Google has announced that it’s updating its Google Drive application for Mac and PC and merging it with the Google Photos desktop uploader tool. The new app is called Backup and Sync from Google, and it should be available starting June 28th.

One of the biggest changes? It’ll let you choose any set of folders on your computer to keep backed up to your Google Drive account.

The current app only backs up a single folder, which makes it useful for synchronizing some important files with your cloud storage, but less than ideal for use as an alternative to full-fledged backup services like Crashplan or Carbonite.

For example, you’ll be able to continuously backup files in your Documents folder, anything saved on your Desktop, or in other folders.

Google points out that the new Backup and Sync tool is meant for consumers rather than enterprise users. So if you’re a G Suite customers, you won’t be automatically updated until the company’s next-gen “Drive File System” solution is ready.

Google Drive users get up to 15GB of cloud storage for free. If you need more than that, plans start at 100GB for $2 per month or $20 per year… but Google and its hardware partners frequently offer a year or two of additional storage space as a perk when you buy select Android phones or Chromebooks.

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2 replies on “Google Drive desktop app is turning into a full-fledged Backup and Sync tool”

  1. Doesn’t the current Google Photos allow unlimited photo and video storage? How does that work out with the 15GB limit? Do any photo and video files not count towards the limit?

    1. Google photos has 2 options:
      1. High-quality: Unlimited free storage for photos under 16MP
      2. Original: Photos backed up at original sizes, but count towards the 15 GB free limit.
      Everything else, documents, music etc will count towards the limit.

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