How to Back Up Google Docs

Simple ways to back up important documents in Google Drive

Last Updated: February 11, 2022 Tested

Google's Drive program allows you to make and store spreadsheets and word processing documents in the cloud. The former Google Documents (Docs) is now a part of the Google Drive program. Google Drive allows you to save files in the cloud, but can also help you sync to a computer drive to avoid losing important data. Find out how to backup Google Docs.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Download Google Docs to a Computer

1
Sign into your Google Drive account. You will use the email address and password associated with your Gmail account.
2
Click on the word "Drive" in the top horizontal header. You should arrive at a page that shows all of your working Google documents.

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3
Click the box to the left of the word "Title." This will select all of your documents.
- If you would prefer to select a limited number of documents, check the boxes to the left of the document titles 1 by 1. You will need to download them individually.
4
Create a "Google Drive" folder in your Documents section of your computer. You can store the files to this location every time you want to backup your files, after removing them from the "Downloads" folder.
5
Right click on the first title. You will see a drop down list.
6
Move your cursor down and click on the word "Download." A dialog box should appear.
7
Select the "All Items" tab, instead of the "Selected Items" tab. You can download up to 2 GB at a time.
8
Choose the format in which you would like your items to be stored. You can choose Microsoft Office, Portable Document Format (PDF) or Open Office.
- Make sure you have a program that opens the kind of file you choose. For example, you do not want to save it to MS Office if you do not have that on your computer.
9
Click the "Download" button. Your files will be converted to a zip file to reduce size before they are downloaded.
10
Retrieve the documents from your "Downloads" folder and place them in your Google Drive backup folder on your computer.
11
Repeat these steps frequently, replacing the files with updated copies or saving different versions. Backups should be done at least every week, if not more often.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Sync Google Drive

1
Sign in to your Google account. Go to the Google Drive tab.
2
Download the Google Drive application for Mac or PC. Google may recognize what type of computer you are using and suggest the right application at the top of the Google Drive page.
3
Click on the Google Drive program in your downloads folder. Follow the dialog boxes to install it on your computer. Keep the Google Drive program in your applications folder for easy access.
- Input your Google account information as needed.
4
Open the Google Drive application on your computer. It will automatically sync with your online Google Drive account, if you do not change preferences.
- In the Google Drive menu, select the "Preferences" or "Settings" option. They are different depending upon whether you have a Mac or PC application. Make sure there is a box checked that indicates you want to sync Google Drive documents on your computer as a form of backup.
5
Decide to sync specific folders, if you choose. If you want to do this, select "Only sync some folders to this computer" in the Settings.
- Choose the folders that you want to sync. Click "Apply Changes" every time you change the settings.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Use Google Takeout

1
Go to Google Takeout. Through this service, you get a zip-folder with all your Google Drive data, and can safe it locally, offline and on multiple hard drives.
2
Click on the blue button "Create an archive". Tick the Drive logo and follow the instructions provided there.
3
Wait for the zip-folder to download. Then save and use that back-up for whatever you need.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Use a Third-Party Backup Provider

1
Research third party Google Doc backup providers, such as Spanning, Syscloud, or Backupify. There are a number of providers out there, and they all vary based on what services they offer, what level of security they use, whether they have free trials or free accounts, and how much their paid service costs.
2
Pick the service that suits your needs best and sign up for a free trial if they have one. This will often be their service with limited functionality, or will be a fully functional service that expires after short time period.
3
Try out as many services as you see fit, and decide on one you want to stick with (if any at all). When you do pick one, sign up for their full account.
- Most services do have a small fee for their full functionality, commonly in the ballpark of a few dollars a month.
4
Set up the backup. Once signed up, backing up your Google Docs is often done automatically, and is stored in the cloud where you can access your information, restore old data, or make changes from any location and device.