How to access Google Drive on Linux with Open Drive
Google doesn’t plan to support its Drive Service on the Linux desktop. Thankfully, over the years, many third-party sync clients have come on to the scene to bridge the gap. Open Drive is yet another great way to access Google Drive on Linux.
Open Drive isn’t a new concept, but it sets itself apart by offering up an easy to use interface, without charging a fee like Insync, or OverGrive. In this tutorial, we’ll go over exactly how you can set up the Open Drive system on Linux.
Note: To use Open Drive on Linux, you must have a Google account. If you do not already have one, click here to make a new one.
Install Open Drive on Linux
As Open Drive is a third-party sync client to Google Drive, you won’t find a download link to this app on the Google website. Instead, users looking to sync their files on Linux with the app need to get it directly from the developer’s GitHub page.
Officially, Open Drive is available for Ubuntu and Debian via a DEB package, Fedora, and OpenSUSE via an RPM, as well as a Snap package, and AppImage. To start the installation of the application, press Ctrl + Shift + T or Ctrl + Alt + T on the keyboard to open up a terminal window. Then, follow the instructions below that correspond with your Linux OS of choice.
Ubuntu
Those on Ubuntu can download a DEB package to install Open Drive. To get the package, go to your terminal session and use the wget tool to download the latest release of Open Drive.
cd /tmp
wget https://github.com/liberodark/ODrive/releases/download/0.2.2/odrive_0.2.2_amd64.deb
With the package downloaded to the “tmp” folder, use the dpkg installer tool to load up Open Drive on your Ubuntu PC.
sudo dpkg -i *.deb
Finish up the installation on Ubuntu by running apt install.
sudo apt install -f
Debian
Open Drive is installable on Debian Linux via a downloadable DEB package file. To get your hands on this package for installation, go to the terminal session and use the CD command to move into the “tmp” directory. Then, run the wget tool to download the latest release.
cd /tmp
wget https://github.com/liberodark/ODrive/releases/download/0.2.2/odrive_0.2.2_amd64.deb
Once the download is complete, use the dpkg installation tool to set up Open Drive on Debian Linux.
sudo dpkg -i *.deb
When the installation of the DEB package is complete, you may run into some errors. Mainly, some dependencies may have failed to install. To fix this, install apt-get install.
sudo apt-get install -f
Keep in mind that some releases of Debian may be too far behind to handle the Open Drive DEB package. Try the AppImage or Snap release if you run into issues.
Arch Linux
It seems that the Arch Linux AUR has every package available for installation. In the case of Open Drive, sadly, there’s no build ready to use. Luckily, Arch Linux supports Snap packages and can run AppImages too. So, if you’re an Arch fan looking to use Open Drive, try those instructions instead!
Fedora Linux
The developer of Open Drive supports RedHat-based Linux operating systems nicely, by providing an RPM file on the GitHub page that users can download. To get it, you won’t need to fuss with any download commands. Instead, take advantage of DNF’s online RPM capabilities.
sudo dnf install https://github.com/liberodark/ODrive/releases/download/0.2.2/odrive-0.2.2.x86_64.rpm -y
OpenSUSE Linux
Want to use Open Drive on OpenSUSE Linux? If so, use the CD command to move into the “tmp” folder. After that, grab the RPM package file with wget.
cd /tmp wget https://github.com/liberodark/ODrive/releases/download/0.2.2/odrive-0.2.2.x86_64.rpm
Once the RPM file is done downloading, install it with:
sudo zypper install odrive-0.2.2.x86_64.rpm
Snap package
Open Drive is up on the Snap store, so if you use a Linux OS that supports Snapd, it’s quick and easy to install. To start the installation, ensure that you have the Snap runtime running on your Linux PC. Then, install with snap install.
sudo snap install odrive-unofficial
AppImage
Any Linux OS can run an AppImage, so if you can’t run Snaps, DEBs, or RPM files, this is a great way to use the app. To get the AppImage release of Open Drive, start by creating a new “AppImages,” folder. Then, download it with wget and start the app!
mkdir -p ~/AppImages cd ~/AppImages wget https://github.com/liberodark/ODrive/releases/download/0.2.2/OpenDrive.0.2.2.AppImage chmod +x OpenDrive.0.2.2.AppImage ./OpenDrive.0.2.2.AppImage
Sync Google Drive with Open Drive
To sync your files with Open Drive, open up the app on your Linux desktop by launching “Open Drive” from your app menu. Once it’s open, follow the step-by-step instructions below to sync files.
Step 1: As the app opens, you’ll see a page that says “Setup required,” with a blue button at the bottom-right part of the screen that says “next.” Click the blue button to continue to the next page.
Step 2: On the next page, you’ll be instructed to connect your Google account to Open Drive. Follow what the app says to get it connected.
Step 3: Following getting your Google account connected to the app, it’ll specify where it is going to download your files to. If you dislike the default location, click “browse.” Otherwise, click “Synchronize” to download your data.
To access your files (or upload items) open up the Linux file manager and navigate to:
/home/username/snap/odrive-unofficial/2/Google Drive/
I could download the google drive,but i am unable to signin