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How to Access Google Drive Files Offline

Follow these steps in order.

  1. Open the Google Drive app or website

    Go to the Google Drive account that has the file you want to use offline.

  2. Select a file

    Find the document or spreadsheet you want to be able to open without an internet connection.

  3. Turn on 'Available offline'

    Open the file's menu (the three-dot icon) and switch on the 'Available offline' toggle.

  4. Check that it has synced

    Your device needs an internet connection to download the latest version first, so it's best to confirm this while still on Wi-Fi before you head out.

  5. Why it matters

    You can still open and edit saved documents in places with no signal, like on a plane or in a subway tunnel.

Keep working even when the connection drops

There's nothing worse than losing access to a document you were in the middle of editing. Turning on offline access ahead of time means you can keep viewing and editing it with no connection at all.

Changes sync automatically once you're back online

Edits made offline are stored temporarily on the device itself, then synced to Google Drive automatically the next time it reconnects to the internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do offline edits actually get saved?

Changes you make offline are stored temporarily on your device, then automatically synced to Google Drive the next time you're connected to the internet.

Does this work for every file type?

Native formats like Docs, Sheets, and Slides are supported, but some attachments or other file types may have limited offline support.