Instant Ways to Backup Google Shared Drive

Let’s first understand why there is a need to backup the shared drive in Google.

Why do we need to Save Google Shared Drive to Hard Drive

When users store their files on Shared Drive, they should be aware that it’s not a cloud backup solution but a cloud storage service. If the files are accidentally deleted and not restored within the recovery period, then the data may be permanently removed and cannot be retrieved.

Alternatively, it is wiser to keep the backup of the Google shared drive as a safer side against malware attacks and possible problems within Google itself. Moving forward, let’s discuss the multiple manual ways available for Google shared drive backup.

Multiple Manual Methods Available to Backup Shared Drive Google

Manual procedure: here, we have two effective ways to backup shared drive, such as by using Google Vault and Google Drive for desktop.

Method 01: Backup Google Shared Drive Data by using Google Vault

Google Vault is an archiving tool that helps users to retain, manage, and export an organization’s data. It works only for Google Workspace Business and Enterprise customers.

Now, follow the detailed instructions:

1. Sign in to Google Vault with your admin credential.
2. Click on Retention > Custom Rules > Create in turn.
3. Open the drop-down menu of Service and select Drive. Then, hit Continue.
4. In the Scope section, select Backup all your shared drives (with the All Shared Drives option) or certain shared drives (with the Specific Shared Drives option). Click Continue.
5. Under the Condition Duration and Action sections, specify the retention period. Finally, click Create.
6. Next, Google Vault will retain your files, and you will be able to export files to shared drives as required.

Note: As a backup solution, it is important to note the Google Vault has certain limitations, such as it has no built-in restore functionality available, due to which recovery of lost data is difficult, and it is unsuitable for large data exports it will not be able to access data in the event of a Google interruption.

Method 02: Backup Google shared Drive data by using Google Drive for desktop

Along with the Google Drive desktop application, we can synchronize shared drive files from the cloud to your computer and keep a local copy for offline access. Here’s how to locally sync Google Team Drive (formerly Shared Drive) for backup:

1. On your Computer, download and run the drive for the desktop program and log in.
2. Click on the Google Drive icon in the taskbar, choose Settings, and click Preferences.
3. Select Google Drive. In My Drive syncing options, pick Mirror files.
4. Further, On a PC, go to the Google Drive disk, right-click on the target shared drive, and hover over Offline Access to select Available Offline.

Note: Due to Google Drive’s two-way sync capability, files in your Google account will automatically be consistent with the local files. In other words, when you delete files in the cloud, they will be deleted from the local Google Drive virtual hard disk as well. Overall, using the Google Drive desktop app isn’t a completely safe approach to backing up Shared Drive on Google, either. Alternatively, we suggest other direct methods by using the G Suite Backup Tool, which provides a safe and secure solution. Let’s explore this in more detail.

Instant Method to Backup Google Shared Drive via G Suite Backup Tool

G Suite Backup Tool is a secure and efficient software for Google shared drive backup. This utility allows users to back up the G Suite data effortlessly into PST, EML, MSG, MBOX, and other formats. Additionally, it provides multiple built-in features for smooth backup of the process. Let’s move forward and discuss the proper stepwise instructions for this software.

Step by Step Procedures are as follows:

1. Download, launch, and run the G Suite Backup Tool as an administrator.
2. Click on the Continue option to backup Google Workspace for all services. Further, provide the Root User Email Address, Service Account Email ID, and P12 file.
3. Select the Get User Mailbox option and click Login. Select the mailbox data you need to backup and click the Next option.
4. For the account that contains the shared drives, select the Google Workspace services and click Next. Choose the file format option.
5. Further, from the drop-down menu, choose PST file format. Opt for the additional in-built features as per the requirement and click Next.
6. Provide Save to Path Location to save the Output data and hit the Start Migration option to initiate the process.

Conclusion

The complete write-up describes how to backup Google Shared Drive using manual and automated methods. Due to certain drawbacks of the manual approach, this procedure is not suggested as the appropriate solution. On the other hand, an automated solution using G Suite Backup software is the most preferred Google Shared Drive backup solution. It provides a 100% secure and reliable solution. Besides, if you need to migrate G Suite to Office 365, this software can get it done quickly and easily.

Frequently Asked Questions