Frequently Asked Question

The first time you sign into a new computer, you'll need to open and sign into the Google Drive for Desktop (GDFD) application if you want your Google Drive available as your G: drive. You should be prompted to sign in automatically, but if you're not, please follow these steps:

⚠ NOTE: Since the GIFs for this article were created, the name of the program has changed from Google Drive File Stream to Google Drive for Desktop. The old name is still present in the animations, but the process is the same. We will update these images ASAP.

1. Sign into Windows, then open your Start Menu by clicking on it in the lower left corner or by pressing the Windows key.
   
   
2. Open the Google Drive app. It may already be visible in the Start Menu under the G section, but if it's not, you can just start typing the name to search for it.
   
   
   
   
3. Enter your ECCSS email address and password to login. If you have two-factor authentication turned on, you'll need to respond to the prompt or enter your code.
   
   
   
   
4. There will be a brief four slide introduction to GDFD, then it will show a button you can use to open your G: drive up and get to your files.
   
   
5. You may want to go to the overflow (the little caret ^ symbol) in the notification area of the taskbar (the part in the lower right of the screen) and drag the little square white GDFD icon into the taskbar so it's always visible.
   
   
   
   

For additional information about GDFD, please see our help article Google Drive for Desktop Basics.

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