Drive File Stream launches for G Suite users as Google kills off its Drive software

Google is deprecating the Google Drive software for PC and Mac as it launches Drive File Stream. The company plans to support the cloud storage software for just three more months before killing it off completely in six months.

Starting in October, Drive users will begin to be shown messages informing them that their software is going away. Users with both Drive File Stream and Backup and Sync will be prompted to stop syncing My Drive with the latter. It's a move from Google that is likely to cause confusion among users.

SEE ALSO: Greatly enhanced Google Backup and Sync to (mostly) replace Drive

With three tools -- Google Drive, Drive File Stream, and Backup and Sync -- currently performing essentially the same tasks, users may be unsure which they should be using. The killing off of the Google Drive software reduces the options, but Google has put together a Drive File System vs Backup and Sync comparison to help people decide.

Over on the G Suite Updates blog, Google says:

As of today, Drive File Stream will be turned ON for all customers, but we'll only show download links in the Drive interface if you currently show them for Backup and Sync / Google Drive for Mac/PC. For more information on how to turn Drive File Stream on or off in your domain, check out the Help Center.

With this launch, Google Drive for Mac/PC is officially deprecated. It will no longer be supported starting on December 11th, 2017, and it will shut down completely on March 12th, 2018. We encourage you to use Drive File Stream. As an alternative to or in addition to installing Drive File Stream, you can upgrade to the new version of Drive for Mac/PC, called Backup and Sync.

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