How to Access Google Drive Offline

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: June 4, 2020 Tested

If you don’t have Internet connection, you can still easily access and edit your Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides and Google Drawings. It just takes a simple settings adjustment, so you can do your work and sync up the changes on your Google Drive at your convenience.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Desktop

1
Connect to the Internet. You will need to turn on offline access to the files you want to work on.
2
Open Google Chrome. Offline access to Google Drive files is only available via the Google Chrome browser. If you don’t already have this browser, download the latest version here: Chrome for Desktop

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3
Go to drive.google.com/drive/settings in your browser.
4
Sign in with your Gmail account.
5
Scroll down to the “Offline” section of the Settings window.
6
Select "Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings..."
7
Click Done.
8
Wait a few minutes. It may take several minutes for your Google Drive’s offline access setting to turn on.
9
Disconnect from the Internet.
10
Open Google Chrome.
11
Go to drive.google.com in your browser. You should see all of your drive files. They are now ready for you to view and edit.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Android

1
Tap on Google apps.
2
Tap Drive.
3
Tap ⋮.
4
Slide the gray circle next to “Available offline” to the right. The circle should turn blue. You are now ready to work offline.
5
Disconnect from the Internet.
6
Tap on Google Apps.
7
Press Drive.
8
Tap ☰ .
9
Select “Offline.” This option is toward the bottom of the menu. You should now see the files you selected earlier to view offline.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

iOS

1
Tap the Google Drive app.
2
Press ⋮.
3
Tap the white circle next to “Available offline.” You will now be able to access the Google Drive file offline.
4
Disconnect from the Internet.
5
Tap the Google Drive app.
6
Tap ☰ .
7
Select “Offline.” This option is toward the middle of the menu. You should now see the files you selected earlier to view offline.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I make all of Google Drive available offline on my iPad?

Community Answer

This is not possible. The easiest solution would be to open each folder you need offline, then select all the files in the folder, then click the 3 dots in the corner and select "Make available offline." Sadly, however, you cannot select whole folders to make available offline.
Question

Can I open my documents on Google Docs while offline?

Community Answer

Only on a Chromebook or Android device, as Google Docs is not natively available for Windows, Linux, or OS X. You can edit your documents locally with the editor of your choice if you have the Google Drive app installed on your PC, but Google Docs for PCs is web-based only.
Question

Downloading in Google Drive offline is very slow on my iPad. How can I make it faster?

Community Answer

This most likely has to do with your internet connection. If you are using WiFi, try using the 5Gz band or moving closer to your wireless router. If it is still slow, you may need to upgrade your internet speed by calling your ISP and choosing a faster plan.