.
- Syncing Across Devices: The Other
computers folder allows you to access files from other devices
linked to your Google Drive account, but these files will only be
available on your local device if they’ve been specifically synced to
your computer.
- Remote Access to Files: You can use this
folder to view or access files stored on other devices, even if you’re
not directly on that device. This allows you to maintain remote access to
files and folders you’ve created or worked on elsewhere.
Differences
Between My Drive and Other Computers:
|
Feature |
My Drive |
Other
Computers |
|
Location |
Primary folder
for all personal files on Google Drive. |
Represents
files from other computers where Google Drive for Desktop is installed. |
|
Sync Status |
Files sync
with your Google Drive account and cloud. |
Files are
synced from other devices you own or use with Google Drive. |
|
Offline
Access |
Can set files
to be available offline, fully downloaded to your device. |
Files will be
accessible if synced and available locally. |
|
File Access |
Always
available unless specifically removed from sync. |
Access files
from other devices linked to your Google Drive account. |
|
Use Case |
Main place to
store personal files, organize, and sync across devices. |
Access and
sync files from other computers or devices. |
How to Use
Both Folders Together:
- Syncing Files from Other Computers:
- If you want to access files from another
computer, ensure that Google Drive for Desktop is installed
and syncing on that other computer. Any file saved or synced there will
show up in the Other Computers folder on your current device.
- Move Files Between My Drive and Other Computers:
- If you want to move files between My Drive
and Other computers, simply drag and drop the files from Other
computers to My Drive in the File Explorer or Finder window.
- This is useful if you want to consolidate files
from various devices into your main Google Drive storage for easier
access across all devices.
- Organizing Files Across Devices:
- If you have files on multiple devices and want to
keep them organized under one folder (e.g., Documents, Photos,
etc.), you can create folders in My Drive and move files from Other
computers into those folders for a more organized setup.
In
Conclusion:
- My Drive is the primary storage space for
your files on Google Drive, and it's where everything you upload or create
gets stored and synced. This is the folder you work with most often.
- Other computers is a folder that contains
files synced from other devices connected to your Google Drive
account. It acts as a bridge to access files stored on those devices, but
it doesn’t sync them into My Drive unless you move or copy them
there manually.
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