If you aren't connected to the Internet, you can still view and edit files, including:
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
- Google Slides
Use files offline with Drive on the web
Before you turn on offline access
- You must be connected to the internet.
- You must use the Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser.
- Don't use private browsing.
- Install and turn on Google Docs Offline Chrome extension.
- Make sure you have enough available space on your device to save your files.
- Open Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. If on Chrome, make sure you are signed into your desired account.
- Go to drive.google.com/drive/settings.
- Check the box next to "Create, open, and edit your recent Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files on this device while offline."
-
- On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
- Right click the Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file you want to save offline.
- Click Make available offline
.
To save multiple files offline, press Shift or Command (Mac)/Ctrl (Windows) while you click other files.
- On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
- Make sure you turn on offline access first.
- At the top right, click Ready for offline
- Click Offline preview.
If you edit a file offline:
- Changes are implemented when you’re back online.
- New changes overwrite previous changes.
- You can find edits in the file’s version history.
Tip: Learn how to find what's changed in a file.
Use files offline with Drive for desktop
Drive for desktop is an application for Windows and macOS that lets you quickly access content directly from your desktop, helping you easily access files and folders in a familiar location. If you mirror files and folders, that content is always available offline. If you stream files and folders, you can make specific items available offline. Learn what it means to stream or mirror your files.
Important:
- If you disconnect your Google Drive account, offline streamed files are removed. Mirrored files remain.
- To make Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides available offline, use files offline with Drive on the web.
- If you stream files from Drive to your computer, file data is stored in a local cache on your hard drive. Learn about the content cache.
To make streamed files, which aren't Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides, available offline:
On Windows:- Go to File Explorer.
- Open the Google Drive folder
.
- Choose the files or folders.
- To select more than one, hold Shift and click.
- Right-click your files or folders.
- Click Offline Access
Available offline
.
- When you save a file offline, a green check displays next to it.
On macOS:
- Go to Finder.
- Open the Google Drive folder
- Choose the files or folders.
- To select more than one, hold Shift and click.
- Right-click your files or folders.
- Click Available offline
- When you save a file offline, a green check displays next to it.
Storage consumption on the local hard drive
- Marking files available offline makes them take up space on the local hard drive.
- Marking folders available offline does the same for all files inside the folder, which can take up even more space. New items added to the folder are automatically available offline.
- To see all files that are marked as available offline, you can open the "Offline Files" dialog in the Drive for desktop menu.
With streaming:
- Your files are in the cloud. Hard drive space is only used when you open files or make them available offline, or for recently and frequently used files.
- You can only access files that aren't available offline when you’re connected to the internet.
- You can only access files, including those available offline, when the app is running.
With mirroring:
- Your files are in the cloud and your computer, which takes up hard drive space.
- You can access your files at any time, even when you don’t have an internet connection or the Drive for desktop app is running.
If you mirror your files and folders, they are automatically available offline. If you stream files and folders, you can make specific items available offline. Learn more about what it means to mirror or stream your files.
