G oogle Drive is a massive cloud storage service that offers 15 GB of free space across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. It also includes Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, where you can edit spreadsheets, forms, presentations, documents, etc. and save them in the cloud.
Google also has apps for these services across all major platforms. You can browse through and perform all file related operations on Google Drive files when you are connected to the internet. Most of the time you don’t even need desktop apps to work on your Google Drive files, there are many apps which you can connect to your Drive.
However, you can also view your Google Drive files offline. Hence, you can access your necessary data when you are in a zone with no connectivity. Here, we have outlined the steps you need to follow to make your files available for offline viewing and editing.
How To View Google Drive Files Offline On a Computer?
To view Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides & Drawings offline, you need to make them available for offline viewing first, which will require an internet connection initially. Also, you will need to use Google Chrome to access this feature. Follow these simple steps on your PC:
- Sign in to Chrome using your Google account.
- Install the Google Docs Offline extension for Chrome.
- Go to
- Check the box in the row marked Offline.
- Now you can access the files by simply typing their link on the address bar of Chrome or keep them bookmarked for easy access.
To sync all your files from Google Drive with your computer, you need to install Backup & Sync for Mac or Windows from this link. After you’ve installed it:
- Sign in to the application using your Google account.
- Choose the files you want to backup in Drive. Uncheck all the folders if you don’t want to sync any files from PC to your Drive.
- Choose the folders from MyDrive you want for offline viewing.
By default, your files will be available in C:/Users/Admin/Google Drive, but you can change the location of files before backup.
To know more about backing up your hard drive using Google’s Backup And Sync tool, you can read our detailed post.
How To View Google Drive Files Offline On Android?
If you aren’t connected to the internet, you can still view and edit your docs, sheets, and slides. However, you have to open them from their respective Android apps: Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.
To access files from Google Drive offline, you will have to be connected to the internet initially. Open your Google Drive app and navigate to the folder you want to access offline.
- Tap the three-dot menu next to the desired file.
- Tap on the slider next to Available Offline.
To view the offline files on your Android, go the respective Google app and tap Menu> Offline.
How To View Google Drive Files Offline On iOS Devices?
You can view and edit Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides offline from their respective iOS apps: Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides. However, to access Google Drive Files offline, you need to be connected to the internet to set up your files for offline access. Open the Google Drive app and go to the file you want to access offline.
- Tap on the 3-dot menu next to the file.
- Tap on the slider marked Available Offline.
To view the files offline, go to Google Drive, Sheets, Slides or Docs app, and tap on Menu> Offline.
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Chris Stobing is a writer and blogger from the heart of Silicon Valley. His work has appeared in PCMag and Digital Trends, and he’s served as Managing Editor of Gadget Review. Read more.
If there’s any drawback to using cloud-based services for all your productivity and organization needs, it’s that if you can’t get an Internet connection, you’re basically out of luck.
Thankfully, however, the engineers at Google have thought of a way around this problem and created a setting which will enable you to use their Drive apps and management tools 100 percent offline.
From the Desktop
If you’re like me, the main place you find yourself booting up Google Drive every day is from your desktop or laptop. To activate the offline setting on your main PC or Mac, you’ll need to start by downloading Google’s Drive app for your respective operating system, located here.
Once Drive is installed, you need to sign in on the account that you want to use offline files with. After the sign-in operation is complete, the app will automatically begin syncing your available files to the desktop, and any that have been brought in from the cloud will immediately be available for full local access and offline editing rights.
If you don’t want to sync the entirety of your library all at once, you can alter which files or folders are saved by clicking the Drive taskbar icon, and then selecting “Preferences” from the following menu.
The first section of the Preferences page will give you the option to either sync “Everything in My Drive”, or “Only These Folders”.
Select the second choice, and scroll through to either enable or disable any files or folders you want attached to your current desktop.
From the Chrome Browser or a Chromebook
If you want to make offline files work without downloading an extra program on your PC, the same effect as above can also be achieved through Google’s flagship Internet browser: Chrome. Once Chrome is installed (download link here), you’re going to need to find the Google Drive application in the Chrome app store.
After this is ready (the button should say “Visit Website” in green if the setup was successful), log in to your preferred Google Drive account. When you’re ready to start the syncing process, simply find the Settings button in the main Drive hub, and bring up the menu highlighted above.
Click the box to enable Google Drive to “Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings”, at which point your computer will begin the process of downloading local versions of every document or picture stored on the linked account.
Once these are pulled down, you’ll be able to freely edit and save any file without a connection to the Internet. If you want to disable Offline syncing directly from Chrome or your Chromebook, get back into the Drive main page, and then click the menu on the side. Scroll down to settings, where you’ll see the option for “Offline sync”.
Once you click this you’ll be taken to a secondary confirmation window, where you’ll need to click “Disable Offline” one last time. Keep in mind that this option will un-sync all your files at once, rather than the one-by-one method mentioned in the previous section.
From Your Mobile Device
If you’re someone who finds yourself on the road with a WiFi-only tablet or spotty cell service from your phone, Google Drive can also function as an app for both the iOS and Android ecosystems that allows you to edit documents offline.
To do this, first you’ll need to open up the app on your mobile device and find the file you want to sync offline. In order to save space and prevent a phone or tablet from going into download overload, Drive for mobile will only allow you to sync documents or spreadsheets for offline use on a file-by-file basis.
Once you find the file you want to work on, tap the button next to it which looks like three gray circles stacked on top of one another.
Here you’ll see the option to “Keep offline” in the submenu. Click on this, and the Google Drive app will notify you as soon as your file is ready to go!
If you’re looking to replace a suite of apps like Microsoft Office on the cheap, the offline version of Google Drive is a quick, light, and free option that provides enough functionality and flexibility to keep any productivity pioneer working through the worst of Internet outages.
Google Drive is used to backup photos, videos, files and important document to cloud to access them from anywhere on any device with an internet connection. But what if you don’t have an internet connection. Thankfully, Google Drive has a “Offline feature which allows you to view and edit Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides files when you’re not connected to the Internet.
From the Desktop:
If you want to activate the Offline setting on your computer or Mac, then you will need to download and install “Google Drive” app on your computer. Now enter email address and password to sign in to your Google Drive account. Once you sign in to your account, the app will automatically begin syncing your available files to the desktop. If any of that have been brought in from the cloud, then it will immediately be available for full local access and offline use. If you don’t want to sync your entire library at once, then you can alter which files are saved. To do so, click “Google Drive” taskbar icon and select “Preferences” option from the menu. You will see 2 options i.e. “Everything in My Drive”, or “Only These Folders”. Choose “Only These Folders” option and scroll through to either enable or disable any files or folders you want attached to your current desktop.
From Your Mobile Device:
To acivate the Offline setting on your mobile device, open “Google Drive’ app and find the file which file or folder you want to sync offline. Google Drive allows you to sync documents or spreadsheets for offline use. It is helpful to save space and prevent a phone from going into download overload. Once you have selected the file you want to work on, tap “3 vertical dots” located next to the file and select “Keep Offline” option from the submenu.
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Set up your devices for offline access ahead of time to prepare for those times when you don’t have internet access.
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You can use many Google Apps features offline, but only if you first set them up while you have internet access. Keep in mind that if you make edits while offline, collaborators will not see your edits and any edits collaborators who are online make will supersede your changes. Once you regain internet access, any offline edits will be synced.
Follow the directions below for setting up Mobile Devices and your Computer so you’re prepared.
Mobile Devices
The Google Drive App (for iPhone/iPad and Android) allows you to access (view, share, star, rename files also edit Google Documents) Google Drive files from your mobile device. And, if you make a file available when offline, you can access it even when your device isn’t connected to WiFi or a network connection. You’ll need to set up offline access while you still have internet access in the Google Drive app to be able to view a file offline and in Docs, Sheets, or Slides app to be able to edit it. Here’s how:
Set up Offline Access
I. Google Drive App
- Download (or update) the Google Drive App (for iPhone/iPad from Apple App Store, for Android devices from Google Play)
- Sign in to the Google Drive App using your @stonybrook.edu email address as username and NetID password
- Tap on theto the right of the file you’d like to enable offline access for
- Scroll to Available offline and tap the slider button so that it turns on (blue)
II. Google Docs/Sheets/Slides App
- Download (or update) the Google Docs, Sheets, and or Slides App (for iPhone/iPad from Apple App Store, for Android devices from Google Play)
- In the app (Docs, Sheets, or Slides) corresponding to the type of document you want to make available to edit offline, tap on theto the right of the file
- Scroll to Available offline and tap the slider button so that it turns on (blue)
- To make recent files available offline (in Docs, Sheets, or Slides apps), tap on (in the top left corner)
- Tap on Settings
- Tap Make recent files available offline until it is on (blue)
Access Offline-enabled Files
- Open the Google Drive app (to view offline files) or the Docs, Sheets, or Slides app (to view and edit offline files)
- Tap on (in the top left corner)
- Tap on Offline
- Tap on the file you’d like to access
Computers (Laptops and Desktops Using Chrome)
Google Drive, when accessed on a desktop/laptop computer through the Chrome browser, can allow you to access files even if you don’t have an internet connection. If you want to access files offline from multiple computers, set up access on each, but be sure to only set up offline access on a personal computer, not on shared computers.
You’ll need to set up offline access in Chrome (to sync your files) and install Google Drive for Mac/PC (in order to view files offline) while you have internet access.
Set up Offline Access
I. Offline Access in Chrome
- Open Chrome and sign in to Chrome
- Go to Drive Settings at
- Check the box next to “Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings files to this computer so that you can edit offline.”
- Your files will begin to sync. Depending on how many files you have, it might take a while to sync.
II. Google Drive for Mac/PC
Follow these instructions to install Google Drive for Mac/PC (you’ll need admin rights on your computer to install this).
Access Files Offline
While offline, you’ll use the synced Google Drive folder on your Mac/PC to access files.
- Open the Google Drive folder
- Navigate to the file you want to view/edit offline and double-click
- Google-format files (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings) will open in Chrome if you’ve set up offline access; non-Google format files (Word, Excel, pdf) will open in the appropriate program
- When you have internet access again, any changes you make in the files will sync
To access files offline on another computer or with a mobile device, set up offline access for each.
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If you aren’t connected to a WiFi or mobile network, you can still view and edit files offline, including:
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
- Google Slides
To setup offline access from your desktop computer, please follow the steps below:
Please Note: For Android and iPhone/iPad instructions, please see Google’s Use Google Drive files offline support article for up-to-date instructions.
Open files offline
To turn on offline access:
- You must be connected to the Internet.
- Use the Google Chrome browser.
- Don’t use incognito mode.
- Install and enable Google Docs offline Chrome extension.
- Make sure you have enough free space on your device to save your files.
Open your Google Drive files offline:
Check the box next to “Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings files to this computer so that you can edit offline.”
To work on files offline from a computer, learn how to install Backup and Sync.
For additional information, please see please see Google’s Use Google Drive files offline support article
You can work on your Google Drive files offline, but only if you take a few steps before you reach an Internet-free zone.
For a free text editor, it’s hard to get much better than Google Docs. You can update your resume, work on a paper, or even write articles (like this one) right in your web browser.
With Google Drive, you can access all your documents from any computer or mobile device where you’ve signed into your Google Account. That makes working entirely in the cloud an enticing possibility. You can drop what you’re doing on your work PC and pick it up later at home, or make quick changes on your phone. As long as you have an internet connection, it’s super convenient. The rub comes when you lose your connection.
There are going to be times where you don’t have internet access but still need to edit a document. When you get on an airplane, or the internet goes down, all your work remains painfully inaccessible. Fortunately, you can get around this with a few quick steps so you can keep using Google Docs—and still have access to all your files—even when you’re offline.
Here’s how to set up Google Docs to work offline. The same instructions work for Google Slides and Google Sheets.
How to Set Up Google Docs Offline on Your PC
Install Chrome
The offline feature for Docs only works in Google’s own browser. If you’re using Firefox, Safari, Edge, or any other browser, download and install Chrome.
Sign In to Your Google Account
Everything you do in Google’s world is linked to your Google account, and Docs is no different. Sign into your account in Chrome after you’ve installed the browser.
Download the Google Docs Offline Extension
Chrome allows you to install browser extensions that add new features and enhance your overall experience. For offline access, this extension will let you use Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets even when you lose internet access.
Enable Offline Access
Open Google Docs and sign into your Google Account if you have not done so already. Click the hamburger menu in the top-left corner of the screen ( ), select Settings and enable the Offline toggle.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to continue editing and saving your documents whenever you lose internet access. Google will also download some of your most recent files so you can edit them even if you don’t already have them open. For older files, however, you’ll need to download them beforehand.
How to Set Up Google Docs Offline on Mobile
Enabling offline access for Docs is slightly simpler on your mobile devices.
Download the Apps You Need
Google offers separate apps for Google Drive, Docs, Slides, and Sheets on iOS and Android. Download the ones you need to the phones and tablets you’ll use while you’re offline.
Make Recent Files Available Offline
On the Drive app of your choice, tap the hamburger menu ( ) in the top-left corner, tap Settings, and enable the “Make recent files available online” toggle.
When you enable the above toggle, it will apply to each account on your device. However, you’ll need to do so for each app, so repeat on the Slides and Sheets apps as needed.
The mobile apps will automatically detect which files you’ve used frequently and keep a local copy available for you to use offline. However, if you need to make sure specific files are available, follow the steps in the next section.
Make Specific Files Available Offline
By default, Google will try to save space by only keeping local copies of files you’ve recently edited on your device. However, you have a couple of options if you want to make sure that certain files are always available. On your laptop, you can download Google Drive Backup and Sync to keep a local copy of all your files, or just certain folders, on the desktop. This will make Drive function a lot like Dropbox.
However, if you only want to download specific files, find the file you want to keep in the app. Tap the three-dot “More” icon ( ) and enable the “Available offline” toggle. Repeat for each file you need. You can also open the file you need and the app should download it, but it never hurts to make sure.
When you have a file available for offline use, you’ll see a circular symbol with a check mark inside it. When you’re editing the file without an internet connection, you’ll see a circular symbol with a lightning bolt next to the document’s name.
Once you’re back online, changes will sync up and the symbols will disappear.
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To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories.
The beauty of Google Drive is that you can jump around from machine to machine, desktop to mobile, and access the latest revisions of your documents from anywhere. But that magic requires a network connection, and you may find yourself in places where Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity is spotty or non-existent.
The desktop version of Google Drive lets you save updates to Docs, Sheets, and Slide projects to the local drive while you’re offline, then syncs updates to the cloud once you reestablish a connection. On the desktop, you can save everything to your local drive with one click of a checkbox. On the apps for iOS and Android, you need to pick and choose the individual documents to save locally.
Either way, you’ll need to plan ahead for this: Ironically, you can only prep your Drive to work offline when you’re still online, so make sure to do that before you head to the park. You’ll also need to access the files you want to edit through Google Drive, not your computer’s file system.
- While you have a network connection, open Google Drive.
- On the “My Drive” main page, click the cog icon at top right.
- Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
- Halfway down the Settings menu, find the “Offline” entry. Check the box next to “Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings to this computer.”
- This will save editable versions of your Drive files to your computer. You’ll only be able to access the files via Google Drive, however.
- While your mobile device is connected to the Internet, open the Google Drive app.
- On the mobile app, you must select the individual documents you’ll need to access while you’re disconnected. Tap the three vertical dots next to each document you plan to edit while you’re offline.
- Find the “Available offline” option about halfway down the menu. Tap the slider next to it. It should turn blue.
- A notification will appear at the bottom of the screen confirming that your document or documents are being kept offline.
Of course, your edits won’t show up in the cloud once you’re disconnected. After you edit any Google Doc offline, you’ll need to reconnect to the Internet for those changes to show up in Google Drive.
You can work on your Google Drive files offline, but only if you take a few steps before you reach an Internet-free zone.
For a free text editor, it’s hard to get much better than Google Docs. You can update your resume, work on a paper, or even write articles (like this one) right in your web browser.
With Google Drive, you can access all your documents from any computer or mobile device where you’ve signed into your Google Account. That makes working entirely in the cloud an enticing possibility. You can drop what you’re doing on your work PC and pick it up later at home, or make quick changes on your phone. As long as you have an internet connection, it’s super convenient. The rub comes when you lose your connection.
There are going to be times where you don’t have internet access but still need to edit a document. When you get on an airplane, or the internet goes down, all your work remains painfully inaccessible. Fortunately, you can get around this with a few quick steps so you can keep using Google Docs—and still have access to all your files—even when you’re offline.
Here’s how to set up Google Docs to work offline. The same instructions work for Google Slides and Google Sheets.
How to Set Up Google Docs Offline on Your PC
Install Chrome
The offline feature for Docs only works in Google’s own browser. If you’re using Firefox, Safari, Edge, or any other browser, download and install Chrome.
Sign In to Your Google Account
Everything you do in Google’s world is linked to your Google account, and Docs is no different. Sign into your account in Chrome after you’ve installed the browser.
Download the Google Docs Offline Extension
Chrome allows you to install browser extensions that add new features and enhance your overall experience. For offline access, this extension will let you use Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets even when you lose internet access.
Enable Offline Access
Open Google Docs and sign into your Google Account if you have not done so already. Click the hamburger menu in the top-left corner of the screen ( ), select Settings and enable the Offline toggle.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to continue editing and saving your documents whenever you lose internet access. Google will also download some of your most recent files so you can edit them even if you don’t already have them open. For older files, however, you’ll need to download them beforehand.
How to Set Up Google Docs Offline on Mobile
Enabling offline access for Docs is slightly simpler on your mobile devices.
Download the Apps You Need
Google offers separate apps for Google Drive, Docs, Slides, and Sheets on iOS and Android. Download the ones you need to the phones and tablets you’ll use while you’re offline.
Make Recent Files Available Offline
On the Drive app of your choice, tap the hamburger menu ( ) in the top-left corner, tap Settings, and enable the “Make recent files available online” toggle.
When you enable the above toggle, it will apply to each account on your device. However, you’ll need to do so for each app, so repeat on the Slides and Sheets apps as needed.
The mobile apps will automatically detect which files you’ve used frequently and keep a local copy available for you to use offline. However, if you need to make sure specific files are available, follow the steps in the next section.
Make Specific Files Available Offline
By default, Google will try to save space by only keeping local copies of files you’ve recently edited on your device. However, you have a couple of options if you want to make sure that certain files are always available. On your laptop, you can download Google Drive Backup and Sync to keep a local copy of all your files, or just certain folders, on the desktop. This will make Drive function a lot like Dropbox.
However, if you only want to download specific files, find the file you want to keep in the app. Tap the three-dot “More” icon ( ) and enable the “Available offline” toggle. Repeat for each file you need. You can also open the file you need and the app should download it, but it never hurts to make sure.
When you have a file available for offline use, you’ll see a circular symbol with a check mark inside it. When you’re editing the file without an internet connection, you’ll see a circular symbol with a lightning bolt next to the document’s name.
Once you’re back online, changes will sync up and the symbols will disappear.
Google Docs is great — until you lose your internet connection and suddenly lose all editing access.
It’s frustratingly common, but avoidable: if you enable it while you still have internet, you can sync any Google Docs file to your device and edit it offline.
Note: You’ll need an internet connection to download the files, and they’ll take up space on your device.
Here’s how to enable offline editing on both the Google Docs desktop website and mobile app.
How to edit Google Docs offline on desktop
1. Open Google Chrome and log into your account, and then go to
2. In the Offline section, tick the box next to Create, open and edit your recent Google Docs, Sheets and Slides files on this device while offline.
3. If you have any Google Docs pages open, refresh them.
4. To download specific files, head to the main Google Docs page and right-click on any file, and then select Available offline.
How to edit Google Docs offline in the mobile app
Both iPhone and Android users can save Google Docs for offline editing.
1. Open the Google Docs app and find the file that you want to edit offline.
2. Tap the three dots next to its name and select Make available offline. Your file will download, and a checkmark icon will appear on the thumbnail once it’s done.
Now when you’re left without internet access, you can simply open your Drive app, tap the three stacked lines in the top-left corner, and then select Offline. You’ll be shown all the files you can edit offline.
Quick tip: You can also set it so any documents that you’ve opened recently will be downloaded automatically. Tap the three stacked lines in the top-left corner and select Settings, and then tap the switch next to Make recent files available offline.
