For a few years, Cloud services have been relatively mainstream for all our productivity and organization needs. If there is any drawback to using cloud-based services, it is that if you can’t get an Internet connection, you are basically out of luck – You have lots of important files and documents saved on Google Drive, but you could find yourself unable to access them.
Thankfully, the engineers at Google have thought of a way around this problem and created a solution which will enable you to use their Drive files even while offline – If you aren’t connected to the Internet, you can still create, view, and edit files on Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.
Access Google Drive Files Offline on PC:
Before you work offline, of course, you need to set up a few things in advance.
- If you are using a desktop or a laptop, you need to be using the Google Chrome browser if you want to access files offline.
- First, head to the Chrome Web Store and download the ‘Google Docs Offline’ chrome extension.
- Next, open your Google Drive account and go to Settings > Offline.
- Then mark the checkbox next to ‘Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings files to this computer so that you can edit offline.’
- The feature will take a few moments to activate.
- Make sure you have enough free space on your device to save your files.
Access Google Drive Files Offline on Mobile:
The process to set up offline access on a mobile device is slightly more straightforward, because you don’t need to download an extension.
- Go to ‘Google Drive’ app and locate the file you want to access.
- Tap the three vertical dots alongside the file name, then turn on the toggle next to ‘Available Offline.’
- To see the files you have made available for offline access, tap the three horizontal lines in the top left corner and select ‘Offline.’
