How To Download From Google Drive On Mac

Key Takeaways

You can download Google Drive files in several ways
From Docs, Sheets, Slides, or directly in Drive, you can save individual files, folders, or multiple items. Google formats export cleanly, like DOCX, PDF, XLSX, and PPTX, making offline work easy.
Google Drive offers options for large or full backups
For full account exports, Google Takeout lets you download your entire Drive, Photos, Gmail data, and more as a secure archive. Large exports may take hours, depending on your storage size.
The Google Drive app for Mac adds offline access and Finder integration
With Google Drive for Desktop, you can stream or mirror your files, choose selective offline access, and manage Drive content like any local folder on your Mac.
Advanced tools make managing Drive files faster
Apps like ForkLift provide dual-pane file management, server connections, drag and drop transfers, and quick previews, while CloudMounter helps juggle multiple cloud accounts from Finder without using local storage.
Setapp apps help speed up downloads and manage multiple clouds effortlessly
ForkLift and CloudMounter, both available on Setapp with a free 7-day trial, make it much easier to download, organize, and transfer Google Drive files across your Mac and other storage locations.

Google Drive remains one of the most popular cloud storage services in 2025, thanks to its integration with Google One, covering Gmail, Photos, and Drive. The first 15 GB are free, and paid plans are affordable, cross-platform, and more flexible than iCloud. For businesses, Google Workspace lets you create and edit Docs, Sheets, and Slides directly in your browser while staying compatible with Microsoft Office files.

If your storage is full or you want a local backup, learning how to Google Drive download for Mac is essential. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting your files safely onto your computer.

Looking for a handy troubleshooting assistant? Give the GPT tool tailored for Mac problems a try for quick and simple solutions.

How to download Google Drive files in a browser

Downloading files from Google Drive in your browser is straightforward, and the latest interface gives you multiple ways to access the Download option — either from the three-dot More actions menu or from the toolbar at the top.

Here are ways to download Google Docs on Mac, as well as other file formats.

Downloading Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Google’s native files can still be saved in common formats for offline use. To download a Google Docs file on your Mac:

Open the file you want to save.
Go to File > Choose Download.
Choose a format, such as Microsoft Word (.docx), PDF, or Plain text.

For Google Sheets, select Microsoft Excel (.xlsx), and for Google Slides, choose Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx). These are still the most commonly used formats in 2025.

Also, check out this guide — it has the best tips and methods of using Google Drive on Mac like a pro.

Downloading images, PDFs, and other single files

Here’s how to download Google Drive files on a Mac:

Go to Google Drive and select the file
Click the three dots (More actions) in the upper-right toolbar or next to the file name.
Choose Download.

The file will save to your Downloads folder on your Mac by default. Here’s also a handy guide on how to save pictures on a MacBook from Google.

Downloading multiple files or folders

If you need to download several items at once:

Select multiple files or a folder.
Open the More actions menu.
Click Download.

Google Drive will automatically zip the files into a single archive and place it in your Downloads folder.

Downloading your entire Google Drive (Google Takeout)

If you’re switching cloud services or want a full backup, you can export your whole Google Drive folder using Google’s official tool.

To download a full Google Drive archive:

Click your profile image in the top-right corner.
Choose Manage your Google Account.
Open the Data & privacy tab.
Scroll down to Download or delete your data > Click Download your data.
Select the Google services you want to include (e.g., Drive, Photos).
Choose your export frequency and file type.
When the archive is ready, you’ll receive an email with a link to download your files.

Be sure to back up this archive somewhere secure after downloading.

Note: Large exports can take hours or even a full day, depending on your storage size.

How to download from the Google Drive app on Mac

Sometimes you need your Google Drive files available locally on your Mac — especially if you want offline access or prefer working outside the browser.

If you need to edit Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides offline, you can enable offline mode in Google Drive through the Chrome browser. This loads the editing environment so you can work without an internet connection.

For managing all other file types, Google now offers Google Drive for Desktop, the unified replacement for the old Backup and Sync app.

Using Google Drive for Desktop on Mac

Google Drive for Desktop integrates directly with Finder and lets you choose how your files are stored:

Stream files: Your files appear in Finder but don’t take up space on your Mac until you open them.
Mirror files: All files are stored locally on your Mac and synced to the cloud, making everything available offline.

Here’s how to install Google Drive for Desktop:

Visit google.com/drive/download.
Click Download Drive for Desktop.
Install the .dmg file.
Sign in with your Google account.
Choose whether you want to Stream or Mirror your files.

After setup, Google Drive will appear in your Finder sidebar. You can open, move, copy, delete, or rename files just like any local folder. If you’ve chosen streaming, right-click any file and select Available offline to store it locally on your Mac.

Supercharging Finder with a pro file manager

Finder gives you basic tools to manage Google Drive files, but if you want a more powerful solution, a dual-pane file manager like ForkLift can help.

The dual-pane view in ForkLift, a file manager that is available on Setapp.

ForkLift lets you manage files across drives, servers, and cloud locations in a clean dual-pane interface. You can SFTP into servers, drag and drop files between locations (including Google Drive), quickly preview items, and open them with your preferred apps. It’s a strong option if you frequently move or download files from Google Drive.

Managing multiple Google Drive accounts on Mac

Google Drive for Desktop supports only one personal account at a time, and while you can add a Workspace account, switching between multiple Drives is still limited. If you need full multi-account support, CloudMounter is a better solution.

CloudMounter connects all your cloud storage accounts — Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, and more — and mounts each as an external drive without taking up local space. You can access everything through Finder or the menu bar, rename drives as you like, and even encrypt selected cloud folders for extra security.

Why download files from Google Drive?

Downloading files from Google Drive is important because it gives you reliable backups, offline access, and an easy way to free up your cloud storage. Keeping local copies on your Mac, an external drive, or another cloud service protects you if there’s a blackout, a server issue, or you accidentally delete something from Drive. It’s also essential when switching services — for example, moving your data from Google Drive to OneDrive, iCloud, or Dropbox.

Note: Google Drive still includes 15 GB of free storage, but if you need more, Google One upgrades now start at 100 GB and cover Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos.

How to download Google Drive on Mac: Final words

As you can see, there are quite a few options for how to download files from Google Drive:

You can get files individually right from the Google Docs editor.
You can download files by browsing Google Drive download for Mac online.
Or you can also download all your data from Google as an archive.

If you want a more powerful Finder experience that easily connects to various storage solutions, use ForkLift. Finally, to juggle multiple backups and cloud storage providers without taking up any actual storage space on your Mac, make sure to mount them with CloudMounter.

Best of all, both ForkLift and CloudMounter are available to you absolutely free for seven days through the trial of Setapp, a platform with more than 260 productive Mac apps to solve any problem at hand, from writing without distractions (Ulysses) to working with an offline development toolkit (DevUtils).

FAQ

Why can’t I download files from Google Drive?

If you can’t download files from Google Drive, it’s usually because of one of the following issues:

You’re not signed in with the correct Google account that has access to the file.
Permissions are restricted, and the file’s owner may not allow downloads for viewers.
Browser issues such as cached data, extensions, or pop-up blockers can prevent downloads. Try using an incognito window or switching to Chrome.
Google’s download limit is reached when a file is shared widely and exceeds its daily quota. You must wait 24 hours.
Sync conflicts if you’re using Google Drive for Desktop. Pausing and restarting sync often helps.

How do I download Google Drive files to my phone?

You can download files from Google Drive to your iPhone or Android device using the Drive app:

Open the Google Drive app.
Tap the three dots next to the file.
Choose Download (on iPhone, it may appear as “Save as” or “Send a copy”).
The file will save locally. On iOS, it appears in the Files app, and on Android, it goes to your Downloads folder.

How do I download files from a Google Drive shared folder?

To download files from a shared folder:

Open the shared folder in Google Drive.
Select the file(s) you want.
Click the three-dot More actions menu or use the toolbar.
Choose Download.
If the owner has restricted downloads, you’ll see a message like “Download disabled.” Only the owner can change permissions.

How do I download all the files from Google Drive?

If you want a complete copy of everything in your Google Drive, the best method is Google Takeout:

Click your profile image > Manage your Google Account.
Go to Data & privacy.
Scroll to Download or delete your data > Download your data.
Select Drive (and any other Google services you want).
Choose export format and frequency.
Google will email you when your archive is ready.