Backup and Sync users for Google Drive must switch by October 1

Starting next month, Google Drive will show a notification to users who synchronize their files via Backup and Sync. This is still possible until October 1, after which users will no longer be able to log in and only synchronize files via the new Drive app.

At the moment there are two clients that can synchronize Google Drive files on desktop. The Drive app is mainly used by consumers and Backup and Sync is aimed more at business customers. Google already announced in February that it wanted to merge the two different Google Drive clients.

In a blog writes Google said Backup and Sync users will be able to transfer their files to the new system via Backup and Sync from July 19. Starting August 18, users who are still using Backup and Sync at that time will receive a message in the app asking them to make the switch to the Google Drive app.

On October 1, users will no longer be able to log in via Backup and Sync and files will no longer be synchronized. To be able to sync files again with Google’s cloud service, the new Drive app must first be installed.

The Drive app for desktop focuses more on Google Drive’s cloud features. Backup and Sync is mainly intended for uploading local files to Google Drive. The Drive app does allow folders to be saved locally so they are available offline.