How to Backup Files to Google Drive [2 Automated Ways]

Google Drive is a popular cloud storage service developed by Google, similar to Dropbox and OneDrive. It offers file storage and synchronization, allowing users to save files to the cloud and sync data across different devices for collaboration.

Google Drive includes Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, which are great for collaboratively editing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and more. It also comes with 5GB of free cloud storage, with more available for a fee. Many people rely heavily on these features and use them for their daily work.

There are several benefits to saving your files to Google Drive:

• Cross-device collaboration: When you're signed in with the same Google account, you can share and edit files saved in Google Drive across your desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
• Compatibility with various file formats: It supports file types like Word, Excel, and PPT, so you can upload all these documents to Google Drive.
• Convenient and secure: Google Drive allows you to access your files quickly and offers high levels of data protection. You can have peace of mind about the safety of your data.

Now that you know so much about it, you must be wondering how to save files to Google Drive to use this utility. You can manually upload files to Google Drive through its web app. Just visit the website and log in to your Google account to upload files – no app download required. However, uploading files one by one can be tedious if you have too many of them.

Read Next: Google Drive Not Syncing on Windows 10 | Backup Google Drive to External Hard Drive

Read on, and we'll walk you through two automated methods to back up your files to Google Drive.

You may also be interested in: How to Automatically Backup a Folder to a Network Drive

Method 1: Sync Files to Google Drive with the Desktop Version of Google Drive

Google Drive offers a feature called Drive for Desktop (previously named Google Backup and Sync) that automatically backs up your files and folders to Google Drive.

Enabling it will automatically sync your files to Google Drive. Now, follow these steps to set up automatic backup on Google Drive:

Step 1: Download and install Google Drive on your computer. (Get it from the official site: https://www.google.com/drive/download/)

Step 2: Sign in to your Google account and click the gear icon in the top right corner, then choose "Settings".

Click Preferences.

Step 3: Click the “My Computer” option in the left-hand panel, and then click the “Add folder” button.

Step 4: Choose the files or folders you want to back up to Google Drive, and then tap “OK.”

Step 5: A settings window will appear. Check the box next to "Synchronize with Google Drive" and click "Done."

Now that that's set up, any data you put in that folder will be backed up to Google Drive.

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Method 2: Back up files to Google Drive with Todo Backup

If you're worried about the safety of Google Drive's automatic sync feature, there's another solution you can use – an automatic backup software tool called Todo Backup.

It is a reliable backup and recovery software that allows you to schedule backups hourly, daily, weekly, and more. You can automatically back up your files to Google Drive and other cloud storage services like OneDrive, pCloud, Hidrive, and Dropbox on Windows 11/10/8/7. With its incremental and differential backup tools, Todo Backup helps save a significant amount of storage space.

Todo Backup is a powerful backup tool with many features:

• Backup files, folders, disks/partitions, app data, or create a system image
• Partition and disk cloning, allowing you to upgrade your hard drive without reinstalling the OS
• Create a WinPE bootable USB drive
• Various types of backups, such as compressed backup, encrypted backup, etc.
• Save backups to cloud services, NAS, internal/external hard drives, secure zones, and more

With all these advantages and benefits, it keeps your digital world safe and secure, and lets you enjoy the convenience of all kinds of media. Download it, and use it to automatically save your files to Google Drive according to your chosen schedule, or back up your files to Google Drive.

Step 1: Click "Select Backup Content" to start the backup.

Step 2: There are four backup categories: Files, Disks, System, and Mail. Click on Files.

Step 3: The folders on your computer and on the network will be displayed on the left. You can expand the directories to select the files you want to back up.

File Backup

Step 4: Choose where you want to save your backup, following the on-screen instructions.

Clicking “Options” lets you set a password to protect the backup, and under “Backup Options,” you can schedule backups and choose to start them at specific events in “Backup Triggers.” There are many other customizable options available during the backup process as well.

Step 5: You can save the backup to your local drive, the tool's online service, or a NAS.

Step 6: Todo Backup lets users back up their data to third-party cloud storage services as well as its own.

If you want to back up to a third-party cloud drive, choose “Local Disk,” scroll down, add your cloud device, and sign into your account.

You can also save the backup to the tool's cloud storage service. Click Tool Cloud, then sign up and log in to your tool account.

Step 7: Click “Backup Now” to start the backup process. When finished, it will appear as a card in the left panel. Right-click it to manage the backup job.

[[3] Should you synchronize or back up? ]

Both backing up and syncing are ways to keep your computer data safe, but they are technically different.

A backup is a exact copy of a file. In other words, you have two copies of the same file on two different devices. If you delete one copy on one device, the other copy still exists, and you don't lose it. This is very useful for people who want to keep their data safe.

"Synchronization, on the other hand, means sharing a single copy of a file across different devices. This allows you to access and collaboratively edit a file simultaneously on other devices, which can be convenient when working with partners or colleagues. However, if you delete a file on one device, it will be synchronized and deleted on all others, potentially resulting in permanent loss of the file."

Both approaches have their strengths, and you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

Additional Tip: How to Backup Files to Google Drive on a Mobile Device Backing up files to Google Drive on your smartphone is straightforward, whether you have an Android or iOS device. Here's how: ### For Android Devices: 1. **Open the Google Drive app**: Make sure you have the Google Drive app installed. If not, download and install it from the Google Play Store. 2. **Sign in to your account**: Open the app and log in with your Google account. 3. **Create a new folder or select an existing one**: On the main screen, tap the plus sign (+) icon, then choose "New folder" to create a backup folder, or navigate to an existing folder where you want to store your files. 4. **Upload files**: To upload photos, videos, or other files, long-press the "Photos" or "Files" icon at the bottom of the app, then select the files from your phone's storage that you want to back up. 5. **Wait for the upload to complete**: Depending on file size and network speed, this may take some time. Once finished, your files will be securely stored in Google Drive. ### For iOS Devices: 1. **Install the Google Drive app**: Search for and install the Google Drive app from the App Store. 2. **Sign in to your account**: Open the app and log in using your Google credentials. 3. **Create or choose a folder**: Tap the "+" button at the bottom, then select "New folder" to make a backup folder, or navigate to an existing folder for storage. 4. **Import files**: From the bottom menu, tap "Upload," then choose "Photos" or "Files." This will open a file picker, allowing you to select files from your iPhone or iPad's Photos, the Files app, or another location. 5. **Wait for the upload**: After completion, your files will be stored in Google Drive. Ensure your device is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network to avoid data charges and speed up uploads. Regularly check your Google Drive storage space to prevent reaching the limit.

To back up files to Google Drive on an Android device, follow these steps:

Step 1: Download and install Google Drive on your phone.

Step 2: Open the app and sign in to your Google account.

Step 3: Tap the folder icon in the bottom right corner, then choose the folder where you want to save your backup.

Select a folder to save the backup

Step 4: Tap New (the plus icon) > Upload, select the files you want to back up, and tap Done to confirm.

Ultimately

This article outlines two automatic solutions to back up your files to Google Drive. Whether you use Google Drive's built-in sync feature or a backup software, both methods efficiently and effortlessly upload your data to Google Drive.

However, for the subject we discuss in this guide – backing up files to Google Drive – we strongly recommend using backup software, such as Todo Backup, to ensure your computer data is safe and secure in every way.

Frequently Asked Questions about Backing Up Your Files to Google Drive

1. Is Google Drive suitable for backup purposes?

Google Drive is a convenient cloud storage service for keeping your data safe. It offers 5GB of free cloud storage and allows you to synchronize and back up your data. People often prefer cloud storage due to its large capacity, easy accessibility, and facilitation of collaboration. You can utilize it as a backup option to take advantage of all these benefits.

2. Can I back up Google Drive?

Google Drive is an online cloud storage service for saving and syncing files. While there's no direct way to back up the Google Drive app itself, you can create a backup of your local Google Drive folder. You can use a reliable backup software, such as Todo Backup tools, to schedule backup plans.

Do I need to back up my Google Drive files?

While Google Drive is itself a storage service that can function as a backup location, you still need to back up the files within your Google Drive. Data in the cloud isn't absolutely secure, and having a backup can be helpful in case of a tech hack or data corruption. Additionally, backing up your Google Drive to OneDrive can promote better data preservation and management.