iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents sync has been a game changer in terms of Mac users having the same stuff on all computers. Dropbox is probably more reliable and flexible, but it requires that you have a workflow of saving stuff into your Dropbox folder, and some Mac users just don’t want to do that; they want to put stuff in the Desktop and Documents folders that come on the computer, and call it a day.
iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents (which I’ll just call iCDD) takes care of that for them. And then, when they buy a new computer, rather than restore from a Time Machine backup (which is what I’d still recommend), they can just sign into their iCloud account and have access to all of their stuff, much like on their iPhone.
Google Backup and Sync is now available for Mac – Here is How it works? Just a month ago Google warned us about its next feature for Google Drive that is Backup and Sync. With this functionality installed, we can back up our files automatically in Google Drive, like a Time Machine in the cloud. Safely store and share your photos, videos, files and more in the cloud. Your first 15 GB of storage are free with a Google account. Simplify PC and Mac backup Automatically sync folders on your computer to the cloud. Back up folders like your Desktop, Documents and Downloads directly into your Dropbox. Google Backup & Sync on Mac With the Google Backup & Sync app installed on your computer, all the files in your online Google Drive automatically download and sync with the Google Drive folder saved on your computer. Any changes you make to the files are uploaded, and edits made on other devices update the files on your folder.
But what about the Downloads folder? Apple makes clear they expect what’s in your Downloads folder to be temporary, to be moved to elsewhere, or deleted. But that’s not how I roll, and many other people don’t either. Stuff accumulates there and I might want it regardless of what computer I actually downloaded it on.
If you want a synchronized Downloads folder, do this:
![Backup And Sync Download Mac Backup And Sync Download Mac](https://www.easeus.com/images/en/resource/fix-onedrive-sync-problem.png)
- Open iCloud Drive
- Make a Downloads folder in it
- Put that Downloads folder in your sidebar (it will look like a regular folder, rather than a circle with a downward pointing arrow)
- Move everything in your existing Downloads folder to the new Downloads folder
- Remove the old (circular) Downloads folder from your sidebar by dragging it out, or by unchecking it under Finder -> Preferences -> Sidebar
- Open Terminal, and type:
sudo rm ~/Downloads; ln -s ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Downloads/ ~/Downloads - Enter your computer password (which you won’t see as you type)
If you’re not comfortable using Terminal, instead set each of your browsers, in their Preferences, to use your new Downloads folder instead of the one in your Home folder.
Google Backup And Sync Download Mac
Repeat the above on each of your computers.