How To Download From Google Drive To External Hard Drive

Are you looking for a way to download from Google Drive to External Drive? If yes, here’s an article where you’ll learn the easy methods to keep your files backed up from Google Drive. While there are chances you might or might not lose your Google Drive account. It’s still okay to ensure a backup somewhere in case unforeseen circumstances happen.

Google Drive is a top-rated cloud storage offered by Google, it comes by default on every Gmail account. This cloud storage allows your emails, photos, and important documents to be backed up and accessed from anywhere. Besides, Google Drive offers over 15GB free that you can use for keeping your data synced to the cloud.

Well, if you have the fear of losing your Gmail or you just want to avoid unexpected losses. Then you should have a plan B for your data in your Google Drive account. That’s where downloading to an external hard drive comes in, it could be a USB flash drive, HDD or SSD. Here at FreemiumHub, we’ve provided you with the needed steps in detail.

Why You Need to Download From Google Drive To External Hard Drive?

In case you’re wondering what’s the need to have your files downloaded from Google Drive to an external hard drive? After all, Google Drive is considered safe, there are different reasons and benefits though and we’ve highlighted them below.

1. Offline Accessibility:– One of the reasons why you need to back up your Google Drive into an external device is offline access. Most times when you find yourself in situations where there’s no internet connection. You can easily plug your external drive into your PC and get the files you need directly from there.
2. Larger Storage Capacity:– By default, Google Drive offers 15GB free and that’s not a bad storage space. However, if you need larger space, you might need to upgrade your Google Drive account. Rather than doing that, the alternative solution is your external hard drive. It’ll contain all your files from Google Drive and even additional files due to larger space.
3. Portability:– External hard drives are portable, allowing you to carry your data with you. If you need access to your files on a different computer or want to share them with others, having the data on an external drive offers convenience.
4. Backup and Redundancy:- Creating backups is essential for data safety. By downloading files from Google Drive to an external hard drive, you create an additional copy of your data. Which provides redundancy in case of accidental deletion, drive failure, or other unforeseen events.

Methods to Download From Google Drive to External Hard Drive

If you want to get files downloaded from your Google Drive account and have them saved on an external device. There are different methods which you can use, we’ve highlighted them below.

Method 1: Using Google Drive Web Client

This is one of the easiest ways of getting your files downloaded directly from your Google Drive account. Also, it is a safe process and things get done easily. To understand how this method works, kindly follow the steps below to get started.

Step 1: The first thing you need to do is log into your Google Drive Account. You only need your Gmail account logged on your web browser.

Step 2: Once logged in, locate all the files and folders you’d like to have downloaded. Select them all and right-click on your mouse; then click on the Download option.

Step 3: After clicking on the download button, you’ll need to wait for a couple of minutes. If you look at the bottom right corner of your screen, you’ll see a place that says “Preparing Download & Zipping Files“. Once done, a new file download will begin automatically on your browser. You can then extract the files and move them to your external hard drive.

Method 2: Using Google Drive Desktop App

You’re looking at another easy method that’ll let you download from Google Drive directly to your external hard drive. For this one, you don’t have to go through any complicated steps, it only requires the desktop app of Google Drive. It’s similar to downloading the mobile version on your Android or iOS device. To get started, follow the steps below.

Step 1: To get started, you’ll need to download and install the Google Drive Desktop app on your PC. To do that, click on this download link and it will navigate you to the download page.

Step 2: Right after the desktop app has been downloaded successfully, you need to install it on your PC. Once the installation is done, launch the application. You’ll need to log into your Gmail account that is connected to your Google Drive account.

Step 3: On your PC, either Windows or Mac, Windows users should navigate to This PC and check at the left sidebar. Click on Google Drive > My Drive. You can now copy them to an external location. For Mac users, kindly use the Finder option to locate your drives.

Conclusion

That is all about downloading from Google Drive to an external drive, there are more ways. But for now, these are the two stable methods that work well. If you have any questions regarding this tutorial, don’t forget to leave a comment below.