Is there a way to limit the bandwidth that Google Drive File Stream uses?

Question

Is there a way to limit the bandwidth that Google Drive File Stream uses?

I'm using a Mac and when I resume syncing, the Internet becomes unusable. I have to stop syncing to browse simple web pages!

Answer 1

I am guessing you are using Drive File Stream instead of the now-depreciated Google Drive application. For Drive File Stream, there currently is no graphical options menu. However, this page from Google outlines how settings can still be changed using the defaults shell command.

In order to limit download bandwidth to 100 Kilobytes/second, open Terminal and enter the following command:

defaults write com.google.drivefs.settings BandwidthRxKBPS -int 100

The 100 can be changed to any integer value you choose, and note that the value is in kiloBYTES and not kiloBITS.

To set the value for upload speed, use the following command:

defaults write com.google.drivefs.settings BandwidthTxKBPS -int 100

In order to change all settings back to their default, you can use this command:

defaults delete com.google.drivefs.settings

Hope this helps! Comment with any questions you have.

Answer 2

There is a bandwidth limit setting in the Google Drive app's preferences (settings) -> Advanced.

See this answer.