Quick Links

  • General Google Drive Troubleshooting Steps
  • Check Google Drive'due south Online Condition
  • Disable Your Antivirus and Firewall
  • Restart Google Drive
  • How to Get the Old Version of a Google Bulldoze File Back
  • How to Recover a Google Drive File That Has Disappeared
  • Google Drive Has Run Out of Storage Space
  • Unable to Print on Google Drive
  • Can't View or Edit a Shared Google Drive File
  • How to Use Google Drive Offline
  • Tin't Upload or Sync Files
  • Do More With Google Bulldoze

Google Drive allows you to collaborate with others seamlessly. It's as well integrated with lots of other services, and files are ever accessible. Best of all, you get an aplenty amount of storage for gratis.

Despite Google Bulldoze'southward excellence, there tin can exist problems in accessing the service. You may not be able to clear out storage space, share files, or are unable to access a document. Thankfully, many Google Drive problems are easy to fix.

We're going to offering some typical Google Bulldoze troubleshooting tips, and then solve some specific Google Drive problems.

Full general Google Drive Troubleshooting Steps

These are some unproblematic steps that yous should try first. They can aid diagnose and set a variety of problems with Google Drive.

ane. Bank check Google Drive's Online Condition

google status

Visit Google's app status dashboard. This lists all of Google'south services and tells you if at that place's a known problem with them. If yous see a "service disruption" or "service outage" indicator on the app you lot want to use, you can click on the colored dot to see details about when the service will be back online.

If the problem with Google Drive is on Google'due south end, unfortunately, the merely thing you lot can practice is await for the outage to exist over.

2. Disable Your Antivirus and Firewall

Antivirus and firewalls cause issues with syncing files, or a "You are offline, some functionality may exist unavailable" error. As such, try temporarily disabling your antivirus and firewall—just retrieve to plow them back on afterward.

On Windows 10, disable Windows Defender with these steps:

  1. Press Windows cardinal + I to open Settings.
  2. Get to Update & Security > Windows Security > Open Windows Security.
  3. Once here, click Firewall & network protection.
  4. Select your active network and slide Microsoft Defender Firewall to Off.

3. Restart Google Drive

If you're using Google Drive via a spider web browser, log out, close your web browser, ensure your net connection is reliable, and then log back in.

quit backup and sync

You can likewise quit Google Backup and Sync from your desktop by clicking the Backup and Sync icon, clicking the Settings icon (3 dots), and and then clicking Quit Backup and Sync. So reopen the app.

4. How to Get the Old Version of a Google Drive File Back

Google Drive keeps a detailed edit history of any and all changes made on your document by any user who has editing permissions.

To go back to an earlier save of a file created within the Google ecosystem (like on Google Docs), get to File > Version history > Encounter version history (or press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + H).

The history of changes made to the file volition appear on the right-manus side of the document, and you tin navigate through all the revisions made.

For non-Google files that you have uploaded, right-click the file, click Manage versions, and you lot can browse and download all prior versions of the file (upwards to 30 days or 100 versions).

five. How to Recover a Google Bulldoze File That Has Disappeared

If you're the only one with access to the file:

Bank check your Google Bulldoze trash folder, accessible via Trash on the left-manus navigation. If you see the file that yous're looking for, right-click it and select Restore. Your file will now exist available in its original location.

If your missing file isn't in your trash, it'southward possible that the proper noun has been changed, or it has been accidentally moved to another file. Thankfully, Google Drive's search features are advanced. Try searching for your file using keywords or dates, and see if information technology'due south in some other location than the one you predictable.

If there are multiple people working on the file:

Ane of the most common mishaps with Google Drive is that it deletes the file for anybody if one person deletes a shared file. There are a number of factors to consider when using Google Drive to collaborate, but this is one of the virtually important. Just like with whatsoever other file storage system, it's imperative that you keep backups of your files in a carve up, secure location.

The owner of the shared file may be able to retrieve it from their deleted files. Alternatively, if you lot have a Google Drive business relationship through a school or workplace, there may be an administrator who can encounter all deleted files for 30 days after they have been deleted, and may be able to assist yous in your case.

6. Google Drive Has Run Out of Storage Space

Google Drive's storage capacity is shared across services similar Google Docs, Google Sheets and Gmail, and Google Photos. To encounter how much space y'all're using across all those Google services, visit the Google I storage page. If you run out of space, you have a couple of options.

Delete Data From Google Drive

The outset is to clear out files y'all no longer need. On Google Drive, click Storage on the left-manus menu. This will evidence you all your files, which you lot can sort past Storage used.

To delete something, correct-click it and select Remove. Remember to too remove it from the trash.

google drive manage apps

You lot should likewise check for any tertiary-party apps that are using storage invisibly. To do this, click the cog icon in the pinnacle-correct and click Settings > Manage apps.

For each app, click Options, and you tin can use Delete subconscious app data if necessary. You can also click Disconnect from Bulldoze to remove the app integration entirely.

Upgrade Your Google One Storage

Google Bulldoze comes with xv GB of storage space, which you can speedily exhaust if you're not careful. If you lot can't find anything to delete, consider paying to upgrade your storage capacity.

Bank check the Google I storage page for pricing, wherein you tin can pay a reasonable monthly or yearly cost for 100GB, 200GB, or 2TB of data.

vii. Unable to Print on Google Bulldoze

Printers and Google Drive sometimes don't play well together, but you have some options to try and troubleshoot the root of your problem:

  • Ensure that your printer software is up-to-appointment. Considering Google Bulldoze is constantly being updated, it tin can quickly outpace your printer software. This can cause communication problems between the two services, and result in printing errors.
  • Similarly, y'all'll want to brand sure that the web browser you're using is up-to-engagement too.
  • Disable any browser extensions that may be interfering with your ability to print.
  • If you're notwithstanding unable to print directly from Google Bulldoze, it might be worth taking the fourth dimension to download your file as a PDF and then print it from your PDF software instead of from your browser.

This problem often crops up because of the number of choices users have for sharing Google Drive files with others. The person sending yous the link to the file may have missed a step in the process or chosen the incorrect option. Therefore you may be unable to see the file at all or be able to see the file without the power to make any changes.

If you don't have admission to a file, Google Drive will provide you lot with a button to Request access from the file's possessor, which will prompt them to modify the sharing settings on the file.

If y'all're the owner of a file and people are having trouble accessing information technology, double-bank check that you've set up the sharing parameters correctly using the video above.

9. How to Use Google Drive Offline

In club to use Google Drive offline, you will demand to utilise either the Google Chrome browser or install the Google Drive app on your Mac or PC.

On Chrome:

Visit Google Drive settings, and bank check Create, open and edit your recent Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files on this device while offline. You will need to download the Google Physician Offline plugin, which information technology will prompt you to practise.

Yous tin can only do this with one account per computer, so enable it only on the account that you use most often. Also, in order to enable offline syncing, you will need to accept an net connexion initially, so it involves some frontwards planning the starting time fourth dimension.

On your computer:

Download Google Backup and Sync and follow the prompts to gear up up your account. You will need to be connected to the internet initially so that your files can sync to your computer.

10. Can't Upload or Sync Files

Ane of the chief advantages of using Google Drive is that it syncs your files across all your devices. If that breaks, information technology's a big trouble.

We've compiled a separate guide to solve upload errors in Google Drive, and so bank check that out.

Exercise More than With Google Drive

If the communication hither hasn't solved your problem, visit the Google Drive assist page for more information. There is also a Google Drive help community where you lot can enquire others for back up.

With Google Drive up and running, it'south fourth dimension to learn what else you can do with it. There are plenty of default settings you should suit to make the experience even better.

8 Google Drive Settings and Preferences You lot Should Change Now

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Well-nigh The Author

Joe Keeley (881 Articles Published)

Joe was born with a keyboard in his hands and immediately started writing about engineering science. He has a BA (Hons) in Business and is at present a full-time freelance author who enjoys making tech simple for everyone.

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