Well, Google Drive is indeed the indisputable king amongst cloud services across the internet. It is widely used by the public for all kinds of digital formats; as a reader, or a storage device, or maybe just as a backup, too. Drive offers easy ways to make the best out of your shareable content. The freedom to collaborate and brainstorm ideas makes using this platform more desirable.
Be it Windows, or Mac, maybe Android, or your iOS, the syncing features of Google Drive have doubled its installs. With the introduction of its desktop app now, Google is striving hard to make its super-efficient cloud storage and backup syncing options more accessible and easier for the larger public.
But what if all you required the desktop variant for is no longer needed? Maybe you don’t use it anymore. You might be more comfortable accessing Google Drive from your browser.
Or, these hefty applications take up a lot of space on your disk, and running out of your storage isn’t what you are actually for.
Well, you can try halting the syncing process for a break. You can also choose to restrict some files from backing up on your Mac specifically. But, this will not get rid of the application and will only act as temporary measures. The process may be resumed later.
In any of the cases mentioned above, removing Google Drive from your Mac might seem to be the best option for you.
Whatever may be your reasons, let us break it to you with the sheer ease of completely uninstalling Google Drive from your Mac with a step-by-step guide!
Ways to Remove Google Drive from Mac completely
Just when you thought throwing away the Google Drive icon in the bin would solve all your problems, you are wrong.
We instead are looking out for ways to entirely get rid of the desktop app, subsidiary cache, along residual application leftovers.
Want to remove Google Drive from your Mac smoothly? Here is a list of methods to opt for:
1. Un-linking Google Drive with your Mac
This is a preferable method for users wishing to remove Google Drive from Mac and all the files syncing with Google Drive without removing the software entirely.
As we know, Google rolled out its’ backup and sync’ app (earlier known as Drive for desktop) is super friendly with Mac or Windows and opens up a gateway of features, some of which are not even the web version supports.
To disconnect your Mac from the desktop functionality account of Google Drive, follow these basic steps:
- Open Google Drive software on your Mac. Go to the search bar if it is not already on the desktop. You will find the signature Drive logo to find it in no time.
- Then, click the ‘Settings’ button. From the list of drop-down menu options, choose Drive’s best handy feature, ‘Preferences.’
- Under the preferences group, go for the ‘Settings’ button to reach the disconnect option.
- Now, all you have to do is click on ‘disconnect’ to un-link your Mac from future syncing with Google Drive.
Wait! Don’t worry! This procedure will not terminate your data from Google Drive. Only the desktop version of Drive will be removed through this method, and no more backup will occur.
It will halt your syncing process completely. No future changes on your Google Drive and Mac will coincide together.
To re-start the syncing process without tampering with your data, download the Google Drive for Desktop again to Mac and set up the syncing process again from the preference settings.
2. Drag and drop to Trash
This is the most common way among users who wish to remove Google Drive from Mac completely and efficiently. It is pretty basic to execute, and you have probably been doing this for ages with other applications. Let us how to do it right:
- Review all your data on your Google Drive account (My Drive). If you wish, you can duplicate some files or folders or both and store them remotely on your Mac.
- Next, search for the Google Drive file using the ‘Finder’ search. You can also browse the app menu from ‘Go.’
- Then, all you need to do is drag and drop the Drive icon to the trash app from your Mac dock. Alternatively, you can right-click to bin the app.
- No, things don’t stop here. Right-click to clear the app cache to wipe away any residuals.
- Finally, do not forget to clear your trash to ensure everything is removed.
It is advisable to disconnect your Google Drive app from your Mac prior to proceeding with the steps mentioned above for easy removal.
Remember to download any file again on your Pc when you no longer have the Google Drive app well integrated with your Mac; you can visit the browser version of Google Drive; specifically, search for the particular file and download it again.
3. Clearing related Google Drive data from your Mac
Refer to the following steps to clear associated files completely from the nooks and corners of your Mac after removing Google Drive’s desktop version. Trust us, and nothing will escape your notice and hideaway.
- Visit the library folder to delete supporting file data. The keyboard shortcut for this on your Mac is Cmd+Shift+G. Use this in your ‘Finder’ bar.
- Type *~/Library* in the search box, leading you to the library files.
- Use the assistive search icon from the top right corner of the upper toolbar to look for all supportive files matching the keywords from this library folder window.
- Now, all you got to do is delete all associated files or folders manually one by one or select all of them and trash them all at once.
Next, if you have already saved your existing work and there is no need to visit the desktop folder of Google Drive in the future, deleting it is the best choice.
Visit the original Google Drive folder from the current user. You can search it up as well. Now delete away everything you don’t need, and that’s pretty much about it.
4. Using third-party apps to remove Google Drive from Mac
If you don’t want to take things in your hand and sit down for manual removals, good and safe third-party tools are available to take care of everything while uninstalling Google Drive for PC, from start to end. Easy to perform and quick to accomplish, they neither take up a lot of space or time (nor your money).
Almost all of the cleaning tools work the same way only. The interface is similar.
First, you will need to install any one of the free clients either from the Mac app store or directly from the developer’s website. Both these ways are safe and effortless.
After downloading them, you will find a variety of apps in the main menu of the apps displaying all software and applications already present on your Mac.
You can choose what all to delete from the ‘App manager library’ in such apps. It gives the user the freedom to remove as many apps at once.
These platforms will help you ditch away all related files without having to clean them yourself. It will ensure no-cache is left on your system.
Final Words
To save up your Mac storage from vanishing away, it is an excellent choice to remove Google Drive from mac. It is effortless to access your data from other sources.
All the time, your Drive starts to crash or shows some other weird changes; it is preferred to uninstall and then reinstall again (do only if trying out troubleshooting and clearing excess cache did not work).
The only thing that will change is your backup scenario. No additional automatic syncs and backups will occur, but there’s always an option to manually backup the newer added data.
Pausing the sync process is a great way to make desktop data modifications without interfering with the already existing file sequence.
However, it is also vital to trash away the residual cache accompanied by Google Drive’s PC version. Not only is it better for the health of your Mac in the long run, but it also occupies a lot of space. And hey! There are many other ways to approach Google Drive from your Mac itself without needing to download it again or using the browser.
There will be a Google Drive log folder that will have all your existing files. You will have permission to access it. You can create copies if required and move them to your PC. Remember, no further syncs will be reflected here, whatsoever may be the changes.
Hello, my name is Shirley. I’m a Google Drive expert and have been working with the platform since it launched. I’ve written extensively about Google Drive tips and tricks, and have created numerous tutorials on how to get the most out of the platform. I also enjoy creating tutorials to help people learn how to use Drive like pros. Read more