You can then set the program up to keep any folders from your Drive storage synced to your computer's storage - so a folder on your computer basically becomes a mirror for the equivalent folder in Drive. On a Windows or Mac computer, grab Google's official Backup and Sync program or the team-based File Stream alternative for managed enterprise environments. The Chrome OS Files app has native Drive integration for easy file transfers. You've got a few different options, all of which put the Drive website method to shame.įirst, if you're using Chrome OS, the function you need is built right into your Chromebook: Just open up the system Files app, find the Google Drive section in the left-hand menu, and drag and drop any folders or files between there and your local storage. There's not much you can do about the process itself, but you can avoid the website entirely and transfer files in a simpler, faster, and more reliable manner. It's a frequently frustrating experience and the last thing you want to deal with when you're just trying to save some stuff and move on. When you select multiple files on the Drive website and then try to download 'em all simultaneously, the site begins to package the files into a compressed zip archive - and then, all too often, takes an eternity to finish that process and start your actual download.

Unfortunately, though, Drive is somewhat notorious for making downloads a massive pain in the patootie - at least, when more than one file is involved.

1: Difficult downloadsįor something that's primarily a storage service, you'd think the basic act of, y'know, transferring files with Drive would be effortless. Read through these fixes, hang onto any that seem relevant for future reference, and get ready to watch your cloud-related worries float away. I've heard it all over the years - and now, I've put together a collection of some of the most common Drive challenges I've encountered along with some fast 'n' simple solutions to overcome 'em. With Google Drive, specifically, whether you're storing and managing multimedia assets or dealing with documents and spreadsheets, there's a decent chance you'll run into some manner of murkiness along the way.ĭrive does lots of things well, but it certainly has its share of, shall we say, quirks. Here in the real world, though, cloud services aren't always so simple. It sounds so light, so fluffy, so worry-free - doesn't it?

Google drive download not working