Drive File Stream / Backup & Sync Comparison and FAQ

Drive File Stream / Backup & Sync Comparison and FAQ

What are Drive File Stream and Backup & Sync?

Drive File Stream

Drive File Stream is Google’s enterprise solution for working with cloud files on your computer. By default, only the metadata (file names and searchable content) is downloaded. Opening a file will automatically download it. Users can then mark files or folders as available offline, and they’ll be downloaded and kept up-to-date automatically whenever the device is online.

Backup & Sync

Backup & Sync is Google’s consumer solution for working with cloud files on your computer. It downloads everything by default, or you can choose what to download by folder. Anything not chosen to be downloaded to your device is not viewable on your computer. Only folders can be downloaded and kept up-to-date, not individual files.  It does not support Team Drives or other enterprise features.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Backup & Sync	Drive File Stream
Use files in My Drive	Yes	Yes
Use files in Team Drives	No	Yes
Sync only selected folders in My Drive	Yes	Yes
Sync only individual files in My Drive	No	Yes
Use native apps, like Microsoft Office & Photoshop	Yes	Yes
Sync other folders, like Documents or Desktop	Yes	No
Use with your personal Google Account	Yes	No
Use with your work or school Google Account	Maybe	Yes
Upload photos and videos to Google Photos	Yes	No
Use Office Presence to see when others are editing Office documents	No	Yes

It’s recommended to use Drive File Stream, so that’s what this guide will focus on.



Using Drive File Stream

Installation

Click here and then select your operating system to download Drive File Stream. Run the installer, and then login. If you’re using Mac OS High Sierra (10.13) or newer, please note the additional instructions at the bottom of the linked page.

 

After installing, you can click the Drive File Stream icon in the tray (Windows) or taskbar (Mac) and see the screen on the right. After you pin files offline, sync activity will show up there.

Opening Files

After installation, you’ll see Drive File Stream in Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac). On Windows, File Stream will mount on the drive letter G: by default. You’ll see your My Drive and Team Drive folders inside. Open any file and Drive File Stream will download it in the background automatically.

Caching

Drive File Stream will cache (temporarily store) files you view without marking as offline. This cache will not exceed 10GB or 20% of your free disk space.

Syncing files

When viewing your Drive File Stream folder, right-click any folder or file you wish to sync offline and press Drive File Stream > Available Offline. The file or folder will be downloaded to your device and automatically update if a new version if created or synced elsewhere.

 

An Important Note on Native vs Non-Native files

Native files

Native files are files created in Google Drive. This includes Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings. These files do not sync with Drive File Stream. More information on using these files will be covered in the next section.

Non-Native files

Non-native files is anything that’s not one of the file types listed above. This includes Office files, PDFs, images, videos, and everything else. These files can all be synced offline with Drive File Stream.

Icon Legend

• A folder or file will have a cloud icon when it’s not marked for offline storage on your device.
• The cloud icon will still be there even if the file was cached
• The green checkmark indicates you have marked that file or folder for offline use.
• The blue icon that looks like a person indicates the folder is shared with others.

Sync Conflicts & Revisions for Non-Native Files

Revisions of non-native files are kept for 100 versions or 30 days, whichever is shorter. If you’re working on a non-native file at the same time as someone else and there’s a conflict upon saving, data won’t be lost - it will just be stored as a revision.

You can keep a revision forever or download it by going to the file on Drive for Web (drive.google.com), selecting the file, then selecting the Revisions button in the information pane.

Then hit the three-dot menu next to the revision you want to save and select Keep Forever or Download.

Office Presence

When editing an Office file with Drive File Stream, you’ll see a small popup if someone else is currently editing the file and who it is. This can help you avoid conflicts on Office documents.

Using Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings Offline

As Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings are only accessible through a web browser, you can still access them offline. Just bookmark drive.google.com and go there when offline. The page will load and you’ll see your offline documents.

Automatically manage offline files

The easiest way to be prepared for short periods of time disconnected is to use Google Drive’s built-in sync option. It’s just one button - go to Drive for Web (drive.google.com) press the Settings gear, click Settings, and then enable offline mode. This will download all of your Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings files offline.

Although Native files take up very little space, if you don’t have enough space on your computer, all your files may not be downloaded.

Manually mark files for offline

You can mark Docs, Sheets, and Slides files manually to make sure they’re available offline. While on docs.google.com, sheets.google.com, or slides.google.com, click the three-dot menu on a file and choose “available offline”. This option isn’t available on drive.google.com. This will ensure the document is always available offline.

This option isn’t available for Drawings.

FAQ

• How much space do native Google files take up on my computer?
• It’s not possible to get an exact number, but files are generally small. Embedded images will drive storage space up.
• What if I don’t have enough space on my computer?
• If you have critical files you need offline, make sure to manually mark them as available offline. You’ll see an icon indicating they have been downloaded successfully.
• Can I use Backup & Sync and Drive File Stream at the same time?
• Yes, but it’s not recommended as it can cause confusion.
• How do native Google files work in File Stream?
• Native files act like a link in file stream. Opening it will open the document in your default browser. You can’t sync native Google files with Drive File Stream; use the method noted above.