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linux:google_drive

Google drive on Linux

It's strange, but true: Google doesn't provide an easy tool for Linux to integrate Google Drive. Even stranger considering Google uses Linux a lot for servers, as basis for Android, etc.

Luckily, there is a feature built in to the desktop to access Google Drive.

Open the Online accounts from the Gnome (or Cinnamon) settings. Easy to find if you run the Gnome desktop, but the end result works on most desktops, in which case you can run gnome-control-center and select Online accounts from there. There you can add a Google account.

You will be presented with a Google login screen, followed by a screen that asks for the permissions needed to access your Google account.

Next, you can select which parts of Google synchronization you want. Not all of it will be useful in many cases, eg the contacts and calendar synchronizations only seem to work with the evolution mail program, so if you use another program (or our webmail), you can skip these.

Once done, you will see a new entry in your file manager, and probably on your desktop (depending on which desktop and file manager you use, and what settings you have chosen for the desktop).

So far, this has been tested with Gnome, Cinnamon, Mate (file managers nautilus and nemo).

PS: the same “online accounts” section can be used for many more online accounts, e.g. owncloud

For details, see Gnome Online Accounts

linux/google_drive.txt · Last modified: 2017/09/13 07:10 by jansen