Alternative to the Google Backup and Sync app?

“Hi, I used Google Drive app on desktop since the beginning and it works well. However, since I switch to Google Backup and Sync, I got a lot of issues. Is it possible to use a Backup and Sync alternative on the desktop to backup or sync files to Google Drive? I'm really disappointed with the new Backup and Sync. Can you give me some suggestions? Thanks for your help!”

About Google Backup and Sync

Nowadays, many users choose Google Drive as a backup solution to keep files safe, backed up, and organized. And to help users back up or sync files in a simpler, speedier, and more reliable way, Google release a desktop client called Backup and Sync to help users backup or sync files to Google Drive automatically and quickly.

Backup and Sync is an app for Mac and PC that aims to synchronize files between online Google Drive and local desktop folders. This is double-way sync. Changes made to the local desktop folder will be synchronized to network Google Drive and differences that happen in online Google Drive files will also be mirrored to local storage. 

✎ Note: From October 2021, all Google Backup and Sync users will no longer be able to log in to the program because it has been upgraded to a new Google software, Drive for desktop. Google claims that Drive for desktop integrates Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream. If the program doesn't meet your needs, you'll still be able to find a suitable Google Drive desktop app replacement in this article.

If you are not familiar with Drive for desktop/Google Backup and Sync, you can check the contents below to learn how does Drive for desktop/Google Backup and Sync works.

Step 1. You could download Google Drive for desktop tool and install it on your computer.

Step 2. Next, click Sign in with browser to sign in to your Google Account. Then, you will be given a general introduction to this application.

Step 3. Then, you have to choose which folder(s) you would like to sync to Google Drive, just click My computer > Add folder. Also, you can specify the quality of uploaded photos and videos on the Settings menu (Google photos backup and sync).

Step 4. Finally, click Save to start Google Backup and Sync (Drive for desktop now) service.

Step 5. And you could set up synchronization from Google Drive to my Computer. On the Google Drive screen, click Mirror files, and you should decide which folder(s) to be synced to local computer and where on the local area to save the synced items. 

Why need Google Backup and Sync alternative?

It seems very easy to upload files to Google Drive with Google Backup and Sync, but sometimes, it brings trouble to users.

In this case, some users may try to find a Google Backup and Sync alternative to get rid of the troubles mentioned above.

Best alternatives to Google Backup and Sync 

Although Google also provides you with a web version to upload files from the local computer to Google Drive, you should upload and select files manually. So, if you need to back up a large number of files and even sync files between the local computer and Google Drive without Google Backup and Sync, you may need to rely on some third-party desktop backup and sync tools to help you achieve it easily.

Actually, there are many Google Drive Backup and Sync alternatives on the market. In the following content, you will be introduced to two popular backup and sync tools. Please read on to find the alternatives and learn how to use them.

Backup and sync files to Google Drive with CBackup

CBackup is a professional and reliable cloud backup service for Windows systems. It can help you upload files to Google Drive easily and automatically. And besides Google Drive, it also supports Dropbox and OneDrive. In addition, it is very easy to use and has many useful features.

Users can sync or incrementally back up local files to cloud drives such as Google Drive.

CBackup offers the Scheduler feature that users can automatically sync or back up files to the cloud on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.

CBackup offers a more secure and cost-effective cloud space – CBackup Cloud, where you get 5GB of storage for free.

Let’s see how to use CBackup as an alternative to Google Backup and Sync to sync files to Google Drive:

1. Download CBackup, install, and launch it. Create a CBackup account and sign in.

2. Click the "Storage" tab, and then click "Google Drive" to add your Google Drive account.

3. After adding Google Drive, click on the "Sync" and click on the "Sync PC to Public Cloud" button.

4. Select the PC files that you want to sync or backup to Google Drive. And choose Google Drive as the transfer destination. 

5. After selecting, click "Start Sync" to sync or backup files to Google Drive.

Besides backup PC to cloud, you could do the following features to smart your data protection:

• Sync cloud from another cloud with everything moved at once, which allows you to migrate Google Drive to OneDrive, or other clouds.
• Backup one cloud to another cloud and keep all the backup versions, and you could restore it at any time.
• Increase cloud storage space for free by combining multiple cloud drives into one huge cloud storage, even unlimited cloud storage space.

Sync files to Google Drive with Insync

Insync is a famous and feature-rich Google Drive desktop client for Windows, Mac OS, and even Linux. It can help you do almost anything that you need to do with Google Drive. Let's see how to sync files to Google Drive with Insync:

1. Download and install Insync on your computer.

2. Open up Insync and then sign in with your Google account.

3. Click the "Selective Sync" icon on the upper right section of the interface. Your file manager will open so you can select the local folder for syncing. You can opt to sync your entire drive as well. Confirm your selection to start syncing.

4. Once your folder is finished syncing, it will now be located in the cloud! No need to move or change its original file location.

Verdict

As you can see, both CBackup and Insync are good Google Backup and Sync alternatives for you. If you consider replacing Google Backup and Sync (Drive for desktop now) with other powerful tools, you can choose one of the tools introduced above.