Automatically Backup PC Files to Google Drive | 2 Simple Ways
Google Drive
Google Drive is a cloud storage service produced by Microsoft that allows users to store data online without the need for an external hard drive. It offers a generous free storage space of up to 5 TB and provides seamless access to all stored data by logging into a Google account.
Backup files to Google Drive via Google Drive for desktop
Google replaced its Backup and Sync tool with the Google Drive for desktop app, which allows users to easily manage and share content across all their devices and the cloud.
To backup your PC files, download the Google Drive desktop app from the Google Drive page and follow the detailed steps.
1. Sign in your Google account and you will see extra two tabs, "My Computer" and "Google Drive".
2. To access settings in Google Drive for desktop, open the app, click on the Drive icon in the taskbar, select the Settings button, and choose Preferences.
3. The app has two main sections: My Computer and Google Drive.
In the "My Computer" page, click "Folder" to sync specific folders with Google Drive, then choose "Sync with Google Drive" or "Back up to Google Photos" based on your need, and click "Save" to begin file synchronization.
In the "Google Drive" page, select "Stream files" or "Mirror files" to sync Google Drive to your local computer. To conserve disk space, "Stream files" is suggested. Confirm your settings and click "Save", noting that a restart may be required for the changes to take effect.
Once the process is finished, check drive.google.com to confirm all files have synced successfully.
Note:
◐ If you use the "Stream files" syncing option, all files from Google Drive will be stored in the cloud, and you can access them from a virtual drive on your computer.
◐ If you use the "Mirror files" syncing option, all cloud files will be stored in a local folder named "My Drive", allowing you to directly copy PC files to the Google Drive folder, which will then sync them to drive.google.com automatically.
Google Drive for desktop is not a restore tool
The desktop version of Drive is helpful for syncing folders to Google Drive, but it has a drawback: deleting a file from the Google Drive folder or drive.google.com will also delete it from all devices, making it less safe for backup purposes.
To protect your computer files or entire computer, professional backup software is recommended for disaster recovery. I suggest using Qiling Disk Master Standard, a free backup and restore software for Windows 7/8/10/11 that offers features such as auto-backing up files to Google Drive and more.
- Support "Schedule Sync". This software allows for automatic daily, weekly, or monthly file backups, requiring no human intervention.
- Email Notification available. This feature allows you to check the status of the sync task in real-time, without having to wait for the task to finish, and will display a success message or any error messages that occur during the process.
- Various storage devices supported. Besides Google Drive, it allows you to backup files to OneDrive, Dropbox, external hard drive, USB drive, etc.
More advanced way to backup files to Google Drive automatically
1. Download the freeware Qiling Disk Master, install and launch it on your computer, and you'll see its main interface.
2. To backup files to Google Drive, click "Backup and recovery" and select "File Sync".
3. Click Folder and select the folder(s) you want to backup.
Note: If your folder has a lot of files, you can set the auto file extension using Filter Settings, which is supported by Qiling Disk Master Professional.
4. Select Google Drive as the destination place by clicking the inverted triangle and choosing "Select a cloud drive".
Tip: Qiling Disk Master allows using Google Drive as a destination path, provided that Google Drive for desktop is installed and the "Mirror files" option is selected.
5. To set up an automatic file sync, click Schedule Sync, then click Enable Schedule Sync.
You can also click filter to set up other sync settings.
6. To proceed, click on "Proceed" and then select "Add the schedule and Proceed now" to start the progress. Once the progress is complete, click on "Finish" to exit.
File Sync is a feature that syncs files immediately once changes are made, and can be upgraded to an advanced version for further capabilities.
Qiling Disk Master allows you to backup files to an image file, and with a Qiling account, you can backup to Qiling Cloud. Additionally, to recover files after a system crash, you need to create bootable media to boot your computer.
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