26 and will let you stream My Drive and Team Drive files directly from the cloud, which, Google says, will free up disk space and network bandwidth, decrease sync time and minimize the amount of company data stored on users’ hard drives.Ĭheck out this side-by-side comparison of the two options, which shows what each can and cannot do.įor more on the change and new options, visit Google’s help pages.

Drive File Stream will be available Sept. The second option is best if you’re using Google Drive for work. It also includes functionality from the Google Photos Uploader, which was discontinued. This option lets you access your files, sync only selected folders, use applications like Microsoft Word and Photoshop and sync other folders, like your documents. With this option, all the content on your drive is stored locally. If you’re using Google Drive on your personal computer, you’ll want to choose the Backup and Sync option, as that is geared more toward consumers, not organizations (although they can use it, too). You can keep using Google Drive until the very last moment, if you want, but it’s probably a good idea to take a look at the replacements now so you can prepare. You will then be guided toward a replacement.Īfter March, you can still access Google Drive from the web, your smartphone or the new replacement options. If you are still using the Drive app on your computer, you’ll begin seeing notifications this October telling you it will soon be gone. Google announced the change in a blog post, noting that support will be cut off even sooner (meaning you won’t be able to update the app), on Dec. While Google Drive itself won’t be going away, the desktop app will be gone by March 12, 2018. If you use Google Drive on your desktop, you’re going to want to listen up.

Google drive desktop going away