Google Backup & Sync

All staff members have the option to use Google Backup & Sync and if you're not, you should be! Read on for what exactly this is and how it can benefit you.  To get Back Up & Sync, go to Manager --> Self Service --> My Apps and either install or reinstall it.

Once installed, follow the prompts to sign into your school Google account.  You will then see the icon for Back Up & Sync in your menu bar at the top of your screen.  

Now, open it up to set your preferences.  Click the 3 dots in the upper right corner of that screen and choose "preferences".


You can choose to back up your entire desktop, document folder, photos, or, you can choose specific folders from within your desktop or documents that you back up.  I recommend picking and choosing so you don't use storage for things you don't need.  If you don't use folders and have a hot mess of a desktop, you might just back up the entire desktop.

To choose specific folders to back up, click "choose folder".  Then, click the drop down next to each location and select what you'd like to sync continuously and choose "open". 
 


Those selected folders/locations will then appear in your preferences as syncing to your Google Drive.  You can undo this at any time. If you get a pop up to merge previously synced folders, choose "continue".
Another important preference to be aware of is that you probably do not want your Google Drive to sync back to your computer.  That will eat up your computer's space and is unnecessary because items created within Google Suite are already backed up.  Make sure the box next to "Sync My Drive to this computer" is NOT checked.  Again, you can always change that.


Going forward, you can easily access your Google Drive from your computer's Finder in addition to via drive.google.com.


You can check on the status of the Back Up & Sync by again clicking the icon in the menu bar.  It will show you the items it has most recently backed up and when it happened.  There is also a quick link to drive.google.com via the Google Drive icon.


Here is a video overview of it as well:

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