Many people don’t know this, but Google Drive has a computer program that makes it very easy to sync files between cloud and local storage; in fact, we could say that it is an essential application if we use Google Drive, since it allows us to access our files quickly and easily.
Unfortunately, Google Drive users using certain versions of Windows will soon have to look for alternatives, as the company has decided to discontinue them. Specifically, the Google Drive app will stop working in Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 computersalthough in the latter case only the 32-bit version.
In practice, this means that Google Drive will no longer be available for 32-bit systems. Therefore, the program will only be compatible with 64-bit systems; that is, the most modern and launched in recent years. The support deadline is next August, so users don’t have much time to make a decision.
Google Drive stops working
Google’s announcement has flown somewhat under the radar, as it’s hidden on Google Drive’s desktop support page; in fact, the Spanish version has not yet been updated and does not include the review, which only appears in the English version of the page. On the other hand, it must be said that Google has already warned that it was going remove support for 32-bit applications in the second half of the year, so this change is not entirely surprising.
The updated page clarifies that Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and all 32-bit versions of Windows, with only Windows 10 32-bit remaining, will end in August 2023. Additionally, support for Windows Server 2012 is also being removed, although this version is not intended for mainstream users. Once the end of support has arrived, the app will stop working and will no longer sync files; therefore, changes made locally will not be uploaded to the cloud and will be lost if we did not have a copy elsewhere. The app should show a connection error telling us that the cloud copy functionality has been lost.
Google Drive for Office
The solution is simple, but it won’t please anyone. Google simply recommends upgrade to windows 10 64 bit before August 2023 to continue using Google Drive on your computer. This should be possible for many users, since Windows 8 allows a free upgrade to the next Microsoft system, but not for everyone; there are old computers compatible with Windows 8 at most.
Therefore, the best option for users who are unwilling or unable to upgrade is to use the Google Drive website, which will remain accessible from the browser regardless of the user’s version of Windows. The bad thing is that in this case the automatic file synchronization is lost, which will have to be done manually by downloading the files from the explorer.
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