How to uninstall Google Drive from Mac

Asya Karapetyan
Asya Karapetyan
Copywriter and technical writer focused on macOS and user guidance.
June 29, 2023
Don’t need the Google Drive desktop version anymore? Explore this article. We will share a detailed step-by-step guide on how to correctly and safely uninstall Google Drive or Backup and Sync on your Mac. You will learn two methods for Google Drive removal and you will understand how to uninstall apps on a Mac so that they don’t leave any leftovers on your hard drive. Removing Google Drive

Contents:

  1. How to manually remove Google Drive from your Mac.
  2. How to uninstall Google Drive with App Cleaner & Uninstaller.

How to manually remove Google Drive from your Mac

Before we dive into the steps on how to delete Google Drive, we should remind you that in March 2018, Google stopped supporting the Drive’s desktop app and replaced it with the Backup and Sync tool. If you need to uninstall the old app Google drive, see the guide below. We will also provide the uninstallation steps for the Backup and Sync application.

Uninstalling Google Drive on Mac manually:

  1. Disconnect your account. For this, go to the app’s Preferences → Account tab.
  2. Click the Disconnect account… button. Google Drive preferences
  3. Quit Google Drive.
  4. Go to the Applications folder and locate the Google Drive icon. Drag and drop it into the Trash.
  5. Find and remove all Google Drive leftovers. By default, applications store their support files in the system Library folder. Open Finder and press Command+Shift+G key combination.
  6. In the search bar type ~/Library and press Enter. Go to folder search field showing the Library location

  7. Find and remove all files related to Google Drive. Check the following locations:

    • ~Library/Application Support/Google/Drive
    • ~Library/Caches/com.google.GoogleDrive
    • ~Library/Group Containers/google_drive
    • ~Library/Preferences/com.google.GoogleDrive.plist
    • ~Library/Cookies/com.google.GoogleDrive.binarycookies
    Google Drive support files in Library

  8. Delete the Google Drive folder with your files if you don’t need them anymore. By default, this folder is located in the following location:

    Macintosh HD > Users > [current user]> Google Drive Google Drive folder in Finder
  9. Finally, empty your Trash to get rid of Google Drive from your Mac.
Read also: “How to uninstall Google Play Music.“

Steps on how to uninstall the Backup and Sync app on Mac:

  1. Log out from your account on the desktop. For this, click on the application’s icon in the menu bar → click the “three dots” icon → select Preferences…
  2. Switch to the Setting section from the sidebar and click on Disconnect Account. Confirm the action. Now your files in the Google Drive app are no longer synced. Backup and Sync Preferences window
  3. Quit the Backup and Sync app. For this, again click on the app’s icon in the toolbar → click the “three dots” icon → select Quit Backup and Sync. Quit Backup and Sync
  4. Go to the Applications folder → find and drag Backup and Sync into the Trash bin.
  5. Go to the ~/Library folder (in Finder press Command+Shift+G keys shortcut, type ~/Library in the search field and hit Go).
  6. Find and remove all leftovers associated with Google Drive and Backup and Sync.
  7. Empty your Trash.
Searching for applications’ leftover files may be time-consuming. Also, you should be very careful when removing files from the system Library folder. Removing important system files may damage your system. That’s why we recommend that you safely uninstall applications on a Mac with App Cleaner & Uninstaller. Keep reading to learn more about it.

Delete Google Drive using App Cleaner & Uninstaller

App Cleaner & Uninstaller is a utility that completely and easily uninstalls apps on a Mac. It will help you to uninstall the Google Drive or the Backup and Sync apps with all their service files in a few clicks.

Steps on how to uninstall Google Drive on your Mac:

  1. Launch App Cleaner & Uninstaller.
  2. Select Google Drive.
  3. Click to remove Google Drive.
  4. Confirm the action.
  5. Empty Trash on your Mac.
App Cleaner Uninstaller showing how to delete Google Drive Google Drive will be completely uninstalled with all the app leftovers, such as caches, containers, preferences, and so on.

If you need to uninstall the Backup and Sync app from Google, do the following:

  1. Select Backup and Sync in App Cleaner & Uninstaller.
  2. Click to uninstall the app.
  3. Confirm the removal of Backup and Sync.
App Cleaner Uninstaller showing how to uninstall Backup and Sync from Mac Easy and fast! The greatest news is that App Cleaner & Uninstaller is absolutely free to try. Download the trial and completely uninstall Google Drive on your Mac right now.

FAQs about Google Drive

How do I stop Google Drive from syncing on my Mac?

To completely stop Google Drive syncing on your Mac, follow these steps:

  1. Open Backup and Sync and go to the Preferences.
  2. Click Settings in the sidebar.
  3. Click Disconnect Account and confirm.
What happens to my files if I cancel Google Drive?

If you cancel your Google Drive storage plan, you won’t be able to sync or upload new files, and syncing between your Google Drive folder and your device will stop. Note that when you cancel Google Drive or stop syncing it on your device, it does not delete your files or data stored in Google Drive.

Does deleting from Google Drive delete from a Mac?

Deleting a file from Google Drive does not delete the file from your Mac. The file will remain on your computer until you delete it directly from the computer  If you want to remove Google Drive storage from your computer, you will need to stop syncing files and then delete the Google Drive folder from your Mac.

How do I remove Google Drive from my Mac without deleting files?

To uninstall Google Drive from your Mac without deleting any files, you need to disconnect your account. When you disconnect your Google Drive account from the application, your files will remain in the local Google Drive folder on your Mac. You can find this option in the Google Drive preferences.

Can you delete Google Drive without deleting Gmail?

Google Drive and Gmail are both part of the Google suite of services and are interconnected. The Google Drive storage is shared with Gmail, meaning that attachments and files sent or received through Gmail are often stored in Google Drive. Deleting your Google Gmail account will also affect your Google Drive account because they are linked. Deleting your Google Drive account may result in losing files and attachments associated with your Gmail account.

Is Google Drive separate from Gmail?

Google Drive and Gmail are separate services offered by Google, although they are interconnected and share some functionality. While Google Drive and Gmail are separate services, they are integrated to some extent. For example, when you send or receive attachments in Gmail, they are often stored in your Google Drive account, and you can easily access them through the Gmail interface.

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