How to use Google Drive for Mac (Tutorial & Features)!

About this video

Jeff Su installs and tours Google Drive for Desktop (Drive for Desktop) on Mac, noting most steps and features also apply to PC. After downloading via the link below the video or from web Drive’s Settings > Get Drive for Desktop, signing in, and allowing access, sync starts automatically. In Preferences under Folders from Drive he recommends Stream files for most users: files stay in the cloud and are accessed without using local storage. Mirror files, by contrast, stores files both in the cloud and on the Mac, so they work offline but use double the space. Drive then appears in Finder (add it via File > Add to Sidebar if missing), giving native file management: creating a folder and renaming it takes about a second versus 10 to 20 seconds on the web in his demo, the Option key instantly duplicates a file or folder (the web can copy a file but not an entire folder), and files can be opened directly in Microsoft Word or LibreOffice instead of Google Docs formatting. Videos uploaded to Drive can be streamed by double-clicking, or made available offline via right-click > Offline access > Make available offline — useful for watching shows while traveling without cables or SSDs — then reverted to online-only afterward; enabling offline access in web Drive settings also lets Docs, Sheets, and Slides open offline from the desktop app. Drawbacks covered: two sidebar Drive folders (use the one with the cloud icon for the offline option), a bug where online-only files remain accessible offline due to cache (fix by cleaning the cache, per a Medium post by Remarkable Mark), the free plan’s 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos, and iCloud Drive’s more seamless Mac integration, though it lacks the Google suite. He frames the desktop app as a complement to, not a replacement for, the web version.

Key takeaways

Choose Stream files for most use: cloud-stored with no local space used; Mirror keeps a local copy for offline use but takes double the space
Install from web Drive Settings > Get Drive for Desktop, sign in, and access Drive natively in Finder (File > Add to Sidebar if it does not appear)
Use right-click > Offline access > Make available offline to download videos or files for travel, then revert to online-only to free space
Desktop file management is faster than the web: instant folder creation/renaming, Option-key duplication of entire folders, and opening files directly in Word or LibreOffice
Watch the drawbacks: pick the sidebar folder with the cloud icon, clear the cache if online-only files linger offline, and note the free 15 GB is shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos

Episode details: published March 8, 2022 · 6:48 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Jeff Su’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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