DriveSync

Try the free CLI

Install dsync, connect a small test folder to Google Drive, and review your first transfer before buying the Mac app.

dsync is the free, open-source engine inside DriveSync. Try it with your Google account and a small folder to check the workflow. No Mac app purchase is required, and the CLI remains fully functional when used on its own.

1. Install dsync

On macOS or Linux with Homebrew:

brew install scaleninja/tap/drivesync
dsync version

Without Homebrew, download the matching binary from GitHub Releases. macOS and Linux builds are available for x86_64 and ARM64. On macOS or Linux, rename the binary to dsync, make it executable with chmod +x dsync, and place it in a directory on your PATH.

On Windows, download dsync-windows-x86_64.exe, rename it to dsync.exe, and place it in a directory on your PATH. Open a new terminal and run dsync version to check the installation.

The CLI has been tested against live Google Drive on macOS. Linux and Windows builds are built and smoke-tested in CI; see the current platform notes.

Building from source is optional. With a Rust toolchain, follow the source installation instructions.

2. Set up Google access

Follow Google setup to create an OAuth Desktop app client and download its JSON. Allow about ten minutes. The Mac app and CLI use the same setup.

3. Pair a small test folder

Choose a new local test folder and a dedicated path under My Drive. These examples use DriveSync-test locally and DriveSync-test on Drive; choose different names if you already use those paths. Initialization creates missing folders.

On macOS or Linux:

dsync init ~/DriveSync-test --remote-folder DriveSync-test --credentials ~/Downloads/client_secret.json
cd ~/DriveSync-test
dsync status --check

On Windows, in PowerShell:

dsync init "$env:USERPROFILE\DriveSync-test" --remote-folder DriveSync-test --credentials "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\client_secret.json"
Set-Location "$env:USERPROFILE\DriveSync-test"
dsync status --check

Replace the credentials path with the actual downloaded filename. Finish authorization in your browser. The connection check should identify the Google account and confirm the remote folder is reachable. If it fails, resolve that error before transferring files.

4. Compare and upload

Copy a small, non-sensitive file into the local test folder using Finder or your file manager. From that folder, run:

dsync diff
dsync push

diff lists differences without transferring your files. An exit code of 1 means differences were found; it does not by itself mean the comparison failed. Do not join diff and push with && in a script expecting both to run when differences exist.

push shows an upload plan and asks for confirmation. Review the names and direction, then confirm. Check the dedicated folder in Google Drive to see the uploaded file.

5. Try a download

Add a different small file to the test folder using Google Drive in your browser. Then run:

dsync pull

Review the download plan and confirm. Deletions are off by default. If a conflict appears, inspect the two copies before deciding which to keep; this quickstart does not require --force or --delete.

Configuration, tokens and the index live in the local .gd directory, which dsync excludes from uploads. Keep it private and add .gd/ to .gitignore if you use Git in this folder. Tokens are sent to Google for authentication, not to ScaleNinja.

Use the Mac interface with this folder

On macOS 14 or later, DriveSync adds menu-bar access, visual plans, per-file progress and error reports. Add this same initialized folder to the app to reuse its Google pairing and authorization.

See DriveSync availability. The CLI remains free; buying the app is optional.

For exclusions, verification, scripting and exit codes, see the dsync command reference. For sign-in and permissions problems, start with the FAQ.