Uninstall Google Drive on Mac without deleting cloud files

Copy files you still need out of Drive before you disconnect an account. Streaming files that exist only as placeholders are not a local backup, and moving them in Finder can move the cloud copy too.

The longer article is Uninstall Google Drive on Mac Without Deleting Cloud Files. This page is what Mole checks beside that.

Remove the app

Quit Google Drive, then move it from Applications to the Trash. Google’s current setup notes are Drive for desktop settings. Disconnecting a streaming account is separate from removing the app, and neither one deletes files that are already in the Google account.

What Mole lists

Mole does not list the sync folder, or ~/Library/CloudStorage, as a Google Drive leftover. Those locations hold synced files, not a cache you clear because the app is gone. A review row named for the app is not a reason to empty Drive.

What this check covers

The recorded check is the desktop app com.google.drivefs. It does not sign you in, and it does not prove that a streaming library and a mirrored folder behave the same way.