How to Use Google Drive Offline

This article explains how to access Google Drive offline on a Windows PC, a Mac, and iOS and Android devices.

How to Access Google Drive Offline on a Windows PC

If you don't have an internet connection, you can still access your Google Drive offline on your PC, Mac, or mobile device. When you edit your Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides offline, the updates are applied automatically the next time your device syncs with the internet.

Setting up your Google Drive for offline use requires an internet connection and Chrome must not be in incognito mode. To enable offline access to your Google Drive on a PC running Windows:

1. Open the Google Chrome browser.

   You must make Google Chrome your default browser to open your Google Drive files from your computer without an internet connection.

2. Download and install the Google Docs offline Chrome extension in the Chrome Web Store.

3. Log in to your Google account if you're not already signed in.

4. From your My Drive page, select Settings (gear icon) in the upper-right corner.

5. Select General from the left pane, then check the box beside Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings files to this computer so that you can edit offline.

   Whenever you are editing a file without an internet connection, you will notice a lightning bolt beside the document's name. Once you're back online, any changes will sync up, and the symbol will disappear.

6. Select Done. Now you can continue working on Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides files within the Chrome browser when offline. Any changes you make will be cached locally, and the online version will be updated the next time you connect to the internet.

   This is sufficient if you just want to save your work in case you lose internet connection; however, if you want to download your Google Drive files to your computer so you can edit them whenever you want, you must continue to install Backup and Sync.

7. Download and install the free personal version of Backup and Sync for Google Drive.

8. Open Backup and Sync and sign in to your Google Account.

9. If you wish, you can now save files on your computer directly to Google Drive. If you don't want to do that, deselect the boxes beside each folder and select Next.

10. Select the box beside Sync My Drive to this computer, then select Start.

11. After a few minutes, your Google Drive files will be downloaded to a folder named Google Drive, and any future files you add to Google Drive will be automatically downloaded to your computer.

Access Google Drive Offline on Android and iOS

Although mobile devices do not support Chrome extensions, Google has individual iOS and Android apps for Google Drive, Docs, Slides, and Sheets that let you edit files offline. If you have an Android phone or tablet, some of these apps come preloaded on your device, but iOS users will have to download them from the Apple App Store. To access your Google Drive files on a mobile device without Wi-Fi:

1. While connected to the internet, open the Google Drive app.

2. Tap the three vertical dots next to the name of the file you wish to edit offline.

3. Tap Available offline on the menu that appears to enable offline editing.

4. To view files you've made available offline, tap the hamburger icon in the top-left corner to open a menu, then tap Offline. Any files you have made available offline on other devices will be automatically cached locally if you're currently connected to the internet.

5. You can make any files you've worked on recently automatically available offline within the Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides apps. Just tap the hamburger menu in the top-left corner of the app window, then Settings > Make recent files available offline.

   Avoid editing Google Drive files offline from different devices to avoid losing progress due to syncing issues.

Access Google Drive Offline on Mac

Before you can access your Drive files offline using a Mac, Google Chrome must be set up as your default browser. If you try to open a Docs, Sheets, or Slides file offline without taking this step, you'll arrive at an error page; you can always switch back to Safari later on. To edit Google Drive files offline on macOS:

1. Download and install Chrome for Mac.

2. Click the Apple icon on your dock, then click System Preferences.

3. Click General from the left pane.

4. Using the Default web browser dropdown box, switch from Safari to Google Chrome.

   If you just installed Chrome and don't see it listed as an option, try restarting your computer and trying again.

5. Using the Chrome browser, download and install the Google Docs offline Chrome extension.

6. Sign in to your Google account.

7. From your My Drive page, select Settings (gear icon) the upper-right corner.

8. Click General from the list on the left, and then check the box beside Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings files to this computer so that you can edit offline.

9. Click Done. You can now work on Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides files within the Chrome browser without a Wi-Fi connection. Any changes you make will be cached locally, and the online version will be updated the next time you connect to the internet.

10. Download the personal version of Backup and Sync for Google Drive.

11. Move Backup and Sync to your Applications folder, then open it.

12. Sign in to your Google account.

13. Choose to save files on your computer directly to Google Drive if you wish and click Next.

14. Click the box beside Sync My Drive to this computer and click Start. After a few minutes, your Google Drive files will be downloaded to a folder named Google Drive, and any future files you add to Google Drive will be automatically downloaded to your computer.