1.1. How to change my Google Account password

This article explains how to access your Google Account Settings to change the account password.

How do I change my password?

1. In a web browser, sign in to Google Account (Personal Settings). Enter your user name and password, and then click Sign in.

2. Scroll down to Other info and preferences for Google services.

3. Select the field inside the Password box to change your password. You then might be asked to re-enter your existing password.

4. Once you've entered your new password, select 'change password'.

5. Don't forget that once you've changed your password, you will need to update your email client application, Google Drive and any other Google subscription connected to your account.

What else do I need to know?

• If you also connect to your account from a phone or a tablet, you also need to update the password in the settings on that device to match your new password. Similarly, you also need to update the password in the settings of any other desktop email application you may be using (for example, Apple Mail or Mozilla Thunderbird).

• To help make your password more secure, you can:

  • Use a minimum of eight characters (your account may require more or less).

  • Use a mix of capital and lowercase letters.

  • Use numbers as well as letters.

  • Use punctuation or other non-alphanumeric characters.

• Most email accounts require a minimum number of characters or a minimum level of complexity for passwords. The requirements are set by your administrator. For information about the password requirements for your account, contact your helpdesk.

1.2. How to set up and use Google Drive on your Mac (Arch Creative)

Download and set up Google Drive for Desktop

Google Drive isn't available from the Mac App Store. You must download the installation file from the web.

1. Head to Google Drive web on your Mac (click here).
2. Download Drive for desktop.
3. Find the installation file from the Finder app.
4. Double-click on it and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup process.

Once you sign in with your Google account details, the Drive icon appears in the menu bar. You can also access Google Drive files from the Finder app.

1. Open Finder on Mac.
2. Check Google Drive under Locations in the left sidebar.

    3. You can check your Drive and other computers from the same menu.

Another way of locating the Google Drive is by going to the 'Go' menu from the Finder and selecting 'Google Drive'. You can also go to 'Home' and you'll find a shortcut to 'Google Drive' from there too.

The My Drive Folder

You should think of My Drive as your personal storage for files you have created or uploaded. Files and folders created here are owned by you and you are the only person who can have ownership. This is your own private space and folders within here can only be shared with your permission.

The Shared drives folder (Studio Folder - Arch Creative)

For working within the Team, accessing shared content and collaborating, you'll want to use the Studio drive. This is centralised storage space and the data within is owned and controlled by the company; you should think of this as the Arch Creative's storage server.

Check Google Drive syncing options

There are two ways to sync your Google Drive files on Mac. You can either stream files or mirror them on your Mac.

1. Select Google Drive in the menu bar.
2. Click the Settings gear and open Preferences.

      3. Select Google Drive from the sidebar and check syncing options.

• Choose Stream files to store all My Drive files in the cloud. You can choose specific files and folders to make available offline.
• Choose Mirror files to store all My Drive files in the cloud and on your Mac. All your files are automatically available offline.

We recommend that you choose 'Stream Files' as the default setting. Streaming your Google Drive files allows you to check your entire Google Drive library in Finder without taking up much space on your Mac. You should think twice before selecting mirror files. It downloads all your Drive files on the Mac and consumes considerable storage.

Selectively download Google Drive files on Mac

Most users should stream Google Drive on Mac and download selected files for sharing or offline use.

1. Open Google Drive in Finder.
2. You'll see a little cloud icon beside your Drive files and folders.
3. You can select relevant files and folders and right-click on them (two-finger click for trackpad users).
4. Select Available offline from the context menu.

    5. A green checkmark indicates that your Drive files are ready for offline use.

    6. Once you are done making changes, right-click on the same files and select Online only.

    7. Google Drive removes downloaded files from your Mac storage and makes them available online only. You will see the same cloud icon beside the file or folder. 

Launch Google Drive at startup on Mac

You must launch Google Drive on system startup to sync the latest changes and updates. This behaviour makes your Google Drive files ready to use at login only.

1. Open Google Drive preferences (refer to the steps above).
2. Select Settings in the upper-right corner.

    3.  Scroll and enable the checkmark beside Launch Google Drive on system startup.

4.    Whilst your here, we would also recommend deselecting the Prompt me to backup devices under the Notification preferences section.

Sync your Mac folders to Google Drive

You can sync local Mac folders to Google Drive and make them accessible on all your devices.

1. Head to Google Drive Preferences (check the steps above).
2. Select Add folder.

    3. Select your local Mac folder and click Open.

    4. You can either sync the folder to Google Drive or back up to Google Photos. If you select both, Drive backs up media files to Photos and Drive twice and uses more of your Google storage.

Tweak Google Photos upload size

Google Photos uploads Mac files at original quality. If you want to save space on your Google account, store photos at a slightly reduced quality.

1. Open Google Drive Settings (refer to the steps above).
2. Scroll to Google Photos and select Storage saver under Upload size.

Use Google Drive hotkey on Mac

Google Drive offers a nifty hotkey to search your files and folders quickly. You can use the Command + Option + G keys to open the Google Drive search bar. You can configure the hotkey from Drive settings.

1. Navigate to Google Drive Settings (check the steps above).
2. Scroll to Configure hotkey and assign a new shortcut for Google Drive search.

For further support or information please contact CIT (UK).