Important 

Drive File Stream is now called Google Drive for desktop. Google is making this change to create a better user experience. 

Starting August 18, 2021, users still on Backup and Sync will start to receive in-product notifications prompting them to transition to Drive for desktop. 

Starting October 1, 2021, users still on Backup and Sync after that point will no longer be able to sign in to Backup and Sync. To continue syncing with Drive and/or Google Photos, users will need to transition to Drive for desktop. 

For details about this transition, see the following Google support articles:

• Upcoming changes to Google Drive sync clients
• Backup and Sync users should begin transitioning to Drive for desktop
• Updates on how to sync Google Drive content to your computer
• What it means to sync files and how it works

 

Download the installer

1. Navigate to Download Google Drive for Desktop (clicking this link will open a new window).
2. Select the download appropriate for your platform.

To install on Mac

1. Open Finder, and click “Downloads” on the sidebar.
2. Find “Googledrive.dmg” and double-click to open.
3. Double-click Google Drive.pkg and follow the installer prompts.
4. Find the Google Drive app, double-click to open.
5. Click sign in with Browser and sign in to your Princeton google account.
6. If you already had Backup and Sync installed, you will receive a pop-up offering to uninstall Backup and Sync. Hit OK to uninstall it.
7. Click the Google Drive icon on the menu bar in the top right, click the gear, and click Preferences.
8. Click Add Folder to choose the folders you want backed up to the Google Drive.  
   Note: While Princeton does not support adding photos to Google Photos, you can still backup your photos to your Google Drive through this application by adding your photos folders.
9. The Google Drive tab on the menu will allow you to select between the options Stream Files and Mirror Files.  Stream Files is the default setting that will allow you to access files in your drive on demand, and allow you to individually choose which ones you want to keep offline copies for.  Mirror Files will download a local copy of your entire Google Drive to your computer, which for storage usage reasons is not recommended.
   
   

   

10. Once you have selected folders to upload, Drive for Desktop will begin syncing them to the cloud.  You can check to make sure they have uploaded successfully by going to http://drive.google.com and checking for the files.

 

To install on Windows

1. Open a File Explorer window and navigate to the Downloads folder.
2. Double-click to open “googledrivesetup.exe”.
3. Click install to begin the installation.
4. The program will download and install.
5. Click sign in with Browser and sign in to your Princeton google account.
6. Enter your full Princeton email address (netid@princeton.edu) in the Email or Phone field, click Next.
7. In the Central Authentication Service (CAS) window, enter your netID and password. Do not use @princeton.edu in this step.
8. Respond to the Duo prompt.
9. Click the Google Drive icon on the task bar in the bottom right, click the gear, and click Preferences. 
   
   

   
   
   

10. Click Add Folder to choose the folders you want backed up to the Google Drive.  
    Note: While Princeton does not support adding photos to Google Photos, you can still backup your photos to your Google Drive through this application by adding your photos folders.
11. The Google Drive tab on the menu will allow you to select between the options Stream Files and Mirror Files.  Stream Files is the default setting that will allow you to access files in your drive on demand, and allow you to individually choose which ones you want to keep offline copies for.  Mirror Files will download a local copy of your entire Google Drive to your computer, which for storage usage reasons is not recommended.