Where Does Google Drive for Desktop Store Files?
Where Drive for desktop keeps its streaming cache, how the drive letter works on Windows, and how to tell mirrored files from placeholders.
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Drive for desktop does not keep one big copy of your files on disk. In streaming mode it mounts a virtual drive and downloads a file only when you open it, leaving the downloaded bytes in a cache folder under AppData or Application Support. In mirroring mode, My Drive is an ordinary folder full of ordinary files.
Which mode you are in decides what you are looking at: a placeholder with a cloud icon that takes almost no space, or a real file you can copy with Explorer. The setting lives in Settings > Preferences > Google Drive, under My Drive syncing options, and it is worth checking before you go hunting for gigabytes.
Where Google Drive stores this, by platform
G:\ (Google Drive mount), cache at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\DriveFS
G: is the default letter and can be changed, or swapped for a plain folder, in Settings > Preferences > Advanced settings > Drive letter. Streamed files at that mount are placeholders, and the bytes they download to sit in numbered subfolders inside DriveFS. Mirrored My Drive files are ordinary files in the folder you chose during setup.
/Volumes/Google Drive (mount), cache at ~/Library/Application Support/Google/DriveFS
On macOS 12.1 and later Drive uses File Provider, so macOS controls both the mount point and where cached data lives, and the drive appears under Locations in the Finder sidebar. Google still lists Application Support/Google/DriveFS as the default cache for older versions, so check there before assuming data is missing.
Frequently asked questions
where is the google drive cache on windows
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\DriveFS, which is C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS. Each account gets a numbered subfolder inside it. Clearing it forces a re-download, so only do that with the app quit and nothing waiting to upload.
google drive files taking up space but not downloaded
Streamed files show a cloud icon and use almost no space until you open them. If My Drive is mirrored, every file is a full copy on disk. Open the Drive icon, then Settings > Preferences > Google Drive to see which mode is active.
how do i know if my google drive is mirrored or streamed
In Settings > Preferences > Google Drive, read My Drive syncing options. Stream files keeps everything in the cloud and downloads on demand, while Mirror files keeps a complete local copy. Folders under Folders from your computer are always mirrored.
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