Synchronizing Google Drive files

While you can always access Google Drive on the web at drive.google.com, you may also access your Google Drive files from your computer's file system using Drive File Stream (Windows) or Backup and Sync (Mac). Here are first-time setup instructions for school-owned computers:

On Windows, use "Drive File Stream":

To set up:

Open your Start menu (Microsoft logo in the bottom left corner of your screen), and immediately start typing Drive
Click on Drive File Stream
Sign in using your @lancastermennonite.org email address
Click the right arrow until you see the Open Explorer button
Open Google Drive then open My Drive -- this is where you can save and open files
There are many ways to copy and paste files on Windows. You might start by opening File Explorer from the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, finding the files and folders you want to backup (probably in Documents or Desktop), selecting them (the Shift or Ctrl keys are your friends) then typing Ctrl-C to copy. Then, go to the Google Drive folder you want to paste them into, and type Ctrl-V to paste.

On a Mac, use "Backup and Sync"

To set up:

Click on your Desktop background
From the Go menu, select Applications
Open Backup and Sync from Google
Click Get Started
Sign in using your full @lancastermennonite.org email address
Click Got it
The default settings are great; click Next unless you want to customize

Click Got it
Again the default settings are great; click Next unless you want to customize
Click Start
Now you have Google Drive available as an option when you save or open files, or when you click on Finder.

There are many ways to copy and paste files on a Mac. You might start by opening the Finder (smiley face) from the Dock at the bottom of the screen, finding the files and folders you want to backup (probably in Documents or Desktop), selecting them (the Shift or ⌘ keys are your friends) then typing ⌘-C to copy. Then, go to the Google Drive folder you want to paste them into, and type ⌘-V to paste.

Finder