Google Backup & Sync

Google Backup & Sync is a program that allows you to back your computer's files up to Google storage. Since faculty and staff have unlimited Google storage space, this makes for a very economical desktop backup solution.

While most university-owned desktop machines are backed up to an on-site disk array in North Hall, Google Backup is a good way to get an off-site recovery, as well as one that you can access without having to wait for IT support to restore files for you. It's also good for laptops and personal machines that aren't normally connected to the UCSB wired network.

Currently there are only instructions for macOS, although Google Backup is also available for Windows.

Note: Don't be intimidated by the length of this procedure. It's really quite simple, I've just assumed nothing and documented it in exhaustive detail.

Prerequisites:

• Your computer needs OS X 10.7 "Lion" or newer.
• You'll want to use a reasonably fast, stable network connection for making the initial backup.
  • If you have a choice, the on-campus network is ideal.
  • If you're using wireless, use the eduroam or UCSB Secure networks. Otherwise the backup may be interrupted when your session expires. It will restart just fine, but who wants to hang around signing in repeatedly so a backup can run?
• Having the Google Chrome browser installed is recommended, but not required.

Note: If you have a lot of files, the initial backup will take quite some time, and the computer will be sluggish while it works. (Subsequent backups only send changes, and are lightweight by comparison.) You may want to carry out these steps just before leaving for the day, so the backup can run overnight. Be sure to go to System Preferences, Energy Saver, and set Computer sleep to Never -- otherwise the computer will go to sleep to save power, defeating the purpose.

Installing Google Backup & Sync

1. Go to https://www.google.com/drive/download/ and click Download.
2. Open the InstallBackupAndSync.dmg file you just downloaded.
3. Drag the "Backup and Sync from Google" icon to the Applications folder. (You will be prompted for an administrator password.)
4. Open your Applications folder, and double-click "Backup and Sync from Google." (You may have to confirm that you want to open a file from the Internet.)
5. After a few moments, a welcome window will open to walk you through the setup process.
6. When asked to sign in, use your UCSB NetID -- this will be the same username and password you use to log into your email account.
7. You will be given a chance to select the folders you want to have backed up. The defaults of Desktop, Documents, and Pictures will be good for most people, but if you have additional folders you want to back up, click Choose Folder and select them. (This setting can be modified later, if your needs change.)
8. You will also be given the chance to set up sync from your Google Drive to your computer. This is optional.
9. When you're done and click Start, the backup process will begin. The first backup may take quite a while if you have many large files.
10. At any time you can revisit your settings by clicking the cloud icon in the menu bar, then clicking the three dots on the right and choosing Preferences. You can also open your Google Drive in a web browser, by clicking the triangular Google Drive icon. Finally, if you have Google Drive sync set up, you can click the folder icon to open your Google Drive folder in Finder.
11. Important: If you also have Box Sync installed, you will need to go to System Preferences, Extensions and uncheck the Box Sync Finder extension. Otherwise you will get a harmless but annoying error message asking you to find finderSyncAPIExtension. Box Sync will still function without this extension, it just won't be able to display checkmarks indicating which files are synced. (If you do get the finderSyncAPIExtensionerror, just click Cancel.)

Viewing and Restoring Backed-Up Files

1. Click the cloud icon to open Backup & Sync, then click the triangular Google Drive icon. Or, open a web browser and go to http://drive.google.com/.
2. If you opened Google Drive via Backup & Sync, you will automatically be taken to the backed-up data for your current computer. If you went there in a web browser, click Computers in the left sidebar, then click the computer whose files you want to view.
3. Right-click or Ctrl-click any file to see your options. Two important ones are "Manage versions..." and "Download." "Download is obvious" -- it lets you download the file. "Manage versions..." lets you go back in time and retrieve previous versions of the file -- very handy if you've corrupted or overwritten something.
4. When you delete a file from one of the folders being backed up, you will be asked if you also want to delete it from Google Drive. (You can turn this message off, if it's in the way.) If you do delete it, you can still retrieve it by going to Trash in the left sidebar.

Tips

• You don't have to have Backup & Sync installed on a computer to access files you've backed up from another computer -- you only need a web browser. For example, if your desktop is backed up with Backup & Sync, and you need a file from it while traveling with your laptop, you can simply go to drive.google.com and retrieve it.
• If you want to temporarily stop backups from running -- maybe you're using a tethered Internet connection, or can't spare the bandwidth -- just click the cloud icon, click the three dots on the right, then choose Pause.
• You can right-click or Ctrl-click a computer in the Google Drive Computers list if you want to change its name to something more descriptive than "My iMac."