Google Drive is arguably the most used cloud computing service, with more than a billion users globally. The Drive is a safe space for all your documents, pdfs, pictures, and .apk files, which you don’t have the space to store on your computer/laptop. Any and every Gmail account can be used to sign up for Drive and enjoy its premium storage facilities.
Salient Features of the Google Drive:
- Very handy and easy-to-use interface.
- Compatibility with any remotely located computing and mobile devices.
- Safety of user data with highly encrypted sharing and viewing methods.
- User documents can be accessed anytime, anywhere.
- Advanced Sync feature, which continuously backs up the user data for added security.
- Work Offline mode – which lets the user edit documents without being connected to the internet.
- Up to 15 GB of storage for free.
These are some key factors that make Drive the best choice for users worldwide. This advanced cloud service by Google Inc. really makes the storage of essential documents easy and hassle-free.
But, like any other cloud service, Google Drive has its limitations, and by limitations, we mean the storage space. Drive provides 15 GB of drive-space for free, which is a lot if you save random files and photos on the iCloud, but if you want to get more storage, you will have to buy their premium packages which are going to cost you money. Most premium packages from Google Drive provide some added features like:
- Up to 2 TB of storage
- Access to google Experts for better file handling.
- Option to add family members in your Drive
- Inbuilt .pdf to .doc converter.
- Other premium benefits, etc.
You may find even in the premium packages, your Drive space is limited. Yes, we know that 2TB of memory is more than enough but what if you need unlimited storage capabilities without spending hundreds of dollars for a month.
Well, we have a remedy to that, and in this article, we will discuss how you can link your Drive with rclone to obtain unlimited cloud storage for just $72/mo.
What is Rclone?
Rclone is a highly effective computer program developed by Nick Craig-Wood and Ivan Andreev for migrating and handling files on a cloud-based environment. Users can simply use rclone like any command-prompt or terminal they see in their native OS. With the help of Rclone and user can:
- Sync files,
- Crypt files,
- Compress files,
- Mount files,
- Transfer files,
- Mount files, etc.
Rclone is very easy to work with, and it is also compatible with any and every OS out there on the market.
How to install Rclone?
To install rclone on your PC/ laptop, just follow these simple steps.
- Download the .exe file from any trusted source
- Locate the file in downloads and extract the rclone.
- Run the setup and wait for the installation. In this process, the software may ask for a few permissions. Click “I agree”
- To install rclone with brew on macOS, open the terminal and write the following code.
brew install rclone
- To install rclone in macOS without a brew, open the terminal and write the following code
curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash
- To install rclone on macOS from precompiled binary using a browser, open the terminal and write the following code
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine rclone
- For beta installation of rclone, open the terminal and write the following code
curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | Sudo bash -s beta
And just like that, you have installed Cloud on your Mac device.
How to set up Rclone with your Google Drive?
Yes, the interface of rclone might seem like rocket science, but it is way easier than you can think of. To use rclone, one has to create a service account.
To create a Google service account:
- Sign in to the “Google API Console” using your email id.
- Open the “credentials” page located on the top left corner of the screen. **
- In the dropdown menu, choose “Service account key”.
- Once again, a dropdown menu will appear; choose “New Service account”.
- Now enter the name of your service account.
- Select your preferred key type (we highly recommend using” Key type JSON”) and click “Create”.
- Now open the “IAM & Admin” page.
- Click “Add” and add the newly created account as “member”.
- Save the new account role as “Android Management User”
And just like that, a service account is created.
** If this step faces any problem, then Enable “Android Management API”
- After signing in to the “Google API Console”, create a project.
- A pop-up menu will appear asking for numerous permissions. Enable the API.
- Now click on API Library located on the left side of the screen and go to “Android Management API”, click on it.
- Go to the API Library page and click Enable.
And all prompts will be resolved.
Now once you have created a brand new service account, you will have to allow API access to the freshly created service account.
To do this
- Sign up using the new service account and open its API & Admin Console.
- A pop-up window will appear asking for a bunch of permissions; click “I Accept”
- Go to “Security”, located on the left side of the screen.
- Now click on “show more”, a dropdown menu will open. Open “Advanced Settings”
- Click on the “Authentication” option and open the “Manage API client access”.
- A new dialogue box will appear asking about the new API Client details. In the “client name” blank, enter the service account’s ID. ***
- And then click “Save and accept.”
And just like that, the service account has complete API access.
*** The Service account ID is a 21 number code that you can find in the “IAM & Admins” section.
- Open “IAM & Admins” and click on the “Service Accounts” option.
- Now, look out for the name of the freshly created service account and click “View Client ID”. The code will now be visible; copy it from there.
Now you have managed to create and allow API controls to the new service account, the only thing left is configuring rclone and learning about a few basic commands.
To configure the rclone, just type in the following code in the clone terminal and run.
rclone config
n/s/q> n # New file or directory
name>gdrive # Input your Google Drive name.
Storage> # Select the number shown for Google Drive
client_id> # Provide your ID
client_secret> # If you have any backup ID, then you put it here
scope> # Select your scope
root_folder_id> # Select any root folder of your choice
service_account_file> /home/foo/myJSONfile.json # This is where the JSON file is utilised
y/n> # Auto config, y
After you have completed running the configuration, it’s time to check out if rclone is linked with your Drive or not. To do this, you simply need to type
rclone -v –drive-impersonate [email protected] lsf gdrive:backup
Or,
rclone -v [email protected] lsf gdrive:backup
If all the files in your Drive show up in the terminal, it means the connection is established, and now you can sign up for unlimited cloud storage and accessible storage management facilities for just $78 a month.