You may have installed the Google Drive desktop app on your Windows or macOS computer and realize that you don’t use it and no longer need it. You can uninstall it in a few steps on both platforms.
If you change your mind down the road, don’t worry. You can simply download and reinstall it from a file Google Drive Desktop website As I did in the beginning.
Uninstall Google Drive on Windows
Note that we’re using Windows 10 in these screenshots, but the steps are basically the same as in Windows 11.
Disconnect your Windows account
Before you can uninstall Google Drive, you need to disconnect your Google account from it.
To unlink your account, select the Google Drive icon in File system tray. Click the gear icon at the top left and select “Preferences.”
Select the gear icon on the next screen and choose Disconnect Account at the top.
Confirm by clicking “Disconnect” in the pop-up window.
If you receive a subsequent popup asking you to sign in to Google Drive, simply close the window.
Quit the application
After you disconnect and before you can uninstall Google Drive on Windows, you have to quit the app.
Select the Google Drive icon in the system tray again. Click the gear icon in the top left and select Finish.
Uninstall the application on Windows
The fastest way to Uninstalling Google Drive on Windows is to open the Start menu, right-click Google Drive, and choose “Uninstall”.
When the Programs and Features window opens, right-click on Google Drive and choose Uninstall again.
Click Yes when Windows asks if you want to allow the app to make changes (uninstall the app.) Then at the prompt from Google Drive, select Uninstall.
The process may take a few moments. When it completes, you will see a confirmation that Google Drive has been uninstalled, click Close to acknowledge and close the window.
Related: How to uninstall an app on Windows 11
Uninstall Google Drive on your Mac
Unlike Windows, you can simply quit smoking Google Drive app in the menu bar and then move it to Trash as shown below. However, if you prefer to detach your Google account first, it only takes a minute.
Related: How to set up and use Google Drive on your Mac
Disconnect your account on Mac
To disconnect from your Google account, select the Google Drive icon in the menu bar. Click the gear icon at the top left and select “Preferences.”
Select the gear icon on the next screen and choose Disconnect Account at the top.
Confirm by clicking “Disconnect” in the pop-up window.
If you get a subsequent prompt asking you to sign in to Google Drive, just close the window.
Uninstall the app on your Mac
After disconnecting from Google Drive, you can Uninstall the app like other apps on Mac. Using the Finder, select Go > Applications in the menu bar.
Next, move your Google Drive to the Recycle Bin in one of the following ways:
- Drag the Google Drive app icon to the Trash in the Dock.
- Right-click or hold Control and click on the Google Drive app. Select “Move to Trash” in the shortcut menu.
NB: If you get a message that the app is still running, click the Google Drive icon in the menu bar, select the gear icon, and choose Exit. Then uninstall the application.
If you wish, you can empty the Trash or right-click the Google Drive app in the Trash folder to remove it completely.
You can still use Google Drive on the web or your mobile device as before, and download the files you need instead of syncing them. You can also consider using a free alternative cloud storage solution.
Related: Top 5 Free Cloud Storage Services
