Introduction
Pima College distributes the Google Drive app to all of its systems. This app helps you back up local files and folders from your computer to your Google Drive. In the event your computer crashes or is stolen, the Google Drive app's automated backup feature means the important files from your computer will still be available in Google Drive, if you have configured the app to back them up.
How to Configure the Local Folders
- In the system tray at the bottom right corner of your screen, click the up arrow and then select the Google Drive icon.
- The first time you use it, the app walks you through a quick guide to setting up your drive. If you are prompted to sign in, please do so.
- In the upper right corner of the Google Drive app, select the gear icon.
- In the drop-down, select Preferences. The screen shown here appears:
- The My Laptop section has an Add folder option, where you add any folders from your computer that you want to sync to Google Drive.
- The Google Drive section shows you which folders (if any) are currently configured to be synced.
- To add a folder, click Add Folder. The Explorer window shown here appears, where you select the folder (e.g, Documents or Downloads) to back up.
- After selecting the folder, the screen shown here appears, where you select either to sync with your Google Drive (default) or Backup to Google Photos. In most cases you should accept the default of Sync with Google Drive, and then click Done.
The folder you selected is queued to be synchronized to your Google Drive. Syncing starts as soon as you click Done. How long syncing takes depends on the size of the folder.
How to Access Your Backed-up Files in Google Drive
Folders backed up to Google Drive will retain the same name as on your device and cannot be renamed in Drive.
- In your browser, navigate to Google Drive, where you should find a new option in the left pane labeled Computers.
- Expand Computers by clicking the triangle to its left. You should now be able to browse and select any files that have been synced to your Google Drive by the Google Drive app.
