Important: AODocs does not officially support Google Drive for desktop (formerly called Google Drive File Stream). This article describes the behavior of AODocs with Google Drive for desktop.

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Google Drive for desktop

Google Drive for desktop is for Mac and PC. It lets you stream My Drive and shared drive files directly from the cloud, to your computer. It replaces Google Drive for Mac/PC (also known as Google Drive Sync).

Google Drive for desktop works as follows:

• When you sign in to Google Drive for desktop with your Google Workspace account, Google Drive for desktop creates a new disk on your computer (named G: by default on Windows).
• The Google Drive for desktop disk contains two subfolders: My Drive and shared drives (the latter for Google Workspace Business and Enterprise only).
• All your files and folders are streamed: they are visible and accessible when online but aren’t stored locally in the Google Drive for desktop disk.
• If you tag a file or folder as Available Offline, the file or folder is stored locally in the Google Drive for desktop disk and can be accessed offline.
• When you open a non-Google file from the Google Drive for desktop disk, it is opened locally with your corresponding default application. When you save the file (and when back online), a new version of the file is uploaded to Google Drive and replaces the current version (it does not prevent version conflict).
• The folder structure from the Google Drive for desktop disk supports folder control and read-only.

Behavior of AODocs with Google Drive for desktop

If an AODocs library is part of My Drive and you have installed Google Drive for desktop, the folder managed by AODocs will be visible in your local Google Drive for desktop disk. Only AODocs Team Folders and Secured Folders are visible.

Collaborative editing issues

AODocs allows a locking feature to prevent version conflict due to simultaneous editing of non-Google files.
If you use Google Drive for desktop to work with files locally online or offline, this locking feature is bypassed and the last version saved by Google Drive for desktop will override the document, even if the document is locked in AODocs. The intermediate versions saved are still accessible through the Manage versions feature.

Important: To avoid making conflicting edits when working on documents in desktop applications, AODocs supports only the Universal File Opener. 

Team Folders in Google Drive for desktop

Team Folders work as expected with Google Drive for desktop. 

Secured Folders in Google Drive for desktop

Secured Folders do not work as expected with Google Drive for desktop. To work in Secured Folders, most actions must be taken from the Google Drive interface with the AODocs Smartbar or from the AODocs interface. 

FAQ

What happens if you delete the root folder of a library from the Google Drive for desktop disk?
The user who deletes the root folder of the library unsubscribes from the folder. The folder is removed from the My Drive of the user. There is no impact on the integrity of the library.

What happens if you move files or folders from one library to another?
– In Team Folders, the file or folder is first moved then reverted back to its original location.
– In Secured Folders, you can't move the file or folder away from this location.

What happens if you move files or folders from a library to a Google Drive folder?
– In Team Folders, the file or folder is copied to the Google Drive folder.
– In Secured Folders, you can't move the file or folder away from this location.