Google Drive is a reliable cloud storage platform from the Internet giant that offers an extensive storage space at affordable price. It is the most economical option for businesses as it doesn’t require heavy investment on their part, and the data is readily available anytime, anywhere. Businesses don’t have to set up and maintain their own servers to store data.
The freeware plan offers 15 GB of storage space which can be used to store your documents, presentations, spreadsheets, forms and almost any other file type. While working on your documents, you don’t have to worry about saving changes every time. Your changes are automatically saved after a certain interval.
Sep 22, 2020. Sep 11, 2020.
A major benefit of cloud hosting is that your data is readily accessible on all platforms irrespective of the operating system, browser type, and other hardware-specific configurations. You can access your files not only from your MacBook. but also from Windows PC, Laptop, Tablet, Android smartphone, iPhone and Blackberry.
You can also save your documents to Google Drive straight from your Microsoft Office for Mac Suite. If you’re using a single account for your entire family, there is a greater chance that you might run out of storage space and would need to purchase additional space.
Google Drive offers a standalone Desktop application for ease of access. Now, you can view and modify your files offline. Your files are automatically synchronized with all other devices without needing you to actually do anything.
You can use the Google Drive just like any other partition of your Solid-State Storage (SSD). A shortcut icon in your Mac’s Launcher gives easy access to create new files, view file contents, and move and copy them to another location.
Sending large files on the Internet is no more an issue. You can upload large files and share them with your family and friends with just a unique link. A unique link is a combination of characters that serves as a direct link to the file. You can also specify read/ write permissions while sharing your files.
The powerful Internet-based applications offered in Google Drive suite are a major alternative for Microsoft Office suite. Just like any other Office program, you can use the Format Painter, Spell & Grammar Check, Commenting, Bookmarks, Hyperlinks, and Print in addition to Voice Typing feature that allows you to type text with your voice using a good-quality microphone.
Cloud enables real-time collaboration between employees. You can track changes made by your colleagues, tag them into the comments for reviewal. Moreover, you can upload your favorite fonts on Google Drive to make professional-looking, creative presentations. The widely popular Revision History feature which keeps records of each change that you made to your document, allows you to restore any document version at any time, if you wish.
With Google Drive Desktop application, Internet drop-downs don’t affect your ability to download or upload large files. This means that, even if you lose Internet connectivity while downloading a large-sized file, the download process will resume the next time you’re connected to the Internet. You can view the progress percentage, number of files processed straight within the application.
- Open up the Safari browser.
- Download Google Drive through one of the following ways:
- If you’re already signed-in, go to the Google Drive page, and click the Install Drive for your computer icon on the left side panel of your screen. In the subsequent prompt, select Install Drive for Mac.
- Alternatively, you can visit the Google Drive direct download page, and select the Download for Mac option. This does not require signing in to your account.
- You’ll be prompted to select a destination folder. Choose Desktop, and click Save.
- Once the download is completed, double-click the .dmg file installgoogledrive.dmg
- Next, drag over the Google Drive icon to your Applications folder.
- In the Applications window that opens, double-click the Google Drive icon.
- A new prompt will appear on your screen: “Google Drive is an application downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it?”
- Click on Open.
- Log-in to your account again.
That’s it, you’ve successfully downloaded and installed Google Drive.
Should you have any queries or need further assistance, please sign in to your GSuite (Paid) account and visit Google GSuite Support page. Choose a medium of communication (Phone/ Chat/ Email).
Google provides phone and email support services in over 14 world languages. You can expect an initial response to your email within 1 working day.
Important:
- Be sure to mention the exact steps to reproduce the error.
- Provide as much as details as possible including the version/ edition of your Mac operating system.
- You may also be prompted to attach any log files, if required, depending on the complexity of the problem.
If you’re a free user, you can search for existing questions-answers or ask your queries at the official Google Drive Help Community forum. Click on Ask Now. Type your question, provide further details, and then submit your request.
Earlier, Google Drive either used to stop the download or throw an error if the download size exceeded 2GB. Later, Google added the functionality where files were divided into 2GB zip folders automatically. However, that didn’t solve the issue of zip files giving trouble to Drive users. Many people still face the Google Drive zipping files forever problem.
If you also face the issue of Google Drive zip downloads stuck or zip files fail to download, then you are at the right place. Here we will tell you six ways to possibly fix the issue. And as a bonus, you will also get to know a few tips to improve the zip download process.
Let’s get started.
1. Restart Computer
I have a habit of either hibernating or putting my laptop on sleep, which causes problems at times. The problem is mostly related to browsers due to issues in temporary files. So, if Google Drive is zipping files forever on your PC, you should start by restarting your computer. I know, I know ... but if only common sense was that common.
2. Follow the Right Steps
The zip downloads fail for most users due to the unintuitive nature of the download steps. The initial steps are logical i.e. select the folder or multiple files that you want to download and then click on the Download button. Google Drive will then start zipping your files. Once it finishes it, here’s what changes.
You will receive a Leave site pop-up at the top. Normally, pop-ups make sense with a yes or no button. But here things are different.
The text says ‘Changes you made may not be saved’. You are offered two options — leave and cancel. A regular user would think that the download for the zipped files will be canceled by clicking on the Leave button. So they click on Cancel. But that’s wrong. Pressing the Cancel button will stop the downloads. As strange as it may sound, you have to click on Leave. Doing that will start the download process of the zipped files.
Didn't Get Any Pop-up?
In case you don’t receive any pop-up, follow the below steps to fix it on Chrome.
Step 1: Open the link chrome://settings/ to go to Chrome Settings.
Step 2: Click on Advanced to reveal more settings.
Step 3: Under Privacy and Security, click on Site Settings.
Step 3: Scroll down and click on Pop-ups and redirects.
Step 4: If the pop-ups are blocked, click on the Add button next to Allow. Add https://drive.google.com to the allowed pop-ups.
Step 5: Close Chrome. Then try downloading the files. Do remember to click on Leave instead of Cancel in the pop-up.
Tip: Sometimes, downloads are blocked on Chrome. Find out how to unblock them.Also on Guiding Tech
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Read More3. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
You should also try manually clearing temporary files of your browser such as cookies and cache. We have mentioned the steps for Google Chrome browser.
Step 1: Again go to the settings page by typing in chrome://settings/ in the address bar or finding it from the Chrome menu.
Step 2: Scroll down and you will find the Advanced option. Click on it to reveal more settings.
Step 3: Under Privacy and security, click on Clear browsing data.
Step 4: Select the checkbox available next to ‘Cached images and files’ and ‘Cookies and other site data’. Uncheck others. Finally, hit the Clear data button.
Step 5: Close Chrome and launch it again. Then try downloading your zip files from Drive.
4. Try a Different Browser
If your current browser fails to download zip files, try it in a different browser.
5. Sign Into Correct Account
If you are signed into multiple Google accounts on your browser, sign out from all of them. Keep only one account signed in from where you want to download Google Drive files.
6. Reset Google Chrome Settings
Sometimes, the issue could be due to an extension or incorrect settings. So resetting Chrome will fix it. Even though your data is safe when you reset it, do read what happens when you reset Chrome.
To reset it, open Chrome Settings. Then, tap on Advanced. Scroll down to the bottom and click on ‘Restore settings to their original defaults’. Confirm by clicking on Reset.
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Click here to see our troubleshooting articles pageGoogle Drive Download For Macbook Pro
Where Are Zipped Files Downloaded
Typically, the files will be available in the Downloads folder on your PC. However, if you have changed the download location, they will be available in the new folder.
Tips to Improve Zip Download on Google Drive
Follow the below steps to ease the process of downloading zip files from Google Drive.
1. Download in Incognito Mode
If the zip files are giving you trouble while downloading in the normal browsing mode, try downloading it in the incognito mode.
2. Download Files Instead of the Folder
Instead of downloading a folder, select multiple files inside it and then download them. Some users have suggested that this trick quickened the zipping process for them.
3. Use Backup and Sync from Google
Google Drive has dedicated apps for both Windows and Mac. You should install those for downloading huge files from Drive. Besides being user-friendly, it doesn’t zip files, so the overall process of downloading files is fast. Do read our guide on how to use Backup and Sync from Google.
Download Google Drive For Mac Os X
4. Download Multiple Files
Downloading multiple files from Drive will always create a zip file, which may seem slow for some users. If you don’t want to install the Google Drive apps yet want to download files without zipping and quickly, check out our dedicated post for the same.
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Read MoreZip Along!
Hopefully one of the above tips did it for you and you were able to zip past (no pun intended) this annoying problem. In case you're still stuck, maybe your internet speed (or something else like the ISP's DNS) is to blame? Try to explore that angle and see if it works.
Next up: Is your Google Drive storage space running out? Know what counts towards storage quota on Google Drive. Check the article below.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextGoogle Drive Storage Guide: What Counts and What Doesn'tAlso See#google drive #file compression
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