The Complete Guide on How to Backup Google Drive

If you think your data is always safe inside Google Drive, think again. Although Google Drive itself is a highly reliable platform, it won’t protect against risks like accidental data deletion, ransomware attacks or data removal by malicious insiders – which is why you need to know how to backup Google Drive and have a recovery plan.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Google Drive sync is not a backup by itself. Anything that you delete or make unwanted changes to can propagate to other devices that are synced.
• There are many ways to backup your data. Downloading manually and using Google Takeout will give you an exported copy of your data. Using a backup solution will allow you to backup your Google Workspace automatically.
• Understand what your backup will cover. There are many aspects to backing up Google Drive. Files, file versions, permissions and Shared Drive may need additional support.
• Ensure you can restore and monitor your backup jobs. Verify that you can restore files and look into any failed backups. Make sure your backup is protected by MFA.
• Make sure your backups are not stored on your Google Drive. Decide on how you want to store your backups and who has access to them in case of a compromised Google account.

Read on for details as we unpack everything to know about Google Drive data protection. This article discusses multiple approaches to Google Drive backup, explains how to choose the best technique for your needs and suggests best practices for implementing a Google Drive backup strategy that is as efficient as it is reliable.

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How to Backup Google Drive Matters

Although Google Drive (a part of Google Workspace) is a world-class platform that rarely experiences outages, many types of issues can affect the safety and security of data that individuals or businesses store on the solution.

Common risks in Google Drive data protection

• Human error can cause accidental deletion of files or even overwritten files.
• A malicious insider could delete files to do damage to an organization.
• Ransomware and zero-day attacks can gain access to your data on Google Drive and ransom your files.
• OAuth apps that are not verified can have high access to your Google Drive data. Which can also cause your data to become inaccessible. Be cautious when using an app that is not verified.
• When file owners remove access from you to their files.

These events can make Google Drive data inaccessible. Google provides recovery options, but their availability depends on the situation and applicable recovery windows. Under the terms of its shared responsibility model, Google commits to managing only Google Drive’s underlying infrastructure and services. It’s up to Drive users to manage and protect data that they choose to store on the platform. (If you didn’t know that, don’t feel bad; 79 percent of IT professionals wrongly believe that SaaS platforms include built-in data backup and recovery capabilities, which is rarely the case in actuality.)

What’s more, these risks aren’t just theoretical. Real-world examples of Google Drive data loss abound – such as an incident where a pharmaceutical company lost HR information when a folder didn’t sync properly, or when threat actors discovered a vulnerability that allowed them to access Google Drive environments without being detected.

Essential Parts of a Google Drive Backup Strategy

There are some important points to consider when learning how to backup Google Drive. Here are a few tips to help:

• Apply the 3-2-1 rule to cloud data: All backups should adhere to the 3-2-1 backup strategy, and Google Drive backups are no exception.
• Decide what to backup: Backing up files in their current state may not be enough. Depending on how you use Google Drive, you may also want to backup older file versions, permissions configurations, sharing links and other metadata.
• Backup targets: It’s essential to select the right place to store Google Drive backup data, such as local devices, a secondary Google account or an external cloud. To maximize reliability, consider backing up data to multiple locations. Ownership requirements: Because many Google Drive environments are accessed by multiple users who make extensive use of file sharing, you may need to address special needs related to Shared Drives and file ownership mapping.

Ways to Backup Google Drive

Now, let’s look at the methods on how to backup Google Drive. We’ll start with manual approaches that rely on tools from Google itself, then discuss automated, third-party backup options.

Manual Google Drive Backup Methods

Manual backup tends to be simple, and may be the fastest way to backup a small amount of data on a one-time basis.

The main ways to perform manual backups for Google Drive include the following.

How to Backup Google Drive - Direct Download

To use this method, press select the files you want to backup, then right-click and choose the option to download files in .zip format. You can then copy the .zip file to a backup storage location.

Google Takeout

This method allows you to export full or selected Google Drive data, then move it to other clouds or local storage. It’s convenient if you need to back up data from multiple Drive folders. Google Takeout supports scheduled exports every two months for one year, but this schedule is not suitable for daily backups. It does not export files owned by other users in “Shared with me”, and it sometimes fails when exploiting large volumes of data.

Google Drive for Desktop (Sync)

This app allows you to perform a bi-directional sync, so that your cloud and local folders mirror each other. In mirroring mode, files are stored both locally and in the cloud. In streaming mode, files are primarily stored in the cloud. Neither mode creates an independent backup.

Note, however, that this technique won’t protect against risks like ransomware or accidental data deletion, since changes made in the cloud will be replicated on local devices, and vice versa.

Limitations of Google’s Native Backup Tools

While Google’s native backup tools for Drive and other products can be helpful for small-scale backup needs, they’re subject to several limitations that make them poor solutions for automated, large-scale backup:

• Syncing is not backup: As noted above, syncing files between devices and the cloud doesn’t protect against accidental deletion or ransomware. For this reason, sync is not backup.
• Google Vault: Designed for retention and eDiscovery, not backup and recovery. It supports searching and exporting retained data but does not provide automated restoration.
• Google Takeout: Supports scheduled exports every two months for one year, but does not provide a daily backup schedule.
• Versioning: For uploaded files such as PDFs and images, older versions may be deleted after 30 days or when 100 newer versions exist, unless marked Keep forever. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides use a different version history system.
• Trash: Files remain in Trash for 30 days unless permanently deleted sooner. After permanent deletion, recovery options are limited; Google Workspace administrators have an additional 25-day recovery window.
• Loss of access: If a file or folder owner deletes or revokes data sharing, the data is no longer accessible.

In short, manually backing up Drive using native solutions from Drive itself or related products results in limited protection. It also doesn’t scale well, making it difficult to backup Drive for organizations that have dozens or hundreds of users, with thousands of files and folders spread across their Drive accounts.

Automated Drive Backup Methods

The best way to automate Google Drive backup at scale is to use a third-party SaaS backup solution, such as MSP360 Google Workspace backup. MSP360 offers robust support for backing up Google Drive as well as other Google platforms.

Not only can MSP360 automate the process through advanced backup features, but it also maximizes security through capabilities like encrypted backup data and immutable backups. What’s more, the product protects metadata, Shared Drive data and older file versions. It helps to ensure that no critical information slips through the cracks when backing up Drive.

And, because MSP360 Backup for Google Drive allows you to store backup data on a platform of your choosing – including local storage, as well as cloud-based options like Wasabi, AWS and Azure. It makes it easy to maximize data protection by spreading backups across multiple locations, while also minimizing data storage costs by allowing users to select the most cost-effective storage option for their backups.

Restoring Google Drive Data

The method for restoring Google Drive data from backups varies depending on which backup method you used.

For manual backup approaches, common data restoration routines include the following:

• Zip backups: If you backed up your data to a .zip file, you can unpack the file, then manually copy the data back to Drive.
• Google Drive Trash: You can recover data stored in Trash within 30 days.
• Admin Console: Google Workspace administrators can recover Drive files within 25 days after they are permanently deleted from Trash.
• Google Vault: Retained files can be exported for manual recovery, but Vault does not directly restore them to their original location in Drive.

If you opt for an automated Google Drive backup solution like MSP360, you can restore data in one fully automated step. Simply select the data you want to restore and where to restore it, then let the restore operation run.

Note as well that MSP360 gives you the option of restoring Drive data to an alternate user account, which is useful in scenarios where an account has been compromised and you want to restore data to a “clean” account.

How to Backup Google Drive with MSP360

To get started with MSP360 Backup for Google Drive:

Go to the MSP360 main dashboard.
Click Configure Backup.
Turn on Drive Tab.
Click Apply to enabled users to enable backup for all active users.
Click Save to create the initial backup task.

To schedule an urgent backup task to add new and update existing items in the backup, click Run Backup. The backup task will be created.

To view the progress of the backup job created, open the Task Manager. To open it, click the Task Manager icon to the right of the horizontal menu bar.

Select the required user

Go to the backup console. Select a user to view their Google Drive contents (Admins can browse all users).

Select Restore Point

By default, the latest backup for the current date is shown. Starting with version 4.7, you can browse earlier restore points.

To view backups from another date:
Click View Restore Points on the horizontal menu.
Select a date to switch to that restore point.

[readmore] To learn more about all functions and restore options, read the full technical guide “How to backup Google Drive in MSP360”

We recommend including MSP360 Backup for Google Workspace on your shortlist of the best Google Drive backup solutions available today, as it lets organizations use their own storage (e.g., AWS, Wasabi) to avoid vendor lock-in and manage costs.

How to Backup Google Drive Best Practices

To get the most out of on how to backup Google Drive, consider the following best practices.

Schedule Daily or Multiple Backups (1–3x/day)

Having your Google Drive backed up daily or more will reduce your data loss. Having multiple backups per day can help reduce the RPO on your data. This can be helpful if multiple users are constantly changing and modifying files. It's always good to back up once a day minimum, but having your backups at least twice a day will keep your RPO lower.

Store Backups in Multiple Locations (Cloud + Local)

If you only store your backups in one location your at risk for losing that data. By having your backups stored in the cloud and on a local device, you're able to backup to two different mediums. Which if one becomes compromised or if something were to happen to your cloud you'd have a local copy. There are many different ways to achieve this by having backups on external hard drives and network storage devices.

Use File Versioning for Rollback Capability

If your files become modified or corrupted you can revert to past versions of your files. If you accidentally over write or modify a file you can simply go back and get the old version of the file. If a user deletes or corrupts your files you can restore the files you lost to their previous version. Make sure to look into third party software to backup your Google Drive and ensure that you have file versioning on your backups.

Regularly Test Restore Functionality

Test both individual file restores and larger recovery jobs. Check that the restored files open correctly and contain the expected data. Testing can reveal missing files, expired credentials or incorrect backup settings before an actual incident.

Monitor Backup Status with Alerts and Logs

Monitor backup jobs and enable alerts for failures or incomplete runs. Review logs to identify affected files, investigate errors and confirm that subsequent backups complete successfully.

Enable MFA and Strict Access Policies

Having MFA on your Google accounts and backup software will decrease your chances of someone gaining access to your data and backups. Limiting access to people who need access to your backups and files is also a good practice to have when learning how to backup Google Drive.

Train Users So They Understand That Syncing Is Not Backup

Many users think that syncing files to another device is considered a backup. Deletions or unwanted changes in Drive can propagate to other synced devices. So it's important to know how to backup Google Drive properly so you know the difference between syncing and backups.

Audit Connected Apps and Revoke Unused OAuth Permissions

There may be multiple apps that you've granted access to your drive through OAuth. Some of these may have the ability to edit or delete data on your drive. You want to make sure you go through these and remove any unneeded permissions. This will limit your chances of your data being leaked or deleted by these apps.

How to backup Google Drive final words

Google Drive is a great platform, but it’s not a data backup or protection solution. Keeping your data in Drive alone, without backups stored in a separate location, places your data at risk.

When it comes to the task of how to backup Drive data, various manual approaches are available – but they are labor-intensive and error-prone. They’re handy if you need to perform one-off backups of just a few files, but they’re not a solution for efficient, large-scale backups across all of Drive. Nor do tools like Google Vault provide a backup solution because they are designed for compliance archiving, not data protection.

This is why businesses that are serious about protecting Google Drive data can benefit from dedicated third-party backup tools like MSP360, which offer automation, scalability and full recovery capabilities. See for yourself by trying out MSP360 Backup for Google Workspace.

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