How to Access Your Google Drive Account on Ubuntu

Accessing your Google Drive on Ubuntu is easier than you might think. Whether you prefer a graphical interface or the power of the command line, Ubuntu gives you a couple of solid options. In this post, we’ll walk through:

GUI integration via GNOME Online Accounts
Command-line mounting with Rclone
A quick note on alternative tools

1. Method 1: GNOME Online Accounts (GUI)

Ubuntu’s default GNOME desktop can integrate directly with Google services. This is the simplest way to browse Drive in the Files app (Nautilus) without installing extra syncing software.

Step 1: Install prerequisites

Open a terminal and run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install gnome-control-center gnome-online-accounts

These packages enable the “Online Accounts” panel in Settings (omgubuntu.co.uk).

Step 2: Add your Google account

Open Settings and select Online Accounts.
Click Add Account → Google.
A browser window will pop up. Sign in and grant permissions.

Step 3: Enable Drive access

Back in Online Accounts, make sure the Files toggle for your Google account is On. That tells GNOME to mount your Drive.

Step 4: Browse in Files

Open the Files app. In the sidebar, you’ll see your Google email address under “Online.” Click it to reveal My Drive, Shared with me, and any Team Drives. You can open, copy, and move files just like local ones—no extra sync client needed (omgubuntu.co.uk).

Tip: This is not an offline sync. Files download on demand and cache locally in ~/.cache/gvfs.

2. Method 2: Rclone (Command Line + Mount)

If you need full CLI control—batch scripts, rsync-style syncs, or mounting Drive as a FUSE filesystem—Rclone is your friend.

Step 1: Install Rclone

curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash

This fetches the latest Rclone release and installs it system-wide (ucr-research-computing.github.io).

Step 2: Configure a “remote”

Run:

rclone config

Follow the prompts:

n → New remote
name: e.g. gdrive
Storage type: select drive
Leave client_id and client_secret blank unless you have your own Google API credentials.
When prompted, say yes to auto-config and complete authentication in your browser.

Once done, you’ll have a configured remote (e.g. gdrive:) (rclone.org).

Step 3: Create a local mount point

Choose (or create) a directory where you want Drive to appear:

mkdir -p ~/GoogleDrive

Step 4: Mount Drive

rclone mount gdrive: ~/GoogleDrive --daemon

Foreground (default): runs in your terminal.
--daemon: runs in background, freeing up your shell.

Now ~/GoogleDrive behaves like a local folder, but under the hood it streams from Google Drive (rclone.org).

Step 5 (optional): Automount at boot

Add to your crontab:

(crontab -l 2>/dev/null; \
 echo "@reboot rclone mount gdrive: $HOME/GoogleDrive --daemon") \
| crontab -

On every reboot, Rclone will re-mount your Drive automatically (ucr-research-computing.github.io).

3. Alternative Tools

google-drive-ocamlfuse: once popular for FUSE mounting, but maintenance has lagged and authentication can break on newer Ubuntu releases.
Insync: a commercial GUI client with offline sync support, selective syncing, and cross-platform installers.

Conclusion

For quick, read-only browsing: use GNOME Online Accounts—no extra software beyond what Ubuntu already offers.
For full CLI control, scripting, or offline mounting: Rclone is robust and flexible.

Pick the method that suits your workflow. Happy driving on Drive!

Mark Vincent

Tech enthusiast and content creator passionate about making technology simple for everyone. I share practical tips, guides, and reviews on the latest in computers, software, and gadgets. Let’s explore the digital world together!