Top 5 Ways to Fix Google Drive Not Starting On Start On Windows and Mac

Google used to offer two Drive apps on desktop. Drive for Consumers and Drive for Enterprise. The company eventually settled the confusion and released a Drive for Desktop app for Windows and Mac. If you’re having trouble opening Google Drive on startup, read on to fix the issue on Windows and Mac.

Not having Google Drive open on startup defeats the entire purpose of using Drive for Desktop in the first place. You won’t notice your most recently uploaded files appearing in the File Manager or Finder menu. Before you consider setting up Google Drive from scratch, follow the tips below and start syncing Drive files at startup.

1. Open Google Drive Services at Login

Both Windows and Mac offer the option to customize the apps and services that open at login. We’ll start with Google Drive for Windows and then move on to the Mac app.

Windows

To make sure that Google Drive opens at startup, you need to make changes in the Settings menu.

Stage 1: In Windows, open the Settings app (use Windows + I keys).

Step 2: Go to the Applications menu.

Stage 3: Select Getting Started from the menu below.

Step 4: Make sure the Google Drive toggle is enabled.

Match

For Mac, you can open the Options menu from the dock and open Drive while logged in.

Stage 1: Right-click the Google Drive app icon and select Options.

Step 2: Click Open at Login and the app should sync files on launch.

2. Make Changes from Google Drive Preferences

Google Drive offers the option to open the app at startup on Windows and Mac. Here’s how you can use it.

Windows

In Windows you need to access Drive from the taskbar and access the Preferences menu.

Stage 1: Click the up arrow from the Windows taskbar.

Step 2: Right-click the Drive icon and select Gear Setting.

Stage 3: Open the Preferences menu.

Step 4: Select Google Drive settings.

Step 5: Scroll down and enable Start Google Drive at system startup Menu.

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The process is mostly the same on Mac. The only difference is that the Drive menu shortcut is located in the Mac’s menu bar.

Stage 1: Click the Drive icon from the Mac menu bar and open Settings.

Step 2: Open the Preferences menu.

Stage 3: Open Driver Settings.

Step 4: Enable ‘Start Google Drive on system startup’.

3. Enable Google Drive from Users & Groups (Mac)

On Mac, you have the option to add Google Drive under the login items menu. In this way, the system ensures that Google Drive is opened during startup. Here’s what you need to do.

Stage 1: Click the Apple icon in the menu bar.

Step 2: Open System Preferences.

Stage 3: Go to Users & Groups.

Step 4: Scroll to Input Items.

Step 5: Click the + icon at the bottom and select Google Drive from the Applications menu.

Step 6: Select the Add button and macOS will add Google Drive to the list of login items.

4. Manually Syncing Google Drive Files

If you’re still not getting the latest Google Drive files at startup, it’s time to sync the service manually. Here’s how.

Windows

Stage 1: Locate and click Google Drive on the taskbar.

Step 2: Select the settings gear.

Stage 3: Click on Pause sync and resume the service after a while.

After that, Google Drive should sync the latest files.

Match

Stage 1: Click Google Drive in the Mac menu bar.

Step 2: Select the settings gear.

Stage 3: Pause the Drive services and wait for a while. Go ahead and access the latest Drive files from the Finder menu.

5. Use Task Manager (Windows)

The Task Manager in Windows allows you to browse all the services running in the background and start at startup. Here’s how to use it and how to fix Drive not starting on startup in Windows.

Stage 1: Press the Windows key and search for Task Manager.

Step 2: Press enter and open the application.

Stage 3: Go to the start menu.

Step 4: Locate Google Drive from the list and right click it.

Step 5: Select Enable and restart the computer.

From now on, Google Drive should open at startup.

Access Google Drive Files

If you’re still facing the Drive not starting issue, you can choose to have Drive web find and download the files on PC or Mac. Which trick worked for you? Share your findings in the comments below.