Disclosure: we make Ambifold, one of the options below. It is a two-way sync app for Linux, before its private beta (planned for October–November 2026). We have tried to describe every option fairly. If something here is wrong or out of date, please tell us at support@ambifold.com.
In short
- Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Fedora 44, both on GNOME 50, no longer show Google Drive in the Files app. The code behind it depended on a library that had gone unmaintained, and GNOME switched it off.
- The next Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu 26.04 and planned for Christmas 2026. Mint's project lead has written that GNOME Online Accounts “no longer supports Google Drive”, so expect Mint's file manager to lose it too. Linux Mint 22.x, Ubuntu 24.04, LMDE 7 and Debian 13 still have it.
- You still have options: Drive in the browser, a community-made replacement for testers, rclone, and apps that either mount Drive as a folder or keep local copies in sync. Which one fits depends mostly on whether you need your files offline.
1. What changed, and why
For years, you could sign in to your Google account once in Online Accounts and find your Drive in the file manager: Files (Nautilus) on GNOME, or Nemo on Linux Mint. That feature came from GVfs, the layer Linux file managers use for network and online storage. Its Google backend relied on a library called libgdata.
libgdata had no active maintainer for years, and it held GNOME back on an old, unmaintained networking library (libsoup 2). So GVfs 1.59.1, a development release on the way to GNOME 50, disabled the Google option and marked it deprecated, and GNOME Online Accounts stopped offering Drive. GNOME 50 is the first stable release without it. GVfs 1.62.0, the newest release when we checked, has not brought it back.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, released on 23 April 2026 with GNOME 50, ships GVfs without its Google Drive backend, and so does Fedora 44. Accounts that were connected before show an “Unable to access” error in Files.
This change came from the GNOME side, for maintenance and security reasons. Google itself has never made a Drive app for Linux: its Drive for desktop exists only for Windows and macOS.
2. Who is affected
| System | Drive in the file manager | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (GNOME 50) | Removed | Its GVfs package no longer contains the Google backend, and Online Accounts no longer offers Drive. |
| Fedora 44 Workstation (GNOME 50) | Removed | A GNOME developer called the removal permanent in March 2026. The community backend below appeared afterwards. |
| The next Linux Mint (working name “Mint 23”) | Expected to be removed | Based on Ubuntu 26.04 and planned for Christmas 2026; Mint's package repository already calls it version 27, so the final name may change. On 22 September 2026, Mint's project lead wrote that GNOME Online Accounts “no longer supports Google Drive”. Online Accounts leaves the default install but stays available in the repositories. |
| Linux Mint 22.x, LMDE 7, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Debian 13 | Still there | These releases ship an older GVfs that still has the Google backend. On the Mint forums, users report accounts that won't mount in Nemo, files that show up under an ID instead of their name, and apps that can't save to Drive. |
| KDE Plasma (Dolphin) | Blocked | A different cause: since at least February 2025, Google has blocked KDE's built-in Drive access, because KDE could not meet Google's re-certification requirements. KDE has hidden the option. |
3. The community backend
A community developer has rewritten GVfs's Google Drive support from scratch, against Google's current Drive API and without libgdata. It is proposed for GNOME as GVfs merge request !323, “Re-implement Google Drive support”. When we checked, it was open, under review, and on the milestone for GNOME 52, expected in 2027. A milestone is a plan, not a promise that it will be merged by then.
You can test it today, at your own risk. There are test packages for Ubuntu 26.04 (a PPA on Launchpad), Fedora 44 (a COPR repository, with instructions in the developer's call for testers) and Arch (in the AUR). They replace parts of your system, GVfs and GNOME Online Accounts, and the developer recommends taking a system snapshot first. Testers report that it works, with some rough edges, such as files shown by their ID in some apps.
Two things to keep in mind:
- Long-term support releases such as Ubuntu 26.04, and the Mint release built on it, usually keep the GVfs version they shipped with. Don't count on getting the new backend there by default.
- Like the old integration, it lets you browse Drive over the network. It does not keep copies of your files on your computer.
4. Mount or sync?
Tools for Google Drive on Linux work in one of two ways. It helps to know which one you want before you choose.
- Mount (a network folder). Your Drive appears as a folder, but the files stay in Google's cloud and are fetched when you open them. It uses little disk space and shows your whole Drive, but it needs a connection, and some apps are slow or fail when they save to it. The old Files integration worked this way, and so do rclone mount, google-drive-ocamlfuse and ExpanDrive.
- Sync (local copies). The folders you choose are ordinary files on your disk: they open instantly and work offline, and the sync tool copies changes both ways. It uses disk space for those folders, and a two-way sync tool has to handle conflicts and deletes carefully. Insync, overGrive, rclone bisync, FreeFileSync and Ambifold work this way.
Many people combine the two: they sync the folders they work in every day, and browse the rest of their Drive on the web or through a mount.
5. Your options
Grouped by type, and checked on 28 September 2026. Our comparison of Google Drive clients for Linux has more detail on each one.
| Option | Type | Good for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Drive on the web | Browser | Occasional access from any computer, with nothing to install. | Your files are not in the file manager or in your other apps. |
| Online Accounts (GVfs) on Mint 22.x, Ubuntu 24.04, LMDE 7, Debian 13 | Mount, built in | Browsing Drive in Nemo or Files without extra software. | Removed in Ubuntu 26.04 and Fedora 44, and expected to go in the next Mint. Users report the problems listed above. |
| The community GVfs backend | Mount, test packages | Getting Drive back in Files on Ubuntu 26.04, Fedora 44 or Arch. | Unofficial packages that replace system components; not in any distribution by default yet. |
| rclone mount | Mount, command line | Mounting Drive, including shared drives, or almost any other cloud, with fine control. Free and open source. | Set up in the terminal, and you should create your own Google client ID: rclone's shared one is being retired in 2026. |
| google-drive-ocamlfuse | Mount, command line | A long-standing Drive mount with several accounts and shared drives. Free and open source. | Set up in the terminal, and you need your own Google client ID. |
| ExpanDrive | Mount, graphical app | Browsing a large Drive, including shared drives, without copying it. Free for personal use since April 2025, and no client of your own is needed. | Closed source. For offline use on Linux, check its current documentation (see our comparison). |
| rclone bisync | Sync, command line | Two-way sync of a local folder that you control completely, including with shared drives. Free and open source. | You set up the first run, the schedule and the error handling yourself, and you should create your own Google client ID: rclone's shared one is being retired in 2026. |
| Insync | Sync, graphical app | A mature, polished app with several accounts and shared drives, plus OneDrive and Dropbox. | Commercial and closed source, with a licence for each cloud account. |
| overGrive | Sync, graphical app | A long-standing Linux sync client with a one-time licence and a 14-day trial. | One account active at a time; you create your own Google API client during setup; closed source. |
| FreeFileSync | Sync jobs, graphical app | Comparing and syncing folders with Drive, both ways if you like, including shared drives. Open source, and you sign in with Google without creating a client. | Syncs run as jobs that you start or schedule, rather than continuously in the background (its RealTimeSync can start a job when local files change). |
| Ambifold (our app, pre-release) | Sync, background app | Always-on two-way sync of the folders you choose, with a preview first, a stop before mass deletes and backups; several accounts; a free edition; will be open source. | Pre-release, with a private beta planned for October–November 2026. Linux only, My Drive only. Changes made in Drive arrive within about two minutes. The free edition needs your own Google client. |
6. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides
Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are not ordinary files: they exist only in Google's cloud. Tools handle them in different ways. Some download converted copies (for example .docx or .xlsx files), some can create small link files that open the document in your browser, and some skip them.
A converted copy is a separate file, without the document's version history, sharing or live editing together. If a sync tool uploads your changes to such a copy back to Drive, it can replace the original Google document with a plain file, so check how your tool handles this before you edit one.
Ambifold skips them by default, so they stay in Drive. You can turn on converted copies in its settings, with the same caveat.
7. Also changing in 2026
- rclone's shared client ID. On 6 July 2026, rclone announced that Google would start charging for API requests made through rclone's default client “later in 2026, following 90 days of notice”, and asked Drive users to create their own client. On 19 September 2026, its maintainer wrote that Google had “gone silent” and might be revising the plan. rclone's documentation says the shared client “will stop working during 2026”. If you use rclone with Drive, set up your own client ID now.
- Creating your own client ID takes more steps. Since late August 2026, people setting one up report that Google asks for a homepage and a privacy-policy link on the Branding page before it lets them publish the client. A client left in “Testing” has to sign in again every 7 days.
- odrive ended its free tier on 31 March 2026, to focus on business customers.
- Celeste, an open-source graphical sync client, is archived on GitHub. Its last change was on 21 November 2025.
8. FAQ
Is there an official Google Drive app for Linux?
No. Google makes Drive for desktop only for Windows and macOS. On Linux, you can use Drive on the web or one of the third-party tools above.
Does Google Drive still work in Linux Mint?
In Linux Mint 22.x, yes: connect your account in Online Accounts and your Drive appears in Nemo, with the problems listed in the table above. The next Mint, based on Ubuntu 26.04 and planned for Christmas 2026, is not expected to support it out of the box. We will update this guide when it is released.
Why did Google Drive disappear from Files on Ubuntu 26.04?
Because GNOME 50 no longer includes GVfs's Google Drive backend. It depended on libgdata, a library that had gone unmaintained. See what changed, and why.
Will Google Drive come back to GNOME Files?
Possibly. A rewritten backend is under review for GNOME 52, and test packages exist for Ubuntu 26.04, Fedora 44 and Arch. Long-term support releases may not get it by default, and it will again be network browsing, not offline copies.
How can I have my Drive files offline on Linux?
Use a sync tool, which keeps real copies of the folders you choose on your disk, rather than a mount. Our comparison of Google Drive clients for Linux lists them.
Should I stay on Ubuntu 24.04 or Linux Mint 22 to keep Drive in my file manager?
You can: both are supported until 2029, and the integration still works there, with its known problems. Whatever you use, don't make a network mount the only copy of files that matter to you.
9. Sources
All checked on 28 September 2026.
- GNOME Discourse: Google Drive in GNOME 50 (thread started 20 March 2026)
- GVfs release notes: NEWS (1.59.1: “Disable google option and mark as deprecated”)
- OMG! Ubuntu: GNOME 50 dropped support for accessing Google Drive files (updated 31 March 2026)
- Ubuntu: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS released (23 April 2026)
- Package file lists of gvfs-backends: Ubuntu 26.04 (no Google backend), Ubuntu 24.04 and Debian 13 (with it)
- Fedora Discussion: Fedora 44 beta, GNOME 50: no Google Drive (20 March 2026)
- Linux Mint blog: Monthly News – March 2026 (next release planned for Christmas 2026, “23” as a temporary version) and the comments on Monthly News – August 2026 (22 September 2026)
- Linux Mint package repository: Release file (“Linux Mint 27 official repository”, 23 September 2026)
- Linux Mint forums: Drive won't mount in Nemo, file names shown as IDs, an app can't save to Drive (2026)
- KDE: bug 500335 (18 February 2025) and KDE Discuss (11 February 2026)
- GNOME GitLab: GVfs merge request !323 (open, GNOME 52 milestone, last updated 31 August 2026)
- Fedora Discussion: call for testers (from 25 April 2026) and the Ubuntu 26.04 PPA (GVfs 1.60.0 for 26.04, 14 May 2026); in the AUR,
gvfs-googledriveandgnome-online-accounts-googledrive - rclone forum: Google Drive and Google Photos users: action required (6 July and 19 September 2026) and unable to publish a Google Drive client (from 31 August 2026); rclone documentation: Google Drive
- odrive forum: free tier discontinued on 31 March 2026 (4 February 2026)
- GitHub: Celeste (archived)
- FreeFileSync: release history (Shared drives since 10.25); overGrive: home page (14-day trial). The other tools' sources are in our comparison of Google Drive clients.
- Google: Use Google Drive for desktop
10. Changes to this guide
- : first published.