Google Drive File Stream User Guide

Google Drive File Stream is a new desktop application that allows you to quickly access all of your Google Drive files on demand, directly from your computer without losing precious drive space. With Google Drive File Stream, your files are stored on the cloud instead of your computer, and any changes you make are automatically synced with the cloud for quick, easy access anywhere you have an Internet connection.

With the introduction of Google Drive File Stream, the old Google Drive client will be deprecated. It will shut down completely on May 12th, 2018.

Setup

Google Drive File Stream should already be installed on your computer. All you need to do is, open your start menu, click All Programs and click the Google Drive File Stream item.

Drive File Stream will ask you for your email and password and then show some brief info pages, once you have looked through them, click the "Open Explorer" button at the bottom.

Getting Started

Once Google Drive File Stream is installed, a folder called "Google DriveFS" will appear on the left in Finder or File Explorer. This folder will contain both your personal Google Drive and any Team Drives you are part of. The only difference between these files and any other file on your computer is that these files are not stored on your computer by default, and any changes you make to them will sync automatically with your cloud storage.

What are the new features for Google Drive File Stream?

• With Drive File Stream, you can:
• Quickly see all your Google Drive files in Finder/Explorer (including Team Drives).
• Browse and organize Google Drive files without downloading all of them to your computer.
• Choose which files or folders you'd like to make available offline.
• Open files in common apps like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop.

Making Files Available Offline

By default, Google Drive File Stream does not store a copy of your files on your local computer. This means that if you do not have an Internet connection, you will not be able to access these files. In order make your files accessible offline, right-click on a file or folder and select Available Offline under the Drive File Stream menu. Please note that doing so will store a copy on your computer, using up more of your hard drive space.