Backup an whole 5TB HDD to Google Drive without duplicating the space on a local disk?

Help Desktop App
1

I am trying to fully backup a 5TB drive to Google Drive, previously encrypting the files via Cryptomator.

I have tried several methods, but I always end with a local encrypted copy on my local drive, apart from the non-encrypted one and the synced one in Google Drive. And I do not have another 5TB free to keep a local encrypted copy. I would need to end with only 2 copies, the unencrypted one (5TB) and the encrypted one in Google Drive.

I have also tried Cyberduck which allows a syncing “on-the-go”, but I get a lot of errors and out of sync messages even before the first TB is completed, so I have stopped it.

Is there any way to backup an entire disk to Google Drive without duplicating the space on a local disk?

I have G:\ mounted with Google Drive cloud, created the vault inside G:\, and obtained a X:\ network drive via Cryptomator where I put the files to sync to G:\, but they end eating my free space.

Thanks in advance.

2

Hi,

if you want to use Cryptomator, and don’t want to use Cyberduck, then I only see 2 options.

1st Option: Google File Stream

  1. Enable file streaming in your google drive app settings. (Be aware, this will include every file in you Google Drive, not only vaults)
  2. Create an empty vault in your Google Storage “G”
  3. Copy a batch of files in your vault.
  4. Wait until google clears up space
  5. repeat

2nd Option: 3rd party apps to mount your storage directly to file explorer

There are 3rd party tools that allow to mount your google drive in your file explorer and write directly into it. I d not use those tools and thus cannot recommend any, or say anything to performance. But maybe thats an option for you.

1 Like
3

Thank you.

Prior to the post, I followed the 1st option, but I guess I am doing something wrong, as I end up with the files on my vault mapped network drive, apart from Google Drive.

1.- Install Google Drive desktop app, and check “Stream Files” under preferences (not Mirror Files), after this I get a G:\ cloud drive mounted on my PC.

2.- Install Cryptomator and create a vault inside the newly created G:\ cloud drive, after this I get a X:\ network drive mounted on my PC

3.- Copy over my files on X:\ with both Cryptomator and Google Drive app opened, and they get encrypted and synced to cloud, but stays in X:\ after the sync process (and if I delete them from X:\ they get synced and deleted from cloud).

When you indicate “Copy a batch of files in your vault”, is there any path, other than X:\, to copy them?

Thanks in advance.

4

X is just your virtual drive for the vault. See it as the door to your vault. Files you see in there are just the encrypted files in an unencrypted view. The do not consume extra space.

If you delete them, well then the encrypted files get deleted.

So your setup is correct. Just do not delete the files in your vault :slight_smile:

And let google handle the space of your local files.

5

Thank you again, Michael.

I was mislead, because my C:\ system drive is 512GB, with around 400GB free, and when X:\ was created, it showed in the explorer as a 512GB drive with around 400GB free, so I thought it was a virtual drive but linked anyhow to C:\.

And when I started moving the files, both the X:\ and C:\ drive their free space was decreasing at the same rate, and I was afraid of getting 0 free space on my C:\ system drive.

6

I am doing something wrong, because today I reached 100% of space in X:\ network drive and it gave me an error of disk full in C:\.

All the data in X:\ is synced in G:\ (Google Drive), but somehow it is taking up space in my C:\ local drive.

7

You either have to wait until google is cleaning space, or your have to do it manually.

Right click and select „online only“

8

Thank you Michael, I will test it once I hit home.