How to Stop a Google Drive Sync on PC or Mac

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: April 30, 2018 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to stop files and folders from automatically syncing between your Google Drive cloud and your computer's local storage, using a desktop internet browser.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Selecting Individual Folders

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1
Open Google Drive in your internet browser. Type drive.google.com into the address bar, and hit ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
- If you're not automatically signed in, enter your email address or phone number, click NEXT, enter your password, and click NEXT again.
2
Click the
icon on the bottom-right. This button looks like a white cloud icon with a blue arrow in the lower-right corner of your screen. It will open your backup and sync menu in a pop-up window.
- You will see this icon only when a sync is in progress. If you don't see it, try uploading a new file to your Drive.
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This button is in the upper-right corner of the backup and sync pop-up. It will open your sync options on a menu.
4
Click Pause on the sync menu. This will pause the current file sync on your account.
- You can resume syncing anytime by clicking Resume on the same menu.
This will open your backup and sync preferences in a new window.
This option is located on a navigation menu on the left-hand side of the Preferences window. You can see a list of all your sync folders here.
7
Uncheck a folder on the list. Click the blue checkbox next to a folder on the list here, and make sure the box is empty.
- Unchecked folders will not be synced from your Drive to your computer's local storage anymore.
- Checked folders will still be automatically synced between your computer and your cloud storage.
This button is located in the lower-right corner of the window. It will save your new settings, and prevent the unchecked folders from syncing in the future.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Disabling All Sync

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1
Open Google Drive in your internet browser. Type drive.google.com into the address bar, and hit ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
- If you're not automatically signed in, enter your email address or phone number, click NEXT, enter your password, and click NEXT again.
This button is located below your profile picture in the upper-right corner of your screen. It will open a drop-down menu.
This will open your Drive settings in a new pop-up window.
This button is at the top of a navigation menu on the left-hand side of the Settings window.
When this option is checked, all your Drive files are automatically synced to your computer's local storage for offline access.
This is a blue button in the upper-right corner of the Settings window. It will save your new account settings.