Searching for folders in Google Drive Stream

[zenona]

Hi,

 

We now use Google Drive Stream at work instead of Dropbox. I added /Volumes/GoogleDrive to the search scope settings and I can search for all the files. However, I can no longer search for folders typing "f foldername". Is there anything that can be added to the Simple Folders Filter to also show drive folders?

Thanks,
Jordi

[Vero]

@zenona As far as we are aware, Google Drive File Stream was previously not indexable by macOS, as explained by Google team members here:

 

 

Since then, their change log has shown that GDFS can now be indexed, but we haven't had first-hand confirmation from users:

 

 

As such, I'm not 100% sure whether macOS indexing support was added reliably yet.

 

Can Spotlight find your files? (Make sure they definitely are the copies on GDFS and not a red herring elsewhere on your Mac). If so, please reply and we'll take it from there.

 

Cheers,
Vero

 

[zenona]

Yes, it does work. I can search files. They're clearly on my Google Drive folder in my laptop. The indexing is working. It's only searching for folders that doesn't.

[Vero]

19 minutes ago, zenona said:

I can search files

 

With Alfred? With Spotlight? Please be as descriptive as you can so we don't get crossed wires

 

If you can already find files in GDFS with Alfred, but only folders aren't being returned, can you clarify how you're searching in Alfred? (Ideally, post a couple of screenshots of your Default and File Search settings in Alfred.)

 

Also, could you please install the Metadata tool and drag a folder to it? This will allow us to check that the metadata for a folder correctly identifies it as a folder to macOS.

https://cachefly.alfredapp.com/tools/AlfredMetadataTool_v1.1.zip

 

Cheers,
Vero

[zenona]

I can search and find the files on GFDS from Alfred after I added the Google Drive volume path to Alfred’s search preferences.

 

I search them using the ‘ filename command. To search for folders I always use f foldername. That doesn’t return anything from GFDS.

 

im in the phone now. I’ll post a screenshot of the preferences and the metadata tool part later today.

 

thanks

Edited November 21, 2018 by zenona

[ele]

Hello! October 2020 and still having this issue. The fact that GFS "mounts" is very inconvenient. Alfred can indeed index files by name (as can spotlight) but I am having issues with searching for content inside the files, for instance, phrases inside a PDF. And this is both from spotlight and from alfred (although alfred uses spotlight's index, so it's the same). This was a deal breaker for me, the ability to search within the files I feel it's extremely important.

 

The only solution I found was not to use Google Drive File Stream and switch to Google's Backup and Sync. The main difference (that I can see) is that it doesn't offer real time view on Office's products when someone is editing the file on drive.google.com. This isn't a deal breaker for me, I use it mostly as a personal tool. As a note: I don't know how Backup and Sync manages having multiple drives, I don't know if it supports it (I don't use them). Other than that, Backup and Sync actually creates a folder on your Mac, with all content stored locally (as Dropbox or iCloud do). 

 

This might help anyone, so here's what I did. In case anyone wants more info, here's a comparison between both tools: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/7638428?hl=en

 

Cheers!

[deanishe]

3 hours ago, ele said:

I don't know how Backup and Sync manages having multiple drives

 

IIRC, it doesn't.