Change local Google Drive folder

Question

Is it possible to change the Google Drive folder from the default to something that is not on your desktop?

For example, I want to use D:\Data as my local Google Drive folder.

Answer 1

Easiest way is to let it "have it's way" when installing, and then:

1. Right-click Google Drive and select "Quit Google Drive"
2. Move/rename the folder to where you want it
3. Launch Google Drive again from the start menu. It will complain that the folder is missing
4. Click the tray icon the first entry on the menu will read like "Error - Google Drive folder is missing"; click it.
5. Choose "Locate Folder" and browse to your new folder/location.

(It's actually easier than it looks, so after you've done it once you can repeat this forerever on any other computer/re-install that you do without having to google for it like I just did. :))

This procedure was taken from a comment on the already linked site http://www.poweraxess.com/internet/change-google-drive-default-folder-location-in-windows and I tried for myself and summarized the steps here for easier reference.

Answer 2

For me it did not work to just quit Google Drive as some of the answer states. When choosing location it complained that it was not the original location of Google Drive.

What I had to do in order to change local location was to uninstall and then reinstall Google Drive. In the installation setup I chose Advanced settings and then it is possible to choose local location folder.

Answer 3

There is a new way to change it. Simple and effective solution:

1. Disconnect account

2. Delete the "Google Drive" folder

3. Click the drive and select sign in

4. After sign in, it will show the little first-time tutorial.

   • Click 'Next' through them all, but DO NOT click 'Done' on the last.

5. There will be a button on the last page called "Sync Options".

   • In here, there is the option to point to a different location.

Answer 4

http://www.poweraxess.com/internet/change-google-drive-default-folder-location-in-windows

This should help you out, and the google drive folder is not actually on your desktop, that is just an alias to the actual folder in your user folder.

Answer 5

This might help someone: https://productforums.google.com/d/msg/drive/KyzWVscb7iE/G3k7NV5baWUJ

Here are the steps I used:

• Quit Google Drive
• Rename Google Drive Folder to "old Google Drive"
• Started Google Drive - it gives an error
• Disconnect Account
• Reconnect Account, in one of the screens there is an advanced setup option that lets you choose where the folder should be - I chose D:\Google Drive, for instance. Note, this folder can't exist already.
• Once it is setup, quit Google Drive right away.
• At this point for me there were no files in my new Google drive folder. If there are files there, I would delete them (except for desktop.ini but this probably doesn't even matter).
• Copy all files from "old Google Drive" folder into the new "Google Drive" folder. Skip desktop.ini (it probably wouldn't hurt even if the new ini got overwritten with the old one).
• Find where googledrivesync.exe is installed (C:\Program Files\Google\Drive or C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Drive for example) and launch it with --enable_snapshot_reconstruct flag (eg in command line: googledrivesync.exe --enable_snapshot_reconstruct)
• Profit

Answer 6

Unable to select a dual boot's (Win8.1) GD from the Advanced Settings dialogue on disconnect/reconnect account I succeeded with this:

1. Quit GD
2. Rename GD:old Google Drive
3. Create (dir) new folder {path}\Google Drive
4. Move "old Google Drive" contents to new GD
5. Run Google Drive
6. Disconnect Account
7. Connect Account→Advanced Settings locating new GD

I figure I could have Disconnected → quit → folder operations → run and reconnect → Advanced Settings: Location but what I did worked.