Google Drive

ApplicationGoogle LLC

Also called drive for desktop, google drive for desktop, backup and sync

Google LLCProductivity

Google's Windows sync client, now Drive for desktop. The process is GoogleDriveFS.exe. It is not OneDrive and not the retired Backup and Sync app.

What you need to know

Drive for desktop is GoogleDriveFS.exe. OneDrive is Microsoft.

Google's current Windows client replaced Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream branding. OneDrive.exe will not sync a Google account. Two clients on one Documents tree double the disk.

What is it?: Cloud sync
Still current?: Yes, see Current status
Official download?: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If GoogleDriveFS.exe is chewing the disk, I would look at a first sync or a mirror of a huge Drive, not OneDrive.exe. Those are different clouds.

What is Google Drive?

Google Drive for desktop is Google's Windows sync app. GoogleDriveFS.exe is the current worker. It is not OneDrive, not Dropbox, and not the old Backup and Sync.exe.

If you have never used it

If you want a G: style Drive letter or a mirrored Google Drive folder on Windows, this is Drive for desktop, not OneDrive. Download it from google.com/drive/download. Backup and Sync was Google's older consumer client. Google retired that name. OneDrive.exe is Microsoft and a different folder.

What is it used for?

Stream or mirror Drive files

A virtual drive or a mirrored folder for the Google account. OneDrive does not mount this letter.

Shared drives (Workspace)

Work Google accounts can show shared drives. That is Workspace, not a Microsoft tenant.

Photos and desktop folders if you enable them

Optional folder backup in this client. It is still Google Drive, not Known Folder Move.

Who is it for?

People whose files already live in a Google account
Workspace users who need Shared drives in Explorer
Anyone who should not stack this on the same Documents tree as OneDrive

Current status

Actively developed as Drive for desktop. Backup and Sync is retired. This article is the current Windows client.

How old is it?

Google Drive launched in 2012. Drive File Stream and Backup and Sync later merged into Drive for desktop. A guide that still says "install Backup and Sync" is stale. OneDrive is a different 2007-era Microsoft client.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Drive for desktop

Backup and Sync (retired)

Drive File Stream (merged)

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
GoogleDriveFS.exe	Drive for desktop (File Stream)

Startup components

Drive for desktop usually starts with Windows from its own setting. That is the Google tray, not OneDrive.

File locations

Common Google Drive locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\Google\Drive File Stream\GoogleDriveFS.exe

File formats

whatever you store in Google Drive

Common problems

Leftover Backup and Sync

Google moved users to Drive for desktop. An old Backup and Sync shortcut is stale. Install the current client.

OneDrive and Drive both own Documents

Pick one root. Known Folder Move plus Google folder backup is how files fight.

Getting unstuck

Confirm GoogleDriveFS.exe, not OneDrive.exe

Open file location. Google\Drive File Stream is this client. Microsoft\OneDrive is the sibling people swap.

Pause sync in the Drive tray before you debug Explorer

Placeholders wake the client. Ending the process mid-write can leave a half-hydrated file.

Install from google.com/drive/download

A "Google Drive sync" search ad is the wrong file. Backup and Sync installers are retired.

Alternatives

OneDrive, Dropbox, and drive.google.com in a browser overlap. The website skips the tray. It will not give you a Drive letter.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.google.com/drive/download/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	support.google.com/drive Vendor support
Official site	www.google.com/drive/download/ Start here, not a random exe host
Drive on the web	drive.google.com/ Files without the Windows client

Related hardware

An SSD makes first mirror and streaming feel less painful. A spinning disk plus two clouds is the worst case.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Google Drive official site · Vendor product page
Google Drive help · Vendor support
Google: Drive for desktop · Current client behavior
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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