what happened to google backup and sync on mac?
google replaced it with drive for desktop. google's workspace updates post says google was unifying backup and sync and drive file stream into a single sync client called drive for desktop. it also gave a date after which users still on backup and sync would no longer be able to sign in to it (see the timeline below).
this guide follows google's pages as we read them in november 2026. for other apps that left the mac, see what happened to skype on mac.
download the ReMynd desktop app to search text you saw in a focused window, by app and date.
why did google retire backup and sync?
google says it was unifying its two sync apps into one. its drive for desktop announcement says backup and sync was built primarily for consumer users and drive file stream for business users. google says drive for desktop brings the best and most used features of both together.
google's post gave a timeline for the switch:
| starting | what google said would happen |
|---|---|
| july 19, 2021 | backup and sync supports a guided flow to move you to drive for desktop |
| august 18, 2021 | anyone still on backup and sync starts to get in-product notifications to switch |
| october 1, 2021 | anyone still on backup and sync can no longer sign in to it |
google says this applies to backup and sync users at all google workspace customers, as well as users with personal google accounts. to keep syncing with drive or google photos, it says you need drive for desktop.
what does drive for desktop do that backup and sync did?
google's announcement lists features that drive for desktop brings over from both older apps:
- upload and sync photos and videos to google photos or google drive, or both.
- sync external storage devices to the cloud, including flash drives and external hard drives.
- mirror drive files on your desktop, which stores your files on your device for quicker access.
it also says drive for desktop lets you access files directly from the cloud on your mac, which frees up disk space.
where are my google drive files on a mac now?
the location depends on how drive for desktop syncs. google's macos help page says that if you stream files on macos 12.1 and up, drive for desktop uses macos's file provider technology.
| sync method | where google says your files are | can you move the folder? |
|---|---|---|
| streaming with file provider | the finder sidebar, under locations | no, google says you can't change this location |
| legacy streaming method | the finder sidebar, under favorites | yes, google says you can change this location |
for advanced users, google says the file provider folder is library/cloudstorage in your home folder by default. with the legacy streaming method, google says the folder is volumes/googledrive by default.
google notes one more difference. with file provider, dragging items in and out of a google drive folder moves them, and the cloud file will be trashed if moved out. with the legacy streaming method, dragging copies them and keeps the cloud version intact.
how do you switch from backup and sync to drive for desktop?
you install drive for desktop and sign in. google's install guide gives these steps for macos:
- check that your version of macos is compatible with drive for desktop.
- download drive for desktop from google.
- open googledrive.dmg.
- follow the on-screen instructions.
- look for the drive for desktop menu at the top right, in the menu bar.
if you sync certain folders or devices, such as your desktop, documents or downloads folders, removable or network volumes, or your photos library, google says you might need to give macos permission. you can change that later in system settings, under privacy and security, in files and folders or photos.
why can't spotlight find my drive files?
with file provider, spotlight sees only part of your drive. google says that with file provider, spotlight search will only search a subset of your files, including any downloaded files. to search all files, google says to use the drive for desktop search tool or the drive website. with the legacy streaming method, google says spotlight only searches your files if you explicitly turn that on in preferences, and otherwise it won't search at all.
where does ReMynd fit?
microsoft's work trend index asked workers about searching for information. it was published may 9, 2023, and surveyed 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed workers in 31 markets. 62% of respondents said they struggle with spending too much of their workday searching for information. the same survey found 86% were looking for ai to help find the information and answers they need.
ReMynd records your screen, runs ocr locally with apple vision on a mac, and keeps a searchable index on your computer. text comes from the focused window only, and video covers windows you have not excluded. in our view, it helps when you remember a document you had open but not which drive folder it was in.
press control space to search in plain language, refine by app, date or source, and jump to an exact moment, provided ReMynd was running then and the window was not excluded. on a mac it needs macos 14 or later on an apple silicon mac. ReMynd also runs on windows 11 (x64 or arm64). for file search on a mac, see spotlight not finding files on mac.
limits of this guide
- it follows google's workspace updates post, its drive for desktop announcement and two google drive help pages; we did not test drive for desktop.
- google's install page mentions a redesigned drive for desktop; in our read, menu names may differ from these steps.
- google's timeline dates are the ones google gave in its post; we did not check when each account was cut off.
ReMynd is photographic memory for your computer. forgot where you saw something? just ReMynd it.
download the ReMynd desktop app and search what you saw in a focused window, by app and date.