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

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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3
Click the ⋮ icon in the sync window. 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.
5
Click Preferences on the sync menu. This will open your backup and sync preferences in a new window.
6
Click Google Drive Settings on the left menu. 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.
8
Click the blue OK button. 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

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 top-right. This button is located below your profile picture in the upper-right corner of your screen. It will open a drop-down menu.
3
Click Settings on the menu. This will open your Drive settings in a new pop-up window.
4
Click General on the left menu. This button is at the top of a navigation menu on the left-hand side of the Settings window.
5
Uncheck the box next to Offline. When this option is checked, all your Drive files are automatically synced to your computer's local storage for offline access.
6
Click DONE. This is a blue button in the upper-right corner of the Settings window. It will save your new account settings.