Google file stream how to download

Last updated: Sep 13, by David Raco. Work Computer To install Google Drive File Stream on your work computer, we recommend that you use Software Center , which enables you to install software packages approved by the IT department without the need for administrator access to your computer. Attachments Getting Started with Google Drive. Subscribe This Article Category Knowledgebase.

While it's still in the testing phase at time of writing, we've been offered early access to try it out. So far, it's performed very well for the early adopters who have been using it for the past couple weeks. This article will cover how to download, install, and use Drive File Stream. File Stream should not be confused with Drive Desktop Sync, a similar product that many of you have already installed. Click on this link to download the Windows version of Drive File Stream.

There's also a Mac version if you want to install it on a personal laptop. After downloading the installer, it will show up in your Downloads folder.

Double-click on it to run the installer. The installer will spend a few minutes downloading files and installing them. After installation, you'll be prompted for your TSS Google account credentials:. You'll also have to agree to give File Stream a bunch of different permissions, which File Stream needs in order to work properly.

Drive File Stream is an application that runs all the time when your computer is turned on. It's visible as a small square icon emblazoned with a triangular Drive logo in the System Tray, in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen:.

If you open up Google Drive and start browsing around, it should look pretty familiar. Every folder you can normally see in Google Drive will be visible inside Drive File Stream, along with their contents. If you double-click on a file, it will open in the Windows default app. If you double-click on a Google Doc, it will open a new tab in your default web browser to view the document. Likewise, any changes you make to a Drive Stream folder will be synced to Google Drive. This is important to remember: changes you make to your Drive File Stream will affect anyone else who has access to the same files in Google Drive.

This is the big difference between Drive File Stream and Drive Desktop Sync: Desktop Sync has to download copies of all the files, which makes it slow and also can take up tons of space on your computer's hard disk. Drive File Stream, by contrast, runs much more quickly because it's streaming your files from Google, not storing local copies of them. The app must include the words File Stream. Drive File Stream is now Google Drive for desktop. The branding in the product has also been updated to Google Workspace, the new name for G Suite.

The mount point path remains the same, so you can still find all your files in the same places, but shortcuts to the application have been renamed to Google Drive. Click the Google Drive File Stream icon in the task bar and sign into Google Drive with your email address and password.