But the Google Drive app for PC and Mac is officially being deprecated and the company’s developers announced in a blog post that it will no longer be supported starting December 11. What are the options to Google Drive for Mac/PC? The new computing device application Drive File Stream has become available nowadays (Friday, September eight). Mac OS X is a robust and reliable operating system, designed. Marketed by Apple Inc.
Q.Is it true that Google Drive is being discontinued?
A.Google announced this month that it will end support for the Google Drive desktop apps for Windows and Mac computers on Dec. 11 and that the software will be shut down for good on March 12. But while those handy desktop programs for managing your files in the cloud are destined for retirement, Google’s online backup service is not going anywhere soon. You just get to it through different desktop programs. (You can also continue to just upload and download stored files through your Google Account in a web browser.)
For desktop users who backed up files to cloud servers with the Google Drive app, the company has two newer programs to do the job instead. The Backup and Sync app for Windows and Mac, introduced in July, is Google’s software for users of its free services. The program can be set to synchronize copies of locally stored photos and other files on the computer to Google’s cloud servers. (Note that you get a free 15 gigabytes of storage from Google, but if you max it out, you need to buy more space if you want to keep storing all your files on the company’s servers.)
![What Is Google Drive For Mac? What Is Google Drive For Mac?](/uploads/1/2/5/2/125281914/574732387.png)
Business customers using the paidG Suite version of Google’s Gmail, calendar and business programs have a choice. They can use Backup and Sync, too, or switch to the new Drive File Stream app for Windows or Mac. Drive File Stream has been available since March for early adopters and officially arrives on Tuesday.
![What is google drive file stream for mac What is google drive file stream for mac](https://cdn.tutsplus.com/mac/authors/legacy/Josh%20Johnson/2012/10/11/Getting-Started.jpg)
Google recommends that its business customers use the Drive File Stream for a few reasons, including faster data-sync times. Additionally, the app stores the files online for direct use and puts less corporate data on the users’ hard drives; specific files and folders can be marked for local storage and use offline when an internet connection is not available.
Users running both Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream on the same computer will get a nudge from Google to switch to the latter app to save disk space. Those still using the Google Drive app will begin to see alerts next month announcing that the software is headed to the digital dustbin.
On Thursday, Google made a confusing announcement that could easily scare the crap out of 800 million people: Google Drive’s going away—but actually, no, it’s not. However, there are a few things you should know about the changes that are coming.
First and foremost, the Google cloud service known as Drive is going to be just fine. If you log in to your Google account and utilize Drive’s storage through a web browser, you probably won’t notice any changes. But the Google Drive app for PC and Mac is officially being deprecated and the company’s developers announced in a blog post that it will no longer be supported starting December 11. Instead, you’ll need to choose from one of two new apps.
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Read more ReadMost folks are going to want to download Backup and Sync, which is confusingly offered at the same URL that Google Drive has long used as a hub. That’s because Backup and Sync basically is Google Drive, but Google is rolling its Photo Uploader’s features into the package. You’ll get unlimited storage on photos that you upload if you select the option that slightly compresses them. To upload your pics in their original quality, you’ll need to pay for extra storage. Offline use of files and device syncing will still be available.
While Backup and Sync has been around for a couple of months, the real motivator behind the Drive app’s deprecation is a push to move enterprise users over to the new Drive File Stream app. Launching on September 26th, File Stream is intended to be used as a sort of collective hard drive for teams and organizations. All files are kept in the cloud and can be edited from anywhere. Say, for example, you’re a designer—you wouldn’t be downloading that PSD file, opening it in Photoshop, making some changes, saving it on your hard drive, and then re-uploading it to the cloud. Instead you’ll just open it straight out of File Stream and save it in the same place.
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Which option’s best for you? The biggest thing to ask yourself is if you want to keep local backups of your files. Google is using the analogy that Backup and Sync is like a folder while File Stream is like a hard drive. Here’s how the two products differ:
Again, File Stream is designed with teams in mind. You get more customization options on individual files and users. Unfortunately, Google will ask you to remove Backup and Sync if you try to use both at the same time. Pick your poison.
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Personally, Backup and Sync fits my needs, and I’m not looking to make the leap into full-on cloud storage. I store about 100 gigs in the cloud, all of it backed up locally, with external hard drives backing up the back-ups. The ability to stream files from anywhere does seem great though, and this new split personality for Google Drive may just be a stepping stone before the products come together in a new form down the line. The most important thing to know is that your files are still safe and you’ll need to replace the Drive app with one of these choices before March 12, 2018, when the original apps shut down completely.
[Google]