Can You Save Google files to a Flash Drive?

Transferring files from Google Drive to USB is not only a great way to create a local copy of your online files, but it can also serve to free up Google Drive space when your cloud storage is full. No doubt, you can certainly transfer files from Google Drive to external drives like USB drives, flash drives, pen drives, etc.

Here, we will offer you 4 practical methods to move files from Google Drive to a USB.

How to Transfer Files from Google Drive to USB in 4 ways

Usually, a USB is highly portable. Migrating Google Drive files to USB allows you to access them from anywhere, even with no internet connection.

In this chapter, we will show you how to transfer files from Google Drive to external drives, such as USB drives and flash drives in four primary ways. Please read it carefully and refer to it when taking action.

Way 1. Transfer Files from Google Drive to USB with Download

If you save Google Drive files online and don't want to use any software, then using a web browser to download files directly to your USB is the best option. How to download from Google Drive to external hard drive on Mac and Windows? Here is the guide you can follow (take Google Chrome as an example):

Step 1. Plug in your USB to computer. Open Google Chrome, and click More > Settings > Downloads > Change to modify the default download location to USB.

Step 2. Locate the Google Drive website and log in with your Google account.

Step 3. Choose to download the Google Drive files that you wish to transfer, and click Download to download data from Google Drive to USB directly.

Way 2. Move Files from Google Drive to USB using Google Takeout

As a data retrieval solution, Google Takeout allows you to export data from your various apps within the Google account. It is one of the best ways to backup Google Drive data, and you can use it to move photos between Google Photos and Google Drive as well.

Go ahead to know how to move files from Google Drive to flash drive:

Step 1. Log in to the Google Takeout website.

Step 2. Click Deselect all on the top.

Step 3. Scroll to tick Drive in the Products list. Then, tap Next step at the bottom.

Step 3. Choose “frequency” and “size & type”, and then click Create export.

Step 4. Then, you will receive an email in Gmail. Click the Download your files button to download all exported files as a ZIP folder.

Step 5. If the downloaded files are saved on your computer, drag and drop them to your USB.

Way 3. Transfer Files from Google Drive to USB via Google Desktop App

If you have installed the Google Drive for desktop on computer, you can use it to backup USB to Google Drive and transfer Google Drive to USB seamlessly.

Check out how to move files from Google Drive to external hard drive, like USB, with the steps listed below:

Step 1. Run Drive for desktop and sign in.

Step 2. Open Google Drive Preferences, and click Mirror files under the Google Drive tab.

Step 3. Click on Change folder location, and confirm the location for your connected USB drive. Then tap Confirm location.

Step 4. Click Save and Google Drive files will start to sync to the folder on the USB drive.

Way 4. Sync Files from Google Drive to USB Automatically

Except for transferring Google Drive files to USB with the above methods, there is another way to sync Google Drive to USB automatically - with the help of AOMEI Backupper Standard.

This is a file sync software for Windows 11/10/8/7 to help you synchronize files to USB drives, cloud drives, NAS devices, network locations, and multiple storage devices. With this tool, you can also sync files from internal/external drive to Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox easily. Five scheduled sync modes are available - Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event triggers, and USB plug in (The latter two options are available in the premium version).

Here comes the full guide on how to transfer photos from Google Drive to USB for protection.

Step 1. Download and run AOMEI Backupper Standard without registration. Click Sync > Basic Sync.

Step 2. On the Basic Sync screen, click Add Folder to select the Google Drive disk/folder for sync.

Step 3. Click the destination box, choose the Select a local path option, and specify a folder on your external hard drive as the target location.

Step 4. Tap on Schedule and enable schedule sync, then choose an auto sync mode to click OK.

Step 5. Click Start Sync to copy files from Google Drive to USB automatically.

Bonus Tip: How to Transfer Google Drive Files to Another Cloud

Besides transferring Google Drive files to USB, moving them to another cloud storage is also good security. The easiest way to transfer files between clouds is to use CBackup, which is a professional and free cloud backup and sync service.

It supports you to seamlessly transfer Google Drive to another account, and sync Google Drive to OneDrive, Dropbox, FTP/SFTP, and more clouds. Let's walk you through how to sync Google Drive to another account as an example to show you the detailed steps.

Step 1. Sign up for a CBackup account, and log in to its website.

Step 2. Click My Storage > Add Cloud > Google Drive > Add in turn, then sign in to your Google account and permit CBackup to access your cloud files. Then, follow the same steps to add your Google Drive account to CBackup.

Step 3. Go to the Sync Tasks tab, and click on New Task.

Step 4. Select your source Google Drive files and destination Google Drive cloud, then hit Start Sync.

★Tips:

You can set up auto sync between clouds by clicking Settings and enabling scheduled sync tasks.

There is a File Filter feature under Settings that allows you to exclude certain types of files or contain only specified types for transfer with one click.

CBackup also comes with a desktop client that provides robust features:
√ It allows you to sync/backup files from computer to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and CBackup Cloud for free.
√ It offers 10GB of free CBackup Cloud backup space and expandable storage plans.
√ You can combine multiple cloud accounts to increase storage space without payment, such as merging multiple Google Drive accounts and merging Google Drive with OneDrive.

Conclusion

With the 4 methods we shared in this article, you can complete how to transfer files from Google Drive to USB effortlessly. Besides, migrating Google Drive to another cloud is an excellent approach to protect your online files.