How to Make Google Drive Files Offline – 2 Ways Included

User Case: Sync 2 Folders and Access Google Drive Files Offline

“In daily life, I store many files in Google Drive for convenience. I want to be able to view and preferable save Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets while offline. I thought Google Drive would allow me to do this. But I don’t know how to do this. Can anyone offer a little help?”

Using a cloud storage service like Google Drive has plenty of advantages, such as easier file sharing and having a remote location to back up your files. If you have a Google account, you already have 15 GB of free storage on Google Drive. Google Drive enables you to upload and save various file types (documents, photos, audio and video) to Google servers or the "cloud".

All documents on Google Drive can be set offline. You can still edit your documents when you are away from the office and don't have internet access. How to achieve this operation? Two methods are provided below.

How to View Google Drive Files Offline

In this part, you can learn 2 ways to view or edit Google Drives files offline. One is to use the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension, and the other is to set Google Drive for Desktop offline use. Let's take a look at the specific steps.

Way 1. Use Google Docs Offline Chrome Extension

If you are not connected to the internet, you can still view and edit files via the Google Docs offline Chrome extension, including: Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides. First, you'll need to turn on offline access, then save Google Docs for offline use.

1. Connect your computer to the internet and use the Google Chrome browser.
2. Install and turn on Google Docs Offline Chrome extension.
3. Open Chrome and make sure you are signed in to Chrome. Go to drive.google.com/drive/settings. Click Create, open and edit your recent Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files on this device while offline.

4. On your computer, go to drive.google.com. Right click the Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file you want to save offline. Turn on "Available offline".

5. Then you can preview offline files. To do this, click Ready for offline at the top right. And then turn on Offline preview.

Way 2. Use Google Drive for Desktop

If you want to perform offline editing Google Docs, you can also make some special settings through Google Drive for Desktop app.

1. Download Google Drive for Desktop from the official website. Install and sign in with your Google Drive account and follow its on-screen set your Google Drive.

2. Once set up, click the Google Drive icon in the notification center, then click Settings -> Preferences.

3. To enable offline editing of Google Drive Docs, click the Google Drive tab on the left. Instead of syncing Drive folders to PC, you have an option to stream the entire Google Drive library to the computer. You can view all the Google Drive files and folders on a PC without taking a single MB on a computer.

4. Google Drive for Desktop provides two syncing options for offline use.

☞ Stream files: It will keep all the My Drive files in the cloud, and you have an option to keep necessary files offline on the PC.
☞ Mirror files: Drive will store all the folder content on computer and cloud. All files are automatically available offline. This is ideal when you don’t have internet access all the time to download required files from Drive.

The above two methods are the specific operation methods of how to use files and folders in Google Drive offline. If you are someone who works away from home a lot, the offline feature will help you a lot. You can view or edit your files anytime and anywhere without network restrictions.

Although the offline use function has brought a lot of convenience to many Google Drive users, some users reported that they encountered some problems in the process of using Google Drive. If you are unfortunate enough to encounter an issue with Google Drive not working, you may be at risk of losing your files. In such cases, I recommend you reliable third-party software to protect your files.

Comprehensive Protection of Google Drive Files with AOMEI Backupper

AOMEI Backupper Standard is a free backup and sync software that helps you make copies of your Google Drive files with just a few clicks. It supports all Windows PC operating systems like Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. Let's take a brief look at what practical functions it has.

❉ File Backup and Sync: You can use it to back up or sync your files/folders. For Sync function, it provides you with Basic Sync, Real-Time Sync, Mirror Sync and Two-Way Sync (The last 3 types are available in Professional version).
❉ Multiple Backup/Sync Destinations: You can use it to store your backups to external or internal hard drives, cloud drives (eg, Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive,), network location or NAS devices.
❉ Automatic Sync Function: This feature will help users to continuously backup data so that you will not miss any changes. You can create backup based on daily, weekly or monthly frequency. If you upgrade to higher version, you can enjoy event-triggers and USB plug in.

Next, I'll show you how to use the AOMEI Backupper Sync feature to create a backup of your Google Drive files.

1. Download and install AOMEI Backupper Standard on your computer.
2. Launch AOMEI Backupper, click the Sync option on the left panel, and select Basic Sync on the right.

♨ Tip: You can also back up your Google Drive files via Backup -> File Backup.

3. Click Add Folder to select the Google Drive folder as source path. Then, click the blank bar below to select a destination location.

Note✍: Don't modify the source folder name, otherwise the software will not sync changes anymore.

4. After you confirm all settings, click Start Sync to backup the Google Drive files.

✡ Options: You can write a comment for your current operation, and set up email notification so that you can receive timely notifications about task results.

✨ Bonus tip: backup important files to AOMEI Cloud

As cloud storage is becoming more and more popular, AOMEI offers users its own cloud - AOMEI Cloud. After you sign up for an AOMEI account, you can use 1TB storage for free within 15 days. Just click Backup > Cloud Backup to backup files to AOMEI Cloud.

Summary

This article provides you 2 ways to view or edit Google Drive files offline - use Google Docs Offline Chrome Extension or Google Drive for Desktop app. Both of these methods can help you use files in Google Drive offline, which brings a lot of convenience to most users.

With the widespread use of cloud services, it has also become important to back up files in cloud services. Free Backup and Sync Software - AOMEI Backupper can help you easily protect your data in cloud services such as Google Drive. With a backup, you don't have to worry about the trouble of losing files. You can also turn to this free software when your Google Drive is not working.