Summary

  • Google Drive now supports differential uploads for faster synchronization of files on desktop.
  • This feature allows for more efficient updates to online files without full replacement.
  • No action required from users; available to Workspace and personal Google account holders, with hope for mobile integration.



Cloud storage is an absolute must when it comes to accessing files remotely. Not only is it relatively secure, but the huge selling point here is that it’s highly convenient. If you’re someone that’s reliant on Google’s apps and services, then you’ll already know how good Google Drive is, especially considering how well it integrates with Google’s other products.

The Google Drive logo on a laptop screen

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Of course, there’s always room for improvement, and we’re glad to see Google bring this highly requested feature to Drive in 2025. The news was shared on the Google Workspace Updates blog and will allow for faster synchronization of files when using Drive on desktop. This is now possible because Google is finally supporting differential uploads.




A change that’s well overdue

Differential uploads are going to be a game changer for those that frequently change their files and sync to Google Drive. Instead of Google Drive completely replacing the files that are online with new local ones, differential uploads will make it possible to just updates the parts online that have changed.

Not only is this more efficient, but it also allows synchronizations to occur even faster, meaning fewer delays if you’re looking to access these files on different devices. The best part is that this feature is now available to all Workspace users, and even users that have personal Google accounts.

Nothing needs to be done on the users end, as this feature will be available as soon as you start making changes to files and synchronizing them. The only hope now is that this same feature will come to mobile devices as well.

Efficiency seems to be more of Google’s focus lately as the company also made a recent change that allowed users to instantly watch videos that were uploaded to the service. For the most part, changes to Google Drive have been coming at a relatively quick pace, and we can only anticipate that there will be many more.