Is it possible to access Google Drive offline? If you’re a regular traveler or are dealing with a tem­pera­men­tal Internet con­nec­tion, offline access to stored data in Google is often the last resort. With Google’s offline feature, you won’t have to rely on online access to edit your data. Learn how to make Google Drive available offline on Windows and Mac.

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How to use Google Drive offline: the ad­van­tages

As one of the most useful col­lab­o­ra­tion tools in Google Workspace, Google Drive allows you to store, share, and edit files in the cloud.

Tip

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When you enable Google Drive access offline, you can open and edit all or select data without an Internet con­nec­tion. This way, you can make changes to pre­sen­ta­tions, edit documents, or even auto-translate Google spread­sheets on the go or in locations where Internet access may not be available. Best of all, the next time you log into Drive, all your offline changes will be au­to­mat­i­cal­ly syn­chro­nized.

Tip

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Access Google Drive offline: pre­req­ui­sites

To make files available offline in Google Drive, the following prepa­ra­tions are necessary:

  • Use the Google Chrome browser to enable offline mode.
  • Disable incognito mode.
  • Make sure you have a stable Internet con­nec­tion while syn­chro­niz­ing your Drive data.
  • Install and active the Chrome extension Google Docs Offline.
  • Ensure you have enough local storage space to download larger data from your Drive.

Access Google Drive offline in Windows: tutorial

Note

To enable offline access for Google Drive, you must use the Google Chrome browser and have a stable Internet con­nec­tion.

Step 1: Launch Google Chrome and install the Chrome extension Google Docs Offline.

Step 2: To check if the extension is pre-installed in Chrome, click on the Chrome settings (three-dot icon).

Image: Chrome settings
Chrome settings

Select “More tools” and check whether “Google Docs Offline” is installed and activated in “Ex­ten­sions”. If the extension is not installed, install it using the link in Step 1.

Image: Menu item “Extensions” in Chrome
Menu item “Ex­ten­sions” in Chrome

Step 3: Click the “Apps” button, select the “Google Drive” cloud storage, and log in with your Google username and password.

Image: Google Drive in Chrome apps
Google Drive in Chrome apps
Image: “Settings” in Chrome menu
“Settings” in Chrome menu

Step 4: In Google Drive, click the gear icon at the top right and select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.

Step 5: Under “General”, activate Drive's offline mode by placing a check mark next to “Offline”. Your most recently used Google Drive files are now available without requiring an Internet con­nec­tion. Offline changes to the files are au­to­mat­i­cal­ly syn­chro­nized the next time you log in.

Note

Google Docs Offline is au­to­mat­i­cal­ly installed if it’s not already available.

Image: Activate Google Drive: “Offline” function
Activate Google Drive: “Offline” function
Tip

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Use Google Drive offline in Mac

As a Mac user, you can make Google Drive available offline just as easily. The pre­req­ui­site, once again, is the Chrome browser.

Step 1: Download Chrome and install the browser. Launch the Google ap­pli­ca­tion and set Chrome as the default browser via “Settings”.

Image: Chrome: “Settings”
Chrome: “Settings”

Step 2: Sign in with your Google account.

Image: Sign in button for Google account
Sign in button for Google account

Step 3: Install the “Google Docs Offline” extension to sync Drive data with your Mac and edit it offline.

Step 4: Click the hamburger icon (three bars stacked on top of each other) at the top left of Chrome. Click on “Settings” and enable the “Offline” feature. You can now edit files you saved in Drive without an Internet con­nec­tion.

Image: Offline mode in the Chrome “Settings”
Offline mode in the Chrome “Settings”
Tip

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Make select files available offline in Google Drive

By default, Google makes the most recently edited files available offline in Google Drive. However, you can also access select files offline in Windows or Mac.

To do this, select the files you want to edit or make available offline. Simply click on the desired document and then on the three-dot icon. Place a check mark next to “Available offline” to activate permanent offline access for the file.

Image: Make select files “Available offline”
Make select files “Available offline”
Tip

Use the HiDrive Cloud Storage from IONOS to store your files and backups.

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