Integrate Google Drive to Microsoft Teams Properly
To bridge the gap between Google and Microsoft, syncing Google Drive to Microsoft Teams is a great way. In this article, I will explain how to add Google Drive to Teams to connect your personal, professionals or shared drives. The methods help you to easily access the files without leaving the meetings.
Google Drive and Microsoft Teams are two different platforms with different purposes. Google Drive is a Google cloud storage to store the data. MS Teams is a communication tool available in Microsoft 365. Because of this, many people have problems in their workflows.
Many times, the organizer has to share a Drive file. But because it is in Google Drive, it is a hassle to download a file from the Drive and re-upload it to Teams chats. And during the time, losing track of which version is the most current one. This switching wastes so much time and creates security risks of scattering your sensitive files across multiple platforms.
However, by linking the Google Drive to Teams, one can get a lot of benefits, such as.
Benefits of Adding Google Drive to MS Teams
There are many other advantages of linking Google Drive to Teams that I have explained below.
- By syncing your Google Drive to Teams, you can combine your chat meetings, calls, and file sharing into one place.
- MS Teams is also connected to other Microsoft 365 apps like SharePoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel, etc. If your teams frequently use Office apps, then it is great to add your Drive to Microsoft Teams.
- Teams use organization-based sharing permission options. Like Microsoft Purview and security compliance, maintain unified permission control across all users, etc. By syncing your Google Drive, you can get the benefit of these features.
- Many times, users often use Meet to connect Teams and move Google Drive files to OneDrive. But by integrating the G Drive to Teams, you can migrate your drive files to Teams directly.
These are the common benefits of connecting Google Drive to MS Teams. Now, without wasting any time, let’s see how you can integrate your G Drive.
Manually Connect Google Drive to Teams
To connect your Google Drive, MS Teams provides a feature called “Add Cloud storage”. But, in recent updates, users can directly add their G Drive to MS Teams from the desktop app or web browser.
- Open the MS Teams client or the program in a web browser.
- Click on the Apps option in the left sidebar.
- Find and select the Google Drive option.
- Press the Add button and in the Sign in page, provide your Google account details.
- After that, your Google Drive is connected, and you will find your files under the Files section of your personal app list.
Share or Upload Google Drive Files to Team Channels
Sometimes users have to share individual files in the chat. For this, you can share the link to the files or upload them in Teams channel.
- To share the file, you have to first generate a shareable link. To do that, choose the file or folder you want to share.
- Click on the Share button and change to generate access to anyone in the link.
- Copy the link and paste it into the Teams chat or channel message.
- To upload the files, download your documents to your local computer.
- Easily upload them to your desired Teams channel or chat.
Uploading the file creates a separate copy in your OneDrive or SharePoint. So, this method does not sync the Google Drive to another.
Add Google Drive to Teams Mobile App
Adding a G Drive to the Teams mobile apps is very simple. Whichever mobile you use, Android or iOS, the following steps are the same.
- Open the MS Teams app on your mobile and click on the More button (three horizontal lines). Select the Apps icon.
- Find the Google Drive and select it. Click on the Add or Install option.
- Sign in to your Google account and follow the instructions to connect your account.
Problems with Manual Methods
The above methods help you to add Google Drive to Teams. But they are good for individual users. If professionals or enterprises use the manual methods, they will get the following issues.
- By sharing the Drive files, you will have two files inthe Google and Microsoft environment, which can create confusion among the members.
- Manually linking your Drive does not automatically sync your Google Shared Drive permissions with the Teams Member permissions. So, users often face Access Denied errors.
- You are not able to use Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for co-authoring. Also, you should always use the browser version of Google Drive for sharing files.
- Many admin restricts Add Cloud Storage feature for security reasons.
Therefore, it is difficult for professionals or businesses to connect the Google Drive to MS Teams. However, if you move the Drive files to the Microsoft ecosystem, then you can easily share your data.
Share Google Drive Files to Microsoft Teams for Professional Users
If you are facing the above issues, then try SysTools Google Drive to OneDrive Migration Tool, a professional software that can easily transfer your entire Drive files with proper permissions. The utility can easily bulk migrate the files, or if you need, you can apply a date filter to move selective data.
Instructions to Use Professional Software
- Download the tool on your computer. Then, select G Suite and Office 365 as the source and destination, respectively.
- Click on the Document option and enable the Migrate document permission button.
- Provide the details of boththe G Suite account and the Microsoft 365 account. Make sure they are valid.
- Provide the User account by fetching them or manually importing them. Lastly, click on the Start Migration button.
Summary
To easily add Google Drive to Teams, this article explains various methods. Here, I have discussed the manual method of connecting Google Drive to MS Teams along with many alternative options. They are easy to use, but can also cause you problems. So, if you want to share the Drive files in the meeting, you can simply move data to the Microsoft account for an easy task.