I wanted to access my design files from two separate laptops but didn’t want a dedicated pc that had to be powered on all the time (& using home network). So I am using Google Drive and Google Drive Desktop (GDD).
It’s simple, free, and doesn’t require a server or PC to be powered on 24/7.
Both laptops utilize GDD to sync design files to my Google Drive (in Google’s Cloud). My design files then reside on both laptops.
Below are my instructions on how to do it (OK, AI did it for me lol)
Google Drive Desktop Sync: Step-by-Step Guide
This guide will walk you through setting up a seamless file sync between two computers (Master PC and Client PC) using Google Drive for desktop. This is ideal for keeping project files up-to-date across your devices.
Prerequisite: Both computers must have Google Drive for desktop installed and be signed in to the same Google account.
Step 1: On the Master PC (Laptop A)
This is the computer with the original folder you want to sync.
Install and Sign In
Download and install Google Drive for desktop from the official Google Drive website.
Once installed, open the application and sign in with your Google account credentials.
Add Your Project Folder to Google Drive
Click the Google Drive icon in the system tray (bottom-right of your taskbar).
Click the gear icon (Settings) and then select Preferences.
In the Preferences window, select Folders from your computer on the left-hand menu.
Click the Add folder button.
Navigate to and select the folder on your C: drive that contains your project files. For example, C:\Users\YourName\Documents\MyProject.
After selecting the folder, choose Sync with Google Drive.
Click Done to save the changes. The app will begin uploading the contents of this folder to your Google Drive in the cloud.
Step 2: On the Client PC (Laptop B)
This is the second computer you want to sync the files to.
Install and Sign In
Download and install Google Drive for desktop on this PC.
Sign in using the exact same Google account you used on the master PC.
Sync the Folder to Your Computer
After signing in, open the Google Drive for desktop preferences (via the system tray icon > Settings > Preferences).
On the left-hand menu, select Folders from Drive.
Under My Drive syncing options, choose Mirror files. This will create a local copy of your Google Drive files on your computer’s hard drive.
Click Confirm location if prompted, and the app will begin downloading your files.
A new drive will appear in your File Explorer (e.g., G:), labeled Google Drive. Inside this, you will find a synced copy of your folder.
How to Use the Sync
On the Master PC (Laptop A): Continue to use and edit files from the original folder on your C: drive. The Google Drive app runs in the background, automatically syncing any changes to the cloud.
On the Client PC (Laptop B): Do not use the original location on your hard drive. Instead, access and edit files from the new Google Drive folder that was created in your File Explorer. This folder is a live, mirrored copy of your cloud files.
By following these steps, any change you make on one computer will automatically appear on the other, as long as both are connected to the internet.
I do something very similar with my MacBooks and iCloud account.
My design files are saved in a desktop folder that is sync’d in iCloud. Both computers are logged into the iCloud account so syncing is done automatically in the background.
I do similar but maybe not as far - my G: drive on my computers is always google drive, and i put the files there. Every once in a while, I back them up to a rotating disk on my main desktop.
These are great suggestions. However I worked on computers since they came out. I used to also go to people’s houses and repair Apple computers. So I have seen a lot of disasters in my time. Some people have no backup. Those that do the restore fails. Some think they are backed up but alas they are not.
Recently on Windows the update from Microsoft was killing some solid state drives. The bug would completely wipe out a drive’s data and leave it unformatted.
The moral of this story is to back up often, and backup to multiple locations. Not only should you be backing up have you ever restored any of your data? After a disaster you do not want to find out that your backup cannot be restored. If you do restore your data I would recommend restoring to an unused drive and not your main drive on your computer. If something goes wrong you did not dork yourself by mistake.
Backup early, backup often, backup onsite, backup offsite. Test that you backup can actually be restored. Take it from someone that has seen a lot of disasters even in data centers with professional administrators were unseen or overlooked things ruined their day.
My experience:
Worked for Eastman Kodak 19 years and worked on PC computers since they came out. Also Kodak had a contract with Apple to go to their customers and do warranty work. Kodak became a contractor for Sun Microsystems.
Kodak traded me like a baseball player to Sun and worked for Sun which was bought by Oracle for 21 years on Solaris Unix, Linux and some Microsoft Operating systems.
I was a Field Engineer, A System Support Engineer. I has A+ certifications in PC and Mac, Certified Solaris Systems Administrator. I worked on Sun workstations to the biggest servers they made. I worked on Oracle Exadatas clustered servers and I worked on things attached to IBM Mainframe computers.
So all the above is not to brag but to warn you to make sure your backup actually works. In the digital age many people’s whole lifes work is on their computer and you dont want to lose it over oversight.
I used Dropbox. I pay extra for their backup service. Basically, all my PCs are just workstations.
I like it because I can select which file gets uploaded/shared to which PC. I do not need my work files on my workshop PC. I do a lot of design work in my downtime at the office, so those files get shared with my home PC.
It’s excellent because PCs fail, and all I need to do is reformat/reinstall everything, or buy a new PC. I am 90% up and running in a short period of time.
The only pain is having to reinstall the software, but since all my downloads are already in Dropbox, it’s a quick matter of reinstalling what I need most.
I have 3 PC: Work, Home, and Workshop.
Also, I can access all my files directly from my phone.
I have found that saving G-code is faster on my network drive. The Dropbox files do not load from my home design laptop to my workshop laptop rapidly. I installed a flash drive on my router and configured it as a network drive.
Yeah I mean I get it. IT is one of many hats I wear in life, and you can have the best raid setup of the era and one little arcy sparky event and lose one too many drives. this day and age you should have onsite and offsite backup, and for important things - say CAD drawings you cant afford to lose, pays to have a third method - tape backup is still around, but really only a tertiary method. I dont go that far, I usually about once a quarter write everything to a flash drive and put it in the fireproof safe. I dont consider it reliable, but its good in case of an “oh, crap”