---
id: cloud-accounts.stream-or-mirror-in-google-drive-for-desktop
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/stream-or-mirror-in-google-drive-for-desktop
category: "Cloud accounts"
subcategory: "Cloud apps on your Mac"
question: "Should I use Stream or Mirror in Google Drive for desktop to save space?"
alt_questions:
  - "Google Drive stream vs mirror Mac"
  - "which Google Drive for desktop mode uses less space"
  - "what does mirror files mean in Google Drive"
  - "Google Drive taking up all my Mac storage stream or mirror"
  - "should I mirror my Google Drive on my MacBook"
short_answer: "Stream, if space is tight. Streaming keeps files in the cloud and downloads them when opened; Mirror keeps a full local copy of your whole Drive."
tags: ["google drive", "online-only", "mac space"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/free-space-used-by-google-drive-for-desktop", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/how-much-space-do-cloud-apps-use-on-my-mac"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Should I use Stream or Mirror in Google Drive for desktop to save space?

Choose **Stream** if your Mac is short of space. Streaming shows your whole Drive in Finder but keeps files in the cloud, downloading each one when you open it. **Mirror** keeps a full copy of your Drive on your Mac as well as in the cloud, so it uses as much local space as your Drive holds.

Mirroring suits people who need every file offline all the time. Streaming suits most laptops: you can still keep particular files or folders available offline from Finder's right-click menu, and only those take space.

To check how much Google Drive's local copies are taking, open **Preferences → Rules → Free Up Space includes** in Storage Studio — each cloud provider on your Mac is listed with its local size. See [freeing Google Drive's space](https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/free-space-used-by-google-drive-for-desktop).