That’s surprising seeing how Drive allows you to select folders on the desktop. You can sync any folder without uploading individual files or moving all files to the primary Drive folder. Drive’s Android app doesn’t work that way and uploading individual files can be tedious. What if you lose your phone? You will lose all files that weren’t uploaded since the last time. Fortunately, there are some third-party apps that can help, and we have listed them all below for you. Let’s begin.
1. Solid Explorer
Solid Explorer is one of the most popular file-sharing apps available on the Play Store. It gained fame for its minimalist and clean UI packed with useful features. One of them is the ability to connect to many cloud storage apps like Google Drive. Step 1: Tap on the + icon to select New cloud connection where you will give Google Drive necessary permissions. Follow on-screen instructions after that. Step 2: Rotate your phone (landscape) to enter the split-screen mode. You can now access and work with two separate folders on the same screen. Open Google Drive in one and the folder you want to move in the other. Step 3: You can either drag and drop the folder or use the copy/transfer option from the menu. Note that you will need the pro version for this to work. Download Solid Explorer
2. FolderSync
The problem with Solid Explorer is that you can transfer folders between local and cloud storage. But, it doesn’t offer sync that works automatically and behind the scenes. FolderSync Lite (free) version will solve that issue. Step 1: Open the app and Tap on Create New Sync to begin the process. Step 2: Choose a name for this particular sync and tap on Add Account on the next screen. Step 3: Select Google Drive from the list, but you will notice there are a plethora of other sites. Step 4: You will need to Authenticate Account by signing in and giving necessary permissions. Don’t forget to enter Unique Name and tap on Save button to complete the process, as shown in the above screenshot. Step 5: Select Folderpairs from the sidebar menu and tap on the + icon to begin the pairing process. There are three types of sync available.
To local folder: files/folders will sync from Drive to your phoneTo remote folder: files/folders will sync from phone to Drive accountTwo-way: files/folders will sync both ways
Choose as per your needs and set up other options as you like. You have a lot of control over how and when sync takes place. You can always come back and change settings. FolderSync solves an essential problem that has largely been ignored by Google. You can now sync and upload folders to Google Drive on Android. Download FolderSync
3. MiXplorer
MiXplorer is an open-source and free file explorer that comes from the house of XDA Developer forums. You will have to sideload the app before you can install it. Once installed, tap on the menu icon and select Add storage to give access to Google Drive. Follow the on-screen process to sign in and give the app necessary permissions to access Drive files and folders. You can now select any file or folder from internal storage and move it to Drive. Download MiXplorer
4. FX Explorer
Last but not least, Finally FX Explorer is another file explorer app for Android smartphones. The process largely remains the same albeit in a different UI. Open the app and tap on Cloud Storage to select Google Drive. Follow on-screen steps to grant access to your account and thereby, to your files and folders. You can enable Split View from the sidebar menu. Instead of side by side view like in Solid Explorer, FX Explorer takes a top-bottom approach. So, there is no need to enter landscape mode either. Just copy the folder from your internal storage on one screen and paste it inside Google Drive. Download FX Explorer
Cut, Copy, Paste, Repeat
Yes, it might beat you that something as trivial as uploading folders is still missing from Google Drive. There are a few other file explorer apps (like ES Explorer) that support different cloud storage services, but the basic premise remains the same. I would recommend FolderSync if you are looking for automatic sync with advanced features. You can go for any of the other file explorer apps if it is a one-time thing where you want to upload a folder to Google Drive on your Android phone. Next up: Learn how far you can stretch that free 15GB of storage space on your Google Drive account. Find out what counts and what doesn’t towards the limit.
