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Mount or sync? Google Drive on Linux, explained (2026)

There are two ways to get Google Drive into your Linux file manager. A mount shows Drive as a network folder. Sync keeps real copies of your files on your disk. Here is what that means in daily use, which tools do which, and how to choose.

By Ambifold · Published · Last checked

Disclosure: we make Ambifold, one of the sync apps below. It is a two-way sync app for Linux, in a private beta by invitation in October and November 2026, with a public beta planned for 1 December 2026. We have tried to describe every tool fairly, and for some people a mount is the better choice. If something here is wrong or out of date, please tell us at support@ambifold.com.

In short

  • A mount shows your whole Drive as a folder, but the files stay in Google's cloud and are fetched when you open them. It uses little disk space and needs a connection.
  • Sync keeps real copies of the folders you choose on your disk. They work offline and open at disk speed, and the tool copies changes both ways, mistakes included.
  • Many people use both: they sync the folders they work in every day, and browse the rest through a mount or on the web.

1. Mount and sync, in two sentences each

Mount (a network folder). Your Drive appears as a folder on your computer, but the files stay in Google's cloud. Each file is downloaded when an app opens it and saved straight back to Drive, so you need a connection.

Sync (local copies). The folders you choose are copied to your disk as ordinary files, which every app can use, online or not. A sync tool runs in the background or on a schedule and copies each change to the other side.

Google's own Drive for desktop, which does both, is not made for Linux. On Linux you pick a third-party tool, and each tool does one or the other.

2. Side by side

This is how the two approaches behave in general. Each tool has its own details, which are in the next two sections.

QuestionMountSync
Works offline? No. A file opens only if it can be fetched. Some tools keep recently used files in a cache for a while, but a cache is not an offline copy. Yes. The synced folders are ordinary files on your disk. What you change offline goes up when you are back online.
Disk space Very little: only the cache, if the tool keeps one. You can browse a Drive much bigger than your disk. As much as the folders you sync. Most tools let you choose folders, so big ones can stay in the cloud.
Speed Each file you open is downloaded first, and big folders take time to list. It depends on your connection. Files open at disk speed. The first sync downloads everything you chose, which takes a while for big folders. After that, changes travel in the background, on the tool's schedule.
Apps that misbehave on network folders Some do. Apps that change part of a file in place, keep a database or use lock files can be slow or fail to save. Apps that watch a folder may not notice edits made on another device. Rarely, because the files are local. But a folder that a running app changes all the time (a database, a virtual machine's disk) causes many uploads and conflicts, so keep such folders out of sync.
Conflicts Rare: there is only one copy, in Drive. If two devices save the same file, the last save wins, and Drive normally keeps the earlier one in its version history. Part of the job: a file can change on both sides between two syncs. A good tool keeps both versions, one of them renamed, so nothing is lost.
Deletes A delete acts on Drive at once, for every device. Whether the file lands in Drive's trash depends on the tool. A delete on one side is copied to the other, mistakes included. Look for a tool that uses Drive's trash, keeps local backups and stops before mass deletes.

Two Google safety nets help either way, within limits. Files in Drive's trash can be restored for 30 days, then they are deleted for good. And for ordinary files (not Google Docs), Drive keeps earlier versions, but may delete one after 30 days or once there are 100 newer ones, unless you choose Keep forever for it.

3. Tools that mount Drive

Online Accounts in the file manager (GVfs)

On Linux Mint 22.x, Ubuntu 24.04, LMDE 7 and Debian 13, you sign in to your Google account in Online Accounts and your Drive appears in Nemo or Files. There is nothing to install. It is online only, and users on the Mint forums report accounts that won't mount in Nemo, files shown by an ID instead of their name in some apps, and apps that can't save there.

GNOME 50 (Ubuntu 26.04, Fedora 44) removed it: GVfs 1.59.1 disabled its Google option, and GVfs 1.62.0 (11 September 2026), the newest release, has not brought it back. Linux Mint 27 “Adrien”, the next release, is based on Ubuntu 26.04 and planned for Christmas 2026, and Mint's project lead has written that Online Accounts “no longer supports Google Drive”. A community rewrite is under review for GNOME 52, and test packages exist. Our guide to Google Drive on Ubuntu 26.04 and Linux Mint has the details.

rclone mount

rclone is a free, open-source command-line tool for many cloud services. rclone mount shows Drive as a folder. Its most important option is --vfs-cache-mode, which decides what is stored on your disk:

  • off (the default): nothing. A file can't be opened for reading and writing at once, and a failed upload can't be retried. rclone's documentation warns that many applications won't work with their files on a mount without writes or full.
  • minimal: like off, but files opened for both reading and writing are buffered on disk.
  • writes: files you write are saved on disk first and uploaded after you close them (5 seconds later, by default), and failed uploads are retried. rclone says this mode should support all normal file operations.
  • full: as writes, and the parts of files you read are kept on disk too.

By default, the cache drops a file an hour after you last used it (--vfs-cache-max-age), and it has no size limit unless you set one (--vfs-cache-max-size). It speeds things up; it is not an offline copy. rclone checks Drive for changes made elsewhere every minute by default (--poll-interval). Deleted files go to Drive's trash by default, and Shared drives are supported.

A typical mount, once you have set up a Drive remote called gdrive with rclone config:

mkdir -p ~/GoogleDrive
rclone mount gdrive: ~/GoogleDrive --vfs-cache-mode writes

It runs until you stop it with Ctrl+C. Create your own Google client ID for the remote: rclone's documentation says its shared one “will stop working during 2026”. See our guide to creating your own client ID, and the step-by-step guides for Linux Mint and Ubuntu.

google-drive-ocamlfuse

A long-standing FUSE file system for Drive, free and open source (MIT), set up in the terminal. It gives read and write access to ordinary files and handles several accounts (each with its own label) and Shared drives. By default, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides appear as shortcuts that open them in your browser; you can have them exported as read-only files instead. It keeps a cache of the files you open, and it checks Drive for changes made elsewhere every 60 seconds by default, so such a change can take a minute to show. Deleting a file moves it to Drive's trash, which you can also browse in a .Trash folder. You create your own Google client for it.

ExpanDrive

A graphical app, free for personal use since April 2025: for individuals, households, freelancers and teams of up to ten users. It mounts Drive and many other cloud services as folders that any app can use, fetches a file's data when an app needs it, and caches what you use. You sign in with Google in your browser, with no client of your own to create, and several accounts appear side by side, each as its own mount. It comes as .deb and .rpm packages, and it is closed source.

Keep in mind: on offline use, its own pages disagree. Its Linux page says you can pin folders for offline access, while its documentation says Offline Access “is not available in ExpanDrive for Linux”. Check the current state before you rely on it.

4. Tools that sync Drive

rclone bisync

The same rclone, in two-way mode. rclone bisync compares a local folder with a Drive folder and copies changes both ways. It runs once and stops, so you schedule it yourself, for example with cron or a systemd timer. The first run needs --resync, and rclone advises trying it with --dry-run first. By default, a file changed on both sides is kept twice, with both copies renamed (file.txt.conflict1 and so on), and a run stops if more than half the files on either side would be deleted (--max-delete, 50 by default). rclone calls bisync “an advanced command, so use with care”. Use your own client ID here too. Our guide to rclone bisync with Google Drive has the commands.

Insync

A mature commercial sync app for Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox. It keeps local copies in a base folder, with one-way or two-way sync, selective sync, Google Docs conversion, several accounts, and syncing of “Shared with me” and Shared drives. It lists Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS and Fedora among its main distributions. It is closed source. For individuals it is a one-time licence per cloud account, with a 7-day trial; work plans are yearly. Insync's own advice: don't use another sync app at the same time.

overGrive

A Google Drive sync app made for Linux. It keeps your Drive in a local folder, downloads changes made online automatically and uploads your local changes. You can choose top-level folders only, and only one account can be active at a time. It can convert Google Docs to office formats, and lets you choose how deletes are handled: remove items everywhere (files you delete locally go to Drive's trash), don't remove them in Drive, or ask first. Its setup guide walks you through creating your own Google API client. It is closed source, with a one-time licence per account and a 14-day trial.

Ambifold (our app, in beta)

A background app for Linux that keeps the folders you choose in two-way sync with Google Drive. Before the first sync it shows a preview of what will be copied each way, and nothing happens until you confirm. If a sync would delete more than half the files on either side (you can change the limit), it stops and shows you the list. Files it replaces or deletes on your computer go to a backup folder for 30 days; files it deletes in Drive go to Drive's trash. If a file changed on both sides, the newer version wins by default and the other is kept next to it, with “conflict” and a number in its name. It won't sync a folder inside an rclone mount, an ExpanDrive drive, Online Accounts' Drive folder, or Insync's or overGrive's folder, because that would sync Drive with itself. Your files go straight between your computer and Google, never through us. It runs rclone inside, and its own code is private.

Its limits:

  • It syncs; it does not mount. Only the folders you choose are on your computer.
  • My Drive only: Shared drives and “Shared with me” are not supported yet.
  • Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are skipped by default and stay in Drive.
  • Changes made in Drive reach your computer in about 1 to 5 minutes: it checks every 30 seconds while you are active, and less often when things are quiet.
  • Changes on your computer are noticed within seconds, but each sync re-reads every folder in the pair, so with a large Drive folder a sync can take a couple of minutes.
  • From 1 December 2026, the free edition syncs one Google account and up to three folder pairs. It uses your own Google client, a one-time setup that the app walks you through. Pricing explains the editions.
  • It is in a private beta by invitation, with the public beta planned for 1 December 2026. It is tested on Linux Mint and Ubuntu (Cinnamon and GNOME). The status and limits on our home page stay up to date.

Other tools, such as FreeFileSync, are in our comparison of Google Drive clients for Linux.

5. Which one for which person

A mount is the better choice if:

  • your Drive is much bigger than your disk, or you don't want copies on this computer;
  • you are nearly always online, at a desk or on fast Wi-Fi;
  • you mostly look things up and open a file now and then, and want to reach all of Drive from the file manager.

Which mount: Online Accounts if you are on Mint 22.x or Ubuntu 24.04 and it works for you; ExpanDrive for a graphical app with no client to create; rclone mount or google-drive-ocamlfuse if you are happy in the terminal or need Shared drives.

Sync is the better choice if:

  • you work on a laptop, on the move or on unreliable Wi-Fi;
  • you want files to open at disk speed, in any app;
  • you use apps that work best with local files, such as a photo library, a code project or a notes app.

Which sync tool: Insync for a mature graphical app that also handles Shared drives, OneDrive or Dropbox; overGrive for one account and a one-time licence; rclone bisync if you want full control and don't mind setting it up; Ambifold for always-on two-way sync of My Drive folders with a preview, a stop before mass deletes and a free edition, if a beta suits you.

Neither is a backup. A mount has only one copy, in Drive. Sync copies deletes and mistakes to the other side. Keep a separate backup of files that matter, and read our two-way sync safety checklist before you start.

6. Using a mount and sync together

You can mount all of Drive and sync a few folders, if you keep to three rules:

  • Keep the synced folder outside the mount. A sync tool pointed at a folder inside a mount would sync Drive with itself, which can duplicate or delete files.
  • One sync tool per folder. Two sync tools on the same folder work against each other.
  • Edit a file in one place at a time. If you change a synced file through the mount while its local copy is open too, you can make a conflict.

7. FAQ

Does a Google Drive mount work offline?

Not really. A mount fetches files from Drive when you open them. Some tools keep recently used files in a cache, and ExpanDrive's own pages disagree about offline use on Linux, but a mount is built for being online. For files you need offline, use sync.

Should I use rclone mount or rclone bisync?

Both, for different jobs. Use rclone mount to browse and open files across your whole Drive. Use rclone bisync for the folders you want as real local copies. Keep the bisync folder outside the mount.

Which uses less disk space?

A mount. It stores only a cache, while sync stores a full copy of every folder you choose. With sync, choose only the folders you need on this computer.

Why doesn't my file manager show Google Drive any more?

Because GNOME 50, on Ubuntu 26.04 and Fedora 44, removed the Google Drive part of GVfs. See Google Drive on Ubuntu 26.04 and Linux Mint for what changed and what still works.

Does Ambifold mount Google Drive?

No. Ambifold syncs: it keeps real copies of the folders you choose on your disk. To browse the rest of your Drive, use the web or one of the mounts above, outside your synced folders.

8. How we checked

On 16 October 2026 we read each tool's own website and documentation, listed under Sources. We did not benchmark the tools. Features change, so check the linked pages before you decide. Ambifold's facts come from its design documents and release notes. We list no prices, only how each tool is paid for.

9. Sources

All checked on 16 October 2026.

10. Changes to this guide

  • : first published.

Private beta

Try Ambifold before everyone else

Always-on two-way sync of the folders you choose, with a preview first, a stop before mass deletes and backups. We are inviting a small group of Linux Mint and Ubuntu users in October and November 2026.

Ask for an invite See its limits first