Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Via Google Drive
• Method 2 of 3: With the Backup and Sync program
• Method 3 of 3: Download an archive from Google
• Tips
• Warnings

This article will show you how to download all files from your Google Drive to Mac or Windows computer. You can download the files directly from the Google Drive website, synchronize the files with the free program "Backup and Sync", or download all your data from Google Drive as an archive. If you have more than 5 gigabytes of data on your Google Drive, it's best to use Google's Backup and Sync to sync your files with your computer.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Via Google Drive

1. Open Google Drive. Go to https://www.google.com/intl/nl_ALL/drive/ in your computer's web browser. If you are already signed in with your Google account, you will now see your Google Drive page.
   • If you are not logged in yet, click on "To Google Drive" and enter your email address and password.
2. Click on a file or folder in your Drive. This is how you select the file or folder.
3. Select everything in your Google Drive. Press Ctrl+a (Windows) or ⌘ Command+a (Mac). All files and folders in your Drive will now turn blue.
4. click on ⋮. This button is located at the top right of the window. You will open a drop-down menu.
5. click on To download. You can find this option in the drop-down menu. Your Drive files will now start downloading to your computer.
   • Google Drive first compresses all files in a ZIP file.
6. Wait for the contents of your Drive to be downloaded. After downloading, you can open the Downloads folder on your computer and extract the files.

Method 2 of 3: With the Backup and Sync program

1. Open the Backup and Sync webpage. Go to https://www.google.com/intl/nl_ALL/drive/download/ in your computer's browser. Backup and Sync allows you to sync files between your Google Drive and your computer. So you can also download everything from your Google Drive to your computer.
   • The biggest advantage of this method is that any changes you make to your Google Drive will be immediately propagated to your computer through the program.
2. click on To download. This is a blue button under the heading "Personal", on the left side of the page.
3. click on Agree and download. The installer will now be downloaded.
4. Install Backup and Sync. When the installer has finished downloading, do one of the following depending on your operating system:
   • Install on Windows - Double-click the downloaded installation file, then click "Yes", then click "Close" when installation is complete.
   • Install on a Mac - Double-click the downloaded installation file, confirm the installation, then drag the Backup and Sync icon to the "Applications" folder, and wait for the installation to complete.
5. Wait for the Backup and Sync login page to open. After the program is installed on your computer, you will see a page where you can log in with your Google account.
   • You may need to click "Get Started" before you can continue.
6. Log in with your Google account. Enter the email address and password of the Google account from which you want to download the files.
7. If necessary, choose folders on your computer to synchronize. Check the boxes next to folders you want to upload to Google Drive.
   • If you don't want to upload anything from your computer, you don't have to tick any boxes.
8. click on Next one. This button is in the bottom right corner of the window.
9. click on I get it in the dialog box. You will now open the Download page, where you can select files from your Google Drive to download to your computer.
10. Select the "Sync everything in my Drive" box. This option is at the top of the window. This will ensure that everything in your Drive is downloaded to your computer.
11. click on Start. This is a blue button in the bottom right corner of the window. Your Drive files will now start downloading to your computer.
    • The download process may take a while depending on the size of your files. So be patient.
    • When the download is complete, you can see all your files in the "Google Drive" folder on your computer. You can open this folder by clicking the Backup and Sync icon, then the folder icon in the top right corner of the menu.

Method 3 of 3: Download an archive from Google

1. Open your Google account page. Go to https://myaccount.google.com/ in a web browser. You will now open the settings for your Google account, if you are already logged in.
   • If you are not logged in yet, click the blue "Login" button in the top right corner of the page, and enter your email address and password.
2. click on Data and Personalization.
   • This option is on the left side of the page.
3. click on Create archive. You can find this option halfway down the page, under the heading "Download, delete or plan your data".
4. click on Select none. This gray button is on the right side of the page.
5. Scroll down and click the gray button next to "Drive" Scroll down and click Next one. This is a blue button at the bottom of the page.
6. Choose an archive size. Click the drop-down menu at "File Size", and choose a size that is larger than the files on your Google Drive.
   • If your archive is larger than the selected size, Google will split the file into multiple zip files.
7. click on Create archive. This button is at the bottom of the page. Google will now start creating a zip file containing the entire contents of your Drive.
8. Wait for the archive to finish. Assembling your archive usually takes a few minutes, so stay on this page until you see the "Download" button appear.
   • Google will also send a download link to your email address, so if you've closed the page, you can open your Gmail account and click "Download Archive" in the email.
9. click on To download. This blue button is located to the right of your archive name, in the middle of the page.
10. Enter your password. If prompted, enter the password you use for your Google account. This way you give permission to download the archive to your computer.
11. Wait for the contents of your Drive to be downloaded. After downloading, you can extract the files and view them.

Tips

• You may want to connect your computer via ethernet to speed up the download process.

Warnings

• Free Google Drive accounts can store up to 15 gigabytes of files, so downloading can take several hours.