Google Drive

Google Drive is Google's desktop file sync app that keeps selected Drive and shared files available and updated on your Mac.

Google com.google.drivefs

What is Google Drive?

Google Drive for desktop is Google's sync client for accessing Google Drive files from a Mac. People commonly encounter it as a menu bar app and background sync tool that streams or mirrors files, keeps cloud content available in Finder, and may also support syncing folders such as Desktop, Documents, or Photos depending on configuration.

Safety overview

Status: Safe

This is a legitimate Google application. It is generally safe to keep if you use Google Drive, but removing its app data or support files can affect synced content availability, offline files, account settings, and Finder integration.

Recommendation: Keep if you actively use Google Drive or rely on cloud-synced files. If you no longer use it, removal is usually optional, but review local offline or mirrored files first so you do not lose access to data that has not been fully downloaded elsewhere.

Common paths

  • /Applications/Google Drive.app

Cache paths

  • ~/Library/Caches/com.google.drivefs

Support paths

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Google/DriveFS

Preference paths

  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.google.drivefs.plist

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