Onedrive versus Google Drive


cereberus

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I have been using Onedrive for years (as I get 1 TB of space with Office 365).

I have been looking at them from a technical perspective. I am not interested in a commercial comparison in this post, so would appreciate it if people create a separate post if they want to discuss that.

It is quite a long time since I used Google Drive on Windows albeit I use it on my android phone now and them. However Google Drive has moved on from days when it was just a basic syncing feature.

Onedrive Files on Demand
This was a great feature when introduced into Onedrive.
Basically files are stored on line but you see them in a normal file structure (effectively a placeholder for those who remember Windows 8 design)

You can select files/folders to be online only (and they get downloaded as you need them) or online and on local pc as well (files are marked as "keep on pc".
The advantage is of FOD is it saves space on local (many GBs for me). The downside is it can take a while to download a large file.

You can turn it off completely and then all files on cloud will be on local pc as well. Many cloud services only operate in this basic syncing mode. I do not see much point in turning this off as you can select files and folders to be online only or not anyway.
The main reason to do this is so files are always available if internet access is not available.

Google Drive Streaming and Mirroring Files
Google introduced a similar system to FOD called "Streaming" in 2017.
It is essentially the same as FOD i.e. files/folders can be marked as online only or both online and local (they call it offline mode which is a bit confusing as it implies you cannot see it online).

They also have a mirroring function which is essentially same as turning FOD off.

Google Drive does have one slight advantage over Onedrive as it allows you to easily select any folder on PC to sync i.e. not part of the Google Drive logical mapping of online folders.
I presume these folders sync only i.e. files must be on local pc and online at same time but I have yet to test if you can mark a file as online only.

Onedrive only syncs files/folders in the Onedrive Folder structure but you can achieve same end i.e. sync files outside onedrive folder structure using junction links

Drive Letter Mapping
Google Drive just shows as a "local partition drive" with a drive letter like any partition.

Onedrive does not show as a drive letter - you can always access files or folders as C:\users\XXXXX\onedrive\.....
However, you can map the onedrive folder as a "network drive" and add a drive letter as in picture below for convenience to save typing long file/paths.

1676755399242.png


GUI Implementation
Overall, I would say the Onedrive gui implementation is better, with more context menu options. You would expect this as it is a native MS product.

One particular downside with Google Drive was it marked files as online only or for offline only with a tiny symbol on the file icon and difficult to read (you need eyes like a hawk).

Onedrive shows it as a separate "status" column file explorer
1676755831305.png

Onedrive does have other features that integrate well with Office 365 but for most of us, not a feature we would use in home life.

I have not looked at Dropbox, but a quick review on web suggests it is similar to Google drive i.e. files/folders can be online only or online/local.

Overall Conclusions

Overall, I conclude there is not a lot of difference between them in terms of technical functionality for the average user


Of course, there is a risk that changes to Windows could break using of google drive via file explorer as is suggested as possible here.

In the end, it really comes down to personal preference - for most it will come down to a simple cost benefit analysis.
 

My Computer

System One

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    ASUS Vivobook 14
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    Yep, Laptop has one.
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I use OneDrive and Megasync personally.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional (Via VMware)
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    AMD Athlon(tm) II X2 220 Processor × 2
    Motherboard
    HP
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    4GB
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    Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Caicos PRO [Radeon HD 7450] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
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    Nvidia High Definition System Audio
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    Phillips TV
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    32" TV
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    222GB SSD
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    Generic Wireless Keyboard
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    Custom Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    400 mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Webroot SecureAnywhere
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Letsung
    CPU
    Intel Celeron N4020C
    Motherboard
    Intel
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    6GB DDR4 Ram
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    Intel Celeron
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    Nvidia Geforce
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    24" TV
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    24"
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    500G NVME M2
    Internet Speed
    400mbps
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    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Webroot Secure Anywhere Internet Security Complete
Google Drive does have one slight advantage over Onedrive as it allows you to easily select any folder on PC to sync
I have 5 times more onedrive storage available to me than I do GD space(all of it free) but most of onedrive space is unused. I'm not a big cloud user. This one Google Drive feature is what sold me as it fits my needs (and wants) for selective folder syncing. I can't understand why Onedrive doesn't offer the same service. The only thing I store in the cloud is my books, those that I read and those that I write. I have 2 identical folders on all my devices selective syncing to GD. I sure hope MS doesn't screw up my basic little setup but that article indicates they will.

When it comes to using the cloud, it's no one size fits all. It boils down to what we want, need, and our personal situation. The speed and dependability of my internet is one of my major deciding factors as well as just what I like. Most everyone here has steady, super-speed internet access, but that is not the case for all of us.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
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    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
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    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
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    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
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    Logitech wired
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    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
To add to your post, here are more cool features in OneDrive:
  • 1 TB Storage (When subscribed to Microsoft 365)
  • Complete known folder backup (Desktop, Documents, Picture, Music, and Videos (You can also add your Downloads folder)
  • File or folder sharing within any known folder that is backed-up to OneDrive
  • Expiring Sharing Links
  • Password Protected Sharing Links
  • Ransomware Detection and Recovery
  • File Restore/ File History
  • Personal Vault
  • Offline Folders
  • Files on demand
  • File collaboration in real time
All Microsoft services tie into OneDrive and your Microsoft account such as Microsoft 365 (which includes the complete Office Suite, Teams for home and business, Skype, and other apps), Microsoft To-Do, and Microsoft Edge (and plenty more). Microsoft Edge has a nifty little feature that also ties into OneDrive called "Drop" which allows you text yourself and send files to be accessed between all your devices (Including IOS) through either the desktop version of Edge or the mobile version of Edge. Even certain Xbox features use OneDrive.

OneDrive is designed to be the central Hub to everything we do whether we are at home, out and about, from anywhere in the world. It can be accessed from any computer in the world using the easy-to-use web interface that anyone would find familiarity with.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built (ASUS, Intel, Nvidia, Creative Labs, Corsair, Seasonic, Lian Li)
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    Intel® Core™ i9-9900K
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    ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI EXTREME
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    Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 128GB (4x32GB) ‎CMW128GX4M4E3200C16
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    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 TI Founders Edition
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    Creative Sound Blaster AE-9
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    MSI Creator PS321URV 32 Inch HDR600
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    3840 x 2160 (4K)
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    Samsung 970 Pro 1TB
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
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    Seasonic Prime TX 1000
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    Lian Li 011 Dynamic XL ROG Edition
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    ASUS ROG STRIX LC II 360 ARGB AIO, 10x UNI FAN SL-INFINITY Fans
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    Razer Huntsman Elite (Silent keys)
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    Logitech MX Master 3s
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    500 Mb/s Down and 20 Mb/s Up
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Speakers: Vanatoo Transparent One Encore with a REL HT/1003 Subwoofer
When will this arrive in a regular update?

Google and Dropbox must have known this is coming. Is there any way to learn how they plan to cope with it?

Does anyone know how to use OneDrive in a way analogous to Google's My Drive? I don't want or need real time sync, since I don't have multiple devices or colleagues accessing data. I use GD as off-site storage for backup data.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
Longtime OneDrive user here. Microsoft 365 subscriber with 1 Terabyte of OneDrive cloud space included. Real-time sync built in to the operating system is indispensable for me as I can't lose any of my daily work. Continuous real-time off-site data backup is integral to my backup strategy.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
When will this arrive in a regular update?

Google and Dropbox must have known this is coming. Is there any way to learn how they plan to cope with it?

Does anyone know how to use OneDrive in a way analogous to Google's My Drive? I don't want or need real time sync, since I don't have multiple devices or colleagues accessing data. I use GD as off-site storage for backup data.
Does anyone know how to use OneDrive in a way analogous to Google's My Drive? I don't want or need real time sync, since I don't have multiple devices or colleagues accessing data. I use GD as off-site storage for backup data.
What do you mean. Are you saying you just want to access online version and upload files as you wish?

For sure, you can do that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
When will this arrive in a regular update?

Google and Dropbox must have known this is coming. Is there any way to learn how they plan to cope with it?

Does anyone know how to use OneDrive in a way analogous to Google's My Drive? I don't want or need real time sync, since I don't have multiple devices or colleagues accessing data. I use GD as off-site storage for backup data.
Just go to settings of OneDrive, uncheck all the boxes to sync folders. Then simply use the Onedrive web interface and plop the files online where you want them. I think you can also just set a folder to cloud only and it won't take space locally on your system, it will just show the files in the folder but they won't actually be on your hard drive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
What do you mean. Are you saying you just want to access online version and upload files as you wish?

For sure, you can do that.
Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. I know I can do that through the browser interface.

What is helpful to me is being able to upload by copying files to the G: drive in File Explorer. Not just that I can do it manually in File Explorer, but more so that the G: drive is available to Free File Sync, which I'm using for scheduled and unattended data back up to local drives and to Google Drive. So the ability of Google Drive to integrate with File Explorer makes this work.

Maybe I missed it, but in the time I experimented with OneDrive, real-time sync (cloud and local always identical) was the only thing it seemed to want to do.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
Just go to settings of OneDrive, uncheck all the boxes to sync folders. Then simply use the Onedrive web interface and plop the files online where you want them. I think you can also just set a folder to cloud only and it won't take space locally on your system, it will just show the files in the folder but they won't actually be on your hard drive.
Apologies, I wasn't clear. See my response to Cerebrus. Although the second half of your response might be the answer. I left OneDrive installed, so I might try this with Free File Sync, which I'm using to automate this process.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
I have been using Onedrive for years (as I get 1 TB of space with Office 365).

I have been looking at them from a technical perspective. I am not interested in a commercial comparison in this post, so would appreciate it if people create a separate post if they want to discuss that.

It is quite a long time since I used Google Drive on Windows albeit I use it on my android phone now and them. However Google Drive has moved on from days when it was just a basic syncing feature.

Onedrive Files on Demand
This was a great feature when introduced into Onedrive.
Basically files are stored on line but you see them in a normal file structure (effectively a placeholder for those who remember Windows 8 design)

You can select files/folders to be online only (and they get downloaded as you need them) or online and on local pc as well (files are marked as "keep on pc".
The advantage is of FOD is it saves space on local (many GBs for me). The downside is it can take a while to download a large file.

You can turn it off completely and then all files on cloud will be on local pc as well. Many cloud services only operate in this basic syncing mode. I do not see much point in turning this off as you can select files and folders to be online only or not anyway.
The main reason to do this is so files are always available if internet access is not available.

Google Drive Streaming and Mirroring Files
Google introduced a similar system to FOD called "Streaming" in 2017.
It is essentially the same as FOD i.e. files/folders can be marked as online only or both online and local (they call it offline mode which is a bit confusing as it implies you cannot see it online).

They also have a mirroring function which is essentially same as turning FOD off.

Google Drive does have one slight advantage over Onedrive as it allows you to easily select any folder on PC to sync i.e. not part of the Google Drive logical mapping of online folders.
I presume these folders sync only i.e. files must be on local pc and online at same time but I have yet to test if you can mark a file as online only.

Onedrive only syncs files/folders in the Onedrive Folder structure but you can achieve same end i.e. sync files outside onedrive folder structure using junction links

Drive Letter Mapping
Google Drive just shows as a "local partition drive" with a drive letter like any partition.

Onedrive does not show as a drive letter - you can always access files or folders as C:\users\XXXXX\onedrive\.....
However, you can map the onedrive folder as a "network drive" and add a drive letter as in picture below for convenience to save typing long file/paths.

View attachment 53142


GUI Implementation
Overall, I would say the Onedrive gui implementation is better, with more context menu options. You would expect this as it is a native MS product.

One particular downside with Google Drive was it marked files as online only or for offline only with a tiny symbol on the file icon and difficult to read (you need eyes like a hawk).

Onedrive shows it as a separate "status" column file explorer
View attachment 53143

Onedrive does have other features that integrate well with Office 365 but for most of us, not a feature we would use in home life.

I have not looked at Dropbox, but a quick review on web suggests it is similar to Google drive i.e. files/folders can be online only or online/local.

Overall Conclusions

Overall, I conclude there is not a lot of difference between them in terms of technical functionality for the average user


Of course, there is a risk that changes to Windows could break using of google drive via file explorer as is suggested as possible here.

In the end, it really comes down to personal preference - for most it will come down to a simple cost benefit analysis.
Thanks for the analysis.

One drive and android seem to co-operate a bit better -- hardly surprising as android is google's OS. However again not really much in it. Up to user preference.

Integrating one drive seamlessly ow into Ms teams and office is probably a difference to google drive - whether that's a crucial feature -- who knows.

In the end though I agree here's not a lot of difference - apart from those who have office/365 subs as you get a load of storage included with the subscription. In the end though since both are resilient and reliable it wlll eventually come down to cost -- and currently even on that score for non subscribers of office/365 competition keeps them roughly the same.

cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
Thanks for the good work, @cereberus and @jimbo45 .

One question not covered in your post... When Google Drive for Desktop is installed, it adds the G: drive in File Explorer. Directly under the G: drive in the Explorer tree, it also adds a folder named "My Drive". Files and folders that the user copies or moves to "My Drive" are not synchronized, they are simply stored on the cloud. I know it's possible with the browser interface to manually store unsynchronized data with OneDrive. But can OneDrive do it through File Explorer? Or is the File Explorer interface for OneDrive only used for synchronizing cloud and local data?

This Google Drive feature is central to my automated backup regimen. At the end of the day, a scheduled FreeFileSync job compares current local data with the cloud data and copies any changes to the cloud. The version history feature in FFS retains earlier versions of this data. The difference to a pure sync, which both OneDrive and Google Drive can do, is that the cloud data is a non-synchronized backup with version history, not a synchronized image of the local data. I find this attractive - if my local data is corrupted, deleted by accident, or I make ill-advised changes to it, I can restore from the cloud data and its version history.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
Thanks for the good work, @cereberus and @jimbo45 .

One question not covered in your post... When Google Drive for Desktop is installed, it adds the G: drive in File Explorer. Directly under the G: drive in the Explorer tree, it also adds a folder named "My Drive". Files and folders that the user copies or moves to "My Drive" are not synchronized, they are simply stored on the cloud. I know it's possible with the browser interface to manually store unsynchronized data with OneDrive. But can OneDrive do it through File Explorer? Or is the File Explorer interface for OneDrive only used for synchronizing cloud and local data?

This Google Drive feature is central to my automated backup regimen. At the end of the day, a scheduled FreeFileSync job compares current local data with the cloud data and copies any changes to the cloud. The version history feature in FFS retains earlier versions of this data. The difference to a pure sync, which both OneDrive and Google Drive can do, is that the cloud data is a non-synchronized backup with version history, not a synchronized image of the local data. I find this attractive - if my local data is corrupted, deleted by accident, or I make ill-advised changes to it, I can restore from the cloud data and its version history.
Sure - easy to add a drive letter to onedrive so it looks like a standard drive. I showed it in my example.

You just map the onedrive folder to a drived letter as you can do with any windows folder - there is nothing new here - this dates back many years.

In fact the google drive folders are buried in its implementation, but they just map a drive letter for ease of access.

Onedrive does not really need to do that as file explorer handles it all for you but you can it it suits your work flow.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Sure - easy to add a drive letter to onedrive so it looks like a standard drive. I showed it in my example.
I guess I misunderstood. I thought that was just to map a drive letter to c:\users\XXX\OneDrive. And that anything placed in that directory would be a two-way live sync, kept the same on both the local copy and the cloud copy.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
I guess I misunderstood. I thought that was just to map a drive letter to c:\users\XXX\OneDrive. And that anything placed in that directory would be a two-way live sync, kept the same on both the local copy and the cloud copy.
Pretty sure it does. Mapping does not change the folder where you put the file, it is just a more convenient way of a accessing the folder.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
When Google Drive for Desktop is installed, it adds the G: drive in File Explorer. Directly under the G: drive in the Explorer tree, it also adds a folder named "My Drive". Files and folders that the user copies or moves to "My Drive" are not synchronized, they are simply stored on the cloud

I'm relatively sure you're mistaken here, or else 'm misunderstanding what you're attempting to say.

I use both OneDrive (via Microsoft 365 family plan) and Google Drive (paid Google One account, 2 TB @ $8 / month). G:\My Drive\ has local access files that I use, some on a daily basis. I copy stuff to G:\My Drive\ all the time and it's available via Google Drive everywhere - but still locally on my computer also. Additionally, I copy things to Google Drive from my Android phone - like screenshots I take on the phone. Those are then available to me on my computer in G:\My Drive\ also - it's the fastest way for me to make those screenshots taken on my phone available to me on my computer to use in a post, like one in these forums.

The files in G:\My Drive\ are not simply stored in the cloud, they are synchronized on my end.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth

JayzTwoCents says to get rid of OneDrive. Just uninstall it. "No one should be using OneDrive and if you are shame on you"
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 (OS Build 22631.3085)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Z270X Gaming 7
    CPU
    i7-7700k OC'd 4800 Mhz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z270X Gaming 7
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super OC GV-N206SWF2OC-8GD
    Sound Card
    Steel Series Arctis 1 Gaming Head phones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ROG PG279Q Asus VE278 & Phillips 272V8
    Screen Resolution
    2560 X1440 27 Inch 165HZ Asus
    PSU
    Corsair RM750i (CP-9020082-AU) 750Watt 80Plus Gold Full Modular ATX Power Supply Unit
    Case
    Corsair CC750D (CC-9011078) Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition Black Full Tower ATX Case
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i V2 (CW-9060025-WW) Universal Hydro High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Internet Security 21.3.10.391 [j]
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 23H2 22631.2715
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS EVO 13.3" RNX9305C01AUSB
    CPU
    Intel i5-1135G7
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Other Info
    https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/dell-xps-evo-133-inches-win-11-laptop-rnx9305c01ausb

JayzTwoCents says to get rid of OneDrive. Just uninstall it. "No one should be using OneDrive and if you are shame on you"
What a pathetic moron.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0

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