The Shortcut Every Mac User Overlooks for Instant Google Drive Access

Maximize your productivity with seamless Google Drive integration right in Finder, reducing frustration and streamlining your workflow effortlessly.

How to add a Google Drive folder to your Mac Finder's favourites sidebar

How to add a Google Drive folder to your Mac Finder's favourites sidebar

Why This Matters

If you spend much of your working life within Mac’s Finder, navigating endless folders in search of that perfect stock image or last week’s client proposal, you know the moment: reaching for a file only to tumble down a rabbit warren of cloud directories and browser tabs. For those of us running creative studios, or even just attempting to keep the digital house in some kind of order, it’s a shared headache.

Reducing clicks is part of the story. When files and assets live in the cloud, but your daily work happens in desktop apps, each extra detour to Google Drive wastes minutes, muddles focus, and creates that creeping sense of disarray. This friction increases across a team or under deadline pressure, quickly adding up to lost productivity for a problem that should be solved in short order.

So, is it possible to add your Google Drive folders directly to your Finder’s favourites bar, making them easily accessible? Yes, you can. Most people attempt it, almost succeed, and then give up. That confusion ends here.

Common Pitfalls

Here is the point where the average Mac user gets tangled:

  • Assuming that adding the official Google Drive app means your Google folders will appear, perfectly arranged, in your sidebar. (They won’t, at least not always.)
  • Thinking you can simply drag a folder straight from the web into Finder and watch it appear with a cheerful pop. This is wishful thinking.
  • Missing the difference between adding folders from the desktop app and adding web shortcuts—two very different creatures with unique quirks.
  • Not realising that the Finder sidebar is, by Apple’s own design, a little fussy about what it accepts and how.

Every single time we get support tickets about Google Drive not appearing, or folders refusing to cooperate, it’s down to these misunderstandings. Or, as I call it, “Trying to outrun Apple’s user interface peculiarities.” Here’s how to get it right, without needing a degree in arcane desktop rituals.

Step-by-Step Fix

Below, I’ll walk through both main approaches: direct integration via the Google Drive app and the web shortcut method for die-hard Chrome users. Take your pick, or try both.

1. Install the Google Drive desktop app

Before you attempt any folder-dragging gymnastics, make certain you’re running the Google Drive for Desktop app, not relying solely on your browser. This is Google’s tool for syncing cloud files as if they were native on your Mac.

Step-by-step:

  1. Go to the Google Drive for Desktop download page.
  2. Download the version for Mac.
  3. Open the installer and follow the steps, making sure not to skip the step where it asks for permission to sync files or integrate with Finder.
  4. Once it’s done, sign in using your usual Google credentials.

Pixelhaze Tip:
If you see a popup asking if you want Drive to start when your computer boots, say yes (unless you really love typing passwords every five minutes). This gives your desktop Drive a chance to seamlessly keep things updated.
💡

2. Make Google Drive visible in Finder

As soon as the app is up and running, you should notice a “Google Drive” entry under Locations in your Finder sidebar. But sometimes it plays hard to get.

If you don’t see it:

  1. Open a new Finder window and head to Finder > Settings (or Preferences, if you’re on an older macOS).
  2. Choose the Sidebar tab.
  3. Tick the box labelled “Google Drive” under Locations.

Voilà, your cloud drive is now just a click away.

Pixelhaze Tip:
If it still won’t show, try quitting Finder (‘Option’ + right-click on the Finder icon and choose ‘Relaunch’). Google may be mighty, but even it cannot override a misbehaving Finder.
💡

3. Navigate to the subfolder you want to favourite

Now for the fun part. Pop open your newly visible “Google Drive” location in Finder, and wander through the familiar chaos of subfolders until you find the one you need. (If your Google Drive looks anything like ours, this could take a while. Don’t judge.)

Pixelhaze Tip:
Set up consistent naming for your team folders. With inconsistent folder naming like “Clients-23/Design Assets/Sarah” and “CLIENTS23/design-assets/sarah”, you will end up stuck in folder purgatory, weeping softly.
💡

4. Add the Google Drive folder to Finder's favourites sidebar

This point causes issues for many users because of quirks in the process.

Here is the key:

  1. Hold down the ‘Command’ key on your keyboard.
  2. Click the folder you want, and keep holding both mouse and Command.
  3. Drag it gently over to the Favourites section of the sidebar. Wait for the subtle blue line to appear, then let go.

If you try to simply drag and drop, nothing will happen. MacOS demands that Command key, like a slightly surly bouncer checking your credentials at the door.

Pixelhaze Tip:
If it refuses to land in Favourites, try releasing your keys and clicking again, or dragging to a different spot in the list (sometimes it’s just feeling uncooperative). And if you get the forbidden icon, double check you’re in a Finder window, not a file dialog.
💡

5. (Alternative) Add a Google Drive web shortcut to Finder's sidebar

If you primarily use Chrome or access certain folders as web pages, you might prefer a direct browser shortcut.

Here’s how (for Chrome users):

  1. In Chrome, navigate to the specific Google Drive folder you want to favourite.
  2. Click the three dots menu in the top right > More Tools > Create Shortcut.
  3. Give the shortcut a sensible name (call a spade a spade, as a shortcut called “Folder 9A7XT” will haunt your dreams forever).
  4. Chrome will place the shortcut in your Applications folder by default. Open Finder, go to Applications > Chrome Apps.
  5. Hold ‘Command’, drag your shortcut into the Finder’s Favourites sidebar.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Safari and Firefox do not natively support this trick. If you are dedicated to Apple’s browser, consider bookmarking the folder or use the desktop app method above.
💡

6. Troubleshooting & FAQs

There are occasional issues even when steps are followed. Some quick fixes for the stubborn:

  • My Google Drive still doesn’t show in Finder:
    Double-check your Finder preferences, and confirm the app is running. Restart your Mac if you’re losing the will to live.

  • Dragging isn’t working:
    Remember, you must drag from within a Finder window (not from the web), and you must be holding Command.

  • I want to remove a folder from Favourites:
    Right-click the folder in the sidebar, choose “Remove from Sidebar.” No drama, no judgment.

  • Am I moving files out of Drive by adding them to favourites?
    No, creating a favourite only makes a shortcut; your files stay in place.

  • Can I add shared folders, or just my own?
    Any folder visible in Google Drive via Finder can be added, whether it’s shared, starred, or otherwise.

Pixelhaze Tip:
If you have a mixed team using Mac and Windows, remind your Windows users to use File Explorer’s “Quick Access” feature for a similar experience. They’ll appreciate the tip, and Mac users gain a more efficient workflow.
💡

What Most People Miss

There is a deeper benefit to arranging your files this way: Instead of focusing just on cutting clicks, you are intentionally shaping a workspace that matches your daily routines. The real advantage comes from knowing which folders need to earn their spot in your favourites.

At Pixelhaze, we see far too many users “favouriting” their entire lives, turning the Finder sidebar into a never-ending scroll wheel of chaos. Be ruthless. Only favourite what you reach for every day or every project. If it’s something used once a season, it likely belongs deeper in Google Drive.

A concise sidebar helps you avoid extra clicks and keeps muscle memory consistent. Maintain focus and simplicity, and you’ll be faster and calmer next time.

The Bigger Picture

Organising your Google Drive shortcuts thoughtfully helps with efficiency every week. Once you choose a system and everyone on your team follows it, progress becomes even smoother. There are fewer “where-did-I-put-that?” Slack messages. Onboarding becomes easier, since folders are exactly where you say. When digital assets are just a click away, you can back up, share, or update without hunting for them.

It also reduces clutter from endless browser tabs, sparing your Mac’s processing power. (If your laptop fans are constantly running, a clean workspace helps.)

Ultimately, you gain a workflow that lets you stay organised rather than constantly reacting. Files stop vanishing, deadlines ease up, and "cloud-based" storage begins to feel far more manageable.

Wrap-Up

With these steps, your Finder sidebar becomes a straightforward launcher for your most-used folders. Whether you use the app or the shortcut approach, cleaning up your workspace goes beyond appearances and genuinely improves your focus and efficiency.

Still stuck? Or have you discovered a quirkier workaround for stubborn Google Drive windows? Drop your stories in the comments. Or join the Pixelhaze Academy community, where we organise digital systems together, one solution at a time.

Want more helpful systems like this? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.

William Hammond is Technical Director at Pixelhaze Academy, overseeing the nuts, bolts and wizardry behind templates, plugins and the systems that keep creative businesses ticking along. If it confuses the average user, odds are, Will’s taken it apart and written a guide for it (usually after a strong cup of coffee).

Related reading:

Related Posts

Table of Contents
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
Email
Reddit