# Google Drive Application: Google LLC Also called drive for desktop, google drive for desktop, backup and sync Google LLC, Productivity 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 | 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. | 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 | 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. | Download | [www.google.com/drive/download/ ](https://www.google.com/drive/download/)Official installer or vendor page | | ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Help | [support.google.com/drive ](https://support.google.com/drive)Vendor support | | Official site | [www.google.com/drive/download/ ](https://www.google.com/drive/download/)Start here, not a random exe host | | Drive on the web | [drive.google.com/ ](https://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 Technical details Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build. ## Related These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link. [Microsoft OneDrive: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/microsoft-onedrive)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager) ## Sources and verification Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research). - [Google Drive official site ](https://www.google.com/drive/download/)· Vendor product page - [Google Drive help ](https://support.google.com/drive)· Vendor support - [Google: Drive for desktop ](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/7329379)· Current client behavior - [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark. ## Was this article useful? A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note. Quick facts The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article. - **Developer**: Google LLC **Category**: Cloud sync **Process**: GoogleDriveFS.exe **License**: Free client. Storage follows the Google account or Workspace plan **First released**: 2012 **Official site**: [google.com/drive](https://www.google.com/drive/download/) **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026 --- Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/google-drive/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)