Send Files From Google Drive To Mac And Avoid Duplicates

Nowadays cloud services have become the most important aspect of our lives. You rely on the cloud to store your important data, share your snaps with your closed buddies. Since the cloud has become an integrated part in our everyday lives, it makes sense to organize and optimize your data.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the entire procedure to send files from your Google Drive to Mac, and then address the issue of duplication.

Upload your files on Google Drive

1. Launch your browser and open google.com/drive
2. Click on the New icon on the upper left corner of your screen.
3. Select the Folder Upload option if your files are located in a specific folder. To upload random files use the File Upload option.
4. Select your folder or file.
5. Google Drive will start uploading your folders or files. You will be able to see the progress on the bottom right corner of your screen.

Download your Google Drive files on Mac

1. Open the Safari and go to google.com/drive on your Mac.
2. Click the Download button under Backup & Sync.
3. Google Drive will display a licence agreement on your screen. Read and click Agree if you agree.
4. Your Mac will download Google Drive to the Downloads folder.
5. Once the download is finished, double-click on InstallBackup&Sync.dmg
6. On the installer page, drag and drop Backup & Sync to the Applications folder.
7. After successful installation, open the Google Drive from the Applications folder.
8. Your Mac will display a warning that this is a downloaded application from the Internet. Click on Open to continue.
9. Click on Get Started in the Welcome page and provide your Google Drive login authentications.
10. Google Drive with display tips and tricks to make you familiar with the application. Click on Next until the wizard finishes.
11. After the wizard is closed, you will be able to see a Google Drive icon on the sidebar of your Finder.

Scan your files for duplicates

A common problem associated with Google Drive is that of duplication. As you sync your account with multiple devices, you acquire identical copies of the same files. It is very much possible that you’ve so many common files on multiple devices.

Although it is possible to manually find duplicates, it is not recommended. Duplicate files are found in different formats. You can find the same text in two different file formats- Text File (.txt) and Rich Text Format (.rtf). It is one of the factors that make comparing your files too difficult. Also, your files can be fragmented across hundreds of folders and sub-folders, thus making it practically impossible to go through each of them.

So what should you do if you’ve tens of GBs of duplicate files? The most realistic way to fight duplication is to use an algorithm-based approach. Clone Files Checker can be a great help here.

Clone Files Checker is a duplicate files scanner for Mac and Windows. It offers comprehensive features that make it easier to find duplicate files.

• Completely automated procedure
• Uses industry-standard hashing algorithms that guarantee scan accuracy
• Beginner friendly appearance
• Scans drives, folders, sub-folders and nested directory structures
• Choose an upper and lower file size limit to scan files (Optional)
• Scan all sorts of files or choose one or more file types
• Integrated backup compresses and backups your files so that you can “undo” the deletion
• Export files list to a CSV file
• Quickly view file contents using the internal preview feature
• Users can open a file, open containing folder, copy path to directory and load File Properties
• Automatic files selection criteria to select duplicates in bulk
• Delete duplicates permanently or move them to another folder
• Quick-Fix wizard guides you through the entire procedure (Windows)
• Review & Fix helps you review your files list and take action

Steps

1. Open the Google Drive folder on your Finder.
2. Move all files to a separate folder on your SSD. For example, create a folder “DuplicateFiles” on your Mac’s desktop.
3. Download and install Clone Files Checker on your MacBook.
4. On the left hand side corner of the screen, Clone Files Checker displays all the folders that are added to the scan. Use the Add button to select and add your “DuplicateFiles” folder to the scan list.
5. In the Customize Scan, the default selected option is All Files. With this option selected, CFC will scan every file irrespective of its kind. Although it can take you more time to scan your files, you can expect it to find more duplicates and free up significant storage. Another option is Custom scan. Select it if you want CFC to scan only select file types. The scan will take relatively lower time, however the results will be limited.
6. After selecting one of the above options, it’s time to set up File Size Filters. These filters are completely optional. You can use them to specify an upper and lower limit for your scan- whether in bytes, KBs, MBs or GBs.
7. Click on Start Search and the scan will begin shortly.
8. After the scan is finished, the program will display duplicates files list. Each file in the list is grouped with other files sharing the common hash code.
9. Use the checkboxes to mark or unmark your files. CFC will process any files that you have marked (delete/ move depending what you choose later) and keep. Any unmarked files will be kept unchanged.
10. Alternatively, you have the option to select hundreds of duplicates in one-click using the Select Duplicates button. Use an automatic selection pattern to mark or unmark files. For example: To mark only the newest files in each group, click on Select Duplicates, followed by Newest files in each group. Similarly, you can mark oldest files, most modified files, least modified files, etc.
11. Finally, click on the Select Action button. Choose whether you want to delete duplicates permanently or move them to another folder on your Mac.

Vikas

Vikas is a technology enthusiast who loves writing articles on computers and technology. He writes on various topics related to software, software reviews, troubleshooting and tips & tricks to make people’s digital lives better.