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I use Windows 10 X64 Pro and I pay the annual fee for the 2TB Google Drive service as a private.

Originally, Google Drive service worked using a simple folder on a local drive where put all the stuff you wanted to sync and for me everything was fine.

After, Google decided to change the way of managing its cloud-based storage and now the program creates a FAT32 virtual drive for managing the sync. The problem is that certain applications refuse to save its projects in a FAT32 drive and one of these is Audacity, a program that I use everyday for my job, due to the fact that a FAT32 drive cannot handle files larger that 4GB.

Audacicy Error

In this case I have to save my project on another location and then, after finishing work, I can save it on the virtual drive for sync but from my point of view it frustrates the practicality of a cloud-based storage system.

Another program that gives me problems is Premiere Pro.

My questions:

  1. Is there a way for restore the previous way of functioning of this service, using a folder instead of a virtual partition for sync?
  2. If this is a FAT32 partition, putting files larger than 4GB could be dangerous in the meaning that they could be saved corrupted?
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  • The only solution I know is to use a third-party application to mount the location differently through WEBDAV. I have a suspicion that the drive isn't actually FAT32 for a lot of reasons. Other than the fact you get that error message how did you determine it was FAT32? I don't have a system with Google Drive on it handy so i can't look myself.
    – Ramhound
    Commented May 31, 2022 at 21:24
  • @Ramhound Hi, just checking for the volume properties: right click on in in Explorer and choosing "Properties": File System FAT32
    – filograndipad2
    Commented Jun 1, 2022 at 13:12
  • I have a Drobo network drive that indicates it's NTFS except it's not actually NTFS since it's a Drobo. I will look into this issue but I use alternatives to mount all my cloud based products with WebDav.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jun 1, 2022 at 13:27
  • DfD includes a caching mechanism and a side effect of that is the OS reports it as a FAT32 volume when in actual fact it's not.. THey eventually linked to Use Google Drive for desktop which I assume will get what you want if you chance it from the current setting.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jun 1, 2022 at 13:29
  • Now you might not like you have to do that, but as I expected, it's a virtual file system which is simply reported as FAT32. Which is the reason your workaround works.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jun 1, 2022 at 13:30

1 Answer 1

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In Google Drive for desktop, you can switch your preferences from streaming to mirroring. This will download the entire contents of your Google Drive to a folder on your local drive, and this can be an NTFS drive. Here's the instructions from the docs:

  1. Configure My Drive for streaming or mirroring
  2. Open Drive for desktop.
  3. Click Settings and then Preferences.
  4. On the left, click Folders from Drive.
  5. Under "My Drive syncing options," select Stream files or Mirror files.

I was running into the same issue you had after upgrading to Audacity 3.2.5 from a much older install, and I can confirm that changing the settings fixed the issue. I'm now able to save Audacity projects to Google Drive without any error messages.

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