Google will replace Backup and Sync client with Drive for desktop later this year

Google announced plans to unify its desktop Google Drive clients yesterday on the Google Workspace Updates blog.

Two clients are in use currently: the Backup and Sync client, available to Home customers for the most part, and Drive File Stream, available to business and Enterprise customers for the most part.

Both share some functionality, including the ability to sync data from local devices with Google Drive cloud storage.

Google noticed that some Google Workspace customers were using both sync solutions, and that this could lead to confusion on the end user site and challenges for the IT department.

The company will unify sync clients later in 2021. The new client, Drive for desktop, includes all functionality of the commercial Drive File Stream application. Backup and Sync users will be migrated to the new client as well, and Google plans to integrate some of the features unique to Backup and Sync in the new client prior to release.

A feature comparison table has been posted that highlights similarities and differences between the three clients.

	Backup and Sync	Drive File Stream	Drive for desktop
Use files in My Drive	Yes	Yes	Yes
Use files in shared drives	No	Yes, if your plan includes shared drives or you’re invited to a shared drive	Yes, if your plan includes shared drives or you’re invited to a shared drive
Sync only selected folders in My Drive to your computer	Yes	No, but you can stream files instead to save disk space	No, but you can stream files instead to save disk space
Sync only individual files in My Drive for offline use	No	Yes	Yes
Open and store non-Google files like Microsoft Office & Photoshop	Yes	Yes	Yes
See who's editing with real-time presence in Microsoft Office	No	Yes	Yes
Integrates with Microsoft Outlook, Meet scheduling	No	Yes	Yes
Sync local folders, like Documents or Desktop, to Google Drive	Yes	No	Yes
Back up photos and videos to Google Photos	Yes	No	Yes
Back up photos and videos directly to Google Photos instead of Google Drive	No	No	Yes
Access multiple accounts at the same time	Yes	No	Yes
Upload Apple Photos library	Yes	No	Yes
Upload from USB	Yes	No	Yes
Dark mode	No	Yes	Yes
File extensions you can ignore	Yes	No	No

The table highlights one major change for Backup and Sync users. The new client does not support syncing selected folders in My Drive to computer systems. Google notes that users can stream files instead as it will bring a placeholder functionality to the new client. Placeholders take up little space on devices but need to be streamed to the device when they are accessed; the feature works similarly to Microsoft's OneDrive implementation of placeholders. The only other feature that is going to be removed is the ability to ignore file extensions.

Some features will become available to Backup and Sync users for the first time; this includes the option to sync individual files for offline use, integration with Microsoft Outlook and Meet scheduling, the ability to back up media directly to Google Photos, and dark mode support.

A migration schedule has not been published yet, but Google notes that it will notify administrators and end users three months in advance.

Now You: Do you use Google Drive software on your devices?

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