How to Perform Google Drive One Way Sync Easily (2 Ways)

User Case: Can I Perform Google Drive One Way Sync?

“Hi, I want to set up folders on the computer where any added content is uploaded to a specific Google Drive location. But I only want files to be added - if I remove files from that folder on the computer, they should still be available in Google Drive. I just want to know can I perform Google Drive one way sync and how to do that? Any help would be appreciated. ”

If you have the same concerns, you can read on to learn the reasons for performing Google Drive one-way sync and two easy methods presented in the article.

Why Perform Google Drive One Way Sync?

More common in one-way sync is to sync local files in your computer to Google Drive in one way, why should you perform Google Drive one-way sync? This article summarizes the following common reasons.

• Save disk space: After syncing local files to Google Drive, you can delete the files in the source directory to save disk space.
• Protect data: Performing one-way sync can protect your data well, if you accidentally delete an important file on your disk, you can still access the data in Google Drive.
• Stay away from physical damage: Saving data online is safer than saving it on a physical disk, because if the physical disk is lost or damaged, then the data may be lost forever. But saving in Google Drive can avoid this issue very well.
• Share information: Syncing files to Google Drive allows multiple users to share the same account and share the same file seamlessly. It's helpful to promote the team working efficiency.

How to Perform Google Drive One Way Sync

Next, you can learn how to perform Google Drive one way sync. This article will introduce two methods in turn, including Google Drive's desktop application and professional third-party sync software. You can choose any one of the methods according to your own needs. You can read on for more details.

Perform Google Drive One Way Sync via Google Drive Sync Desktop App

Sometimes, one-way syncing is especially important when you want to store local files to Google Drive for saving local disk space, but you don't want to sync the changes you made in the cloud back to local again. You can use Google Drive's desktop app - Google Backup and Sync to help you. Please follow the steps below.

Step 1. Download Google Backup and Sync app, when you install this software, you will receive an message that this software has been replaced by Google Drive for desktop, then sign in with your Google Drive account and follow its on-screen set your Google Drive.

Step 2. After setting it up, click the Google Drive icon and then Setting > Preferences.

Step 3. Under the My Computer tab, click Add folder to choose the folder you want to sync to Google Drive.

Note:

You can check the Back up to Google Photos option to store local photos or videos to your Google Photos cloud storage.

Step 3. Click Google Drive tab, you’ll see the page as below. By default, it will select the Stream files option to save space. Then it will perform Google Drive one way sync automatically.

Google's desktop sync app can help you, but many users report that they sometimes fail to sync in one direction when using this tool. Since Google Drive is essentially a two-way sync cloud drive, you may encounter the situation Google Drive not one way syncing. Besides, this tool only supports syncing between local disk and Google Drive.

Perform Google Drive One Way Sync via Professional Third-party Software

You can choose a more professional third-party sync software for Google Drive one way sync, for example, AOMEI Backupper Professional, whose Mirror Sync function can ensure that you sync your local files to Google Drive and any changes you make in the cloud drive will not be synced back to your computer. Its operation is easy to understand, even a green hand can easily complete the syncing process. This software also has the following advantages.

• Sync any files: It allows you to select any files or folders you want to sync and helps you sync them to Google Drive easily.
• Automatic sync: It can help you automatically sync your selected local files to Google Drive, so you don't need to upload them one by one manually, which is very convenient and saves a lot of time.
• Multiple devices: You can use this software to sync local files to Google Drive or other cloud storage devices in one way. You can also sync files to other devices, such as external disks, HDD, SSD, USB drive, network, etc.
• Different systems: It has good compatibility and it supports different Windows operating systems, such as Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, etc.

Then you can follow the following steps to perform Google Drive one way sync.

Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper Professional, install and launch it. Then click Sync > Mirror Sync.

Notes: 

• Basic Sync: It allows you to sync changed files from the source directory to the destination directory.
• Real-Time Sync: It will monitor the files or folders in real-time and sync changes from the source directory to the destination directory immediately, which is very useful when you work in a team or change files frequently.
• Two-Way Sync: It will sync files from the source directory to the destination directory, and detect changes and reflect them in both locations.

Step 2. Click Add Folder to select the local folders you want to sync. If you need to sync multiple folders, you can click the “+” icon to add more folders to sync.

Step 3. Click the inverted triangle at the right edge of the second bar and choose Select a cloud drive as the destination path.

Step 4. Select Google Drive and click OK.

Tip:

If you cannot find Google Drive in the list, then go back to Step 3 and manually navigate to the Google Drive folder by clicking the folder shaped button in the second bar.

Step 5. Confirm your operations and click Start Sync to perform Google Drive one-way sync.

Notes:

• Options: It allows you to write comments or set email notifications for your sync tasks.
• Schedule Sync: You can set the fixed intervals as Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Event trigger/USB plug in to automatically sync local folders to Google Drive regularly.
• In addition to the Sync feature, this software still support file backup or creating a cloud backup. 

Summary            

Performing Google Drive one way sync can save local disk space and protect data from physical harm. You can use the two methods mentioned in the article to help you. It is more recommended that you select the professional third-party sync software AOMEI Backupper Professional for Google Drive one way sync.

Its Mirror Sync feature can ensure that after you sync your local files to Google Cloud Drive, any changes on the cloud drive will not be synced back to your computer again. And it can automatically sync any folders you want to sync. It also supports multiple storage devices and operating systems.

If you are a Windows Server user, AOMEI Backupper Server is more suitable for you. You can download this software to explore more features.