If you use Google Drive, you will be glad to know that Google has rolled out a new update with a long-requested feature. The client now supports differential sync, which improves sync performance, especially when working with large-sized files.
Google announced the update in a recent Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap. For those unaware, differential sync is when the app only syncs modified parts of a file, not the entire file. This feature significantly reduces synchronization time when you work with big files, plus it saves bandwidth when on metered networks.
Local files now sync to Google Drive faster
We’ve added support for differential uploads to Google Drive, which means when large files are edited, Drive for desktop will now upload only the parts of the file that changed. This highly-requested feature results in much faster Drive syncs.
Visit the Help Center to learn more about uploading files & folders to Google Drive.
According to Google, differential sync in Google Drive is now available to Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains, all Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and those with personal Google accounts. If you want to get started with the Google Drive client on Windows or macOS, head to the official website.
Google Drive is not the only cloud storage provider with differential sync support. In fact, Google is quite late to the party in this regard. Microsoft completed the rollout of differential sync in OneDrive back in April 2020.
You can find other changes and new features that Google brought to Google Workspace here. In addition to differential sync, Google introduced the ability to use Gemini to interact with PDF files, improved mentions in Google Chat, eSignature requests for PDF documents, and more.