Feature Summary
Google Drive Folder Sync connects a Google Drive folder to your Company Library so the content inside it appears in Aligned and stays current. Content added, updated or removed in Google Drive reaches Aligned within minutes, including everything inside subfolders, so nobody maintains two libraries. Clients see synced content in Rooms exactly as they see any other content, with no indication that it came from Google Drive. Google Drive Folder Sync is available on the Enterprise plan, and only Admins and Owners can set it up or manage it.
Prerequisites
Plan: availability depends on your plan - see the Aligned pricing page.
Role: Admin or Owner to set up Google Drive Folder Sync and to sync, manage or stop syncing a folder. Anyone in the account can use synced content
Technical: A Google account with permission to share the folders you want to sync
How to set up Google Drive Folder Sync
Open Admin Center.
Go to Integrations.
Find Google Drive Sync and click Enabled.
In Share a folder in Google Drive, click Copy to copy your Aligned email address. This address belongs to your account only, and Aligned sees only the folders you share with it.
Click Open Google Drive.
In Google Drive, find the folder you want to sync.
Right-click the folder and select Share.
Paste the Aligned email address and set its access to Viewer.
Uncheck Notify people.
Click Share.
Repeat steps 6 to 10 for every folder you want available in Aligned.
Return to Aligned and click Open Company Library.
Sharing a folder in Google Drive gives Aligned permission to read it. It does not bring the content in. You choose which shared folders to sync in the next section.
How to sync a Google Drive folder into your Library
Open the Library.
Navigate to the folder in your Company Library where you want the synced folder to sit. The synced folder lands where you are standing and inherits that folder's access.
Click New.
Select Sync folder from Drive.
Select the folders you want to sync. You can select more than one, search by name, and open a folder to see what is inside it.
Click Continue.
Read the summary of what syncing means, then click Start syncing.
The folder appears in your Company Library and fills in as content arrives. A first sync of a large folder can take a while.
How to stop syncing a folder
Open the Library and find the synced folder.
Open the folder's menu and select Stop syncing.
Read the warning. Stopping sync cannot be undone - the folder can never be synced with Google Drive again.
Type the folder name to confirm.
Click Stop syncing.
Nothing is removed. All the content stays in your Library and in every Room using it, and the folder becomes an ordinary editable folder that no longer receives updates from Google Drive.
If you want that Google Drive folder synced again later, you connect it as a new folder in Aligned. The new folder has no relationship to the old one, so content in it is not connected to the Rooms the old content was in.
What clients see
Clients see synced content in Rooms exactly as they see any other content. There is no indication that content came from Google Drive, and clients never see the sync state, the folder structure, or anything about the connection.
When content is updated in Google Drive, clients see the new version. When content is removed in Google Drive, it is removed from every Room using it, and clients no longer see it.
Google Workspace content - Docs, Sheets and Slides - works the same way it does anywhere else in Aligned: it is shown as an embedded document. A client can only view it if the sharing settings on that document allow it. If the document is restricted in Google Drive, the client sees Google's own request-access screen instead of the content. This is the same behaviour as adding a Google Workspace link to a Room today, and syncing does not change it.
Google Drive Folder Sync vs. Google Drive Import
Aligned offers two ways to bring Google Drive content in. Google Drive Import brings content in once and does not keep it current. Google Drive Folder Sync keeps a whole folder matched to Google Drive.
Availability of each depends on your plan - see the Aligned pricing page.
| Google Drive Folder Sync | Google Drive Import |
Best for | A Google Drive folder your team already manages content in | A few pieces of content you do not expect to change |
Key difference | Content stays current, and the folder is read-only in Aligned | Content is a one-time copy you manage in Aligned |
What you select | A whole folder, including everything inside it | Individual content |
Who can use it | Admins and Owners | Anyone who can upload to the Library |
Available on | Enterprise only | Available on more plans |
What a synced folder allows
A synced folder is read-only in Aligned because Google Drive is where the content is managed. Google Drive controls what content exists, what it is called, and how it is organised. Aligned controls the things Aligned added: labels, folder access, the description, and whether content is marked Internal or External.
What you cannot do in Aligned:
Rename the folder, a subfolder, or any content inside it
Move, delete or archive content inside the folder
Upload content into the folder
Create a subfolder inside it
Replace content
Move a subfolder
What you can do in Aligned:
Move the synced folder itself to another place in your Company Library
Set who can see the folder
Apply labels to content
Add content to Rooms
Download and share content
Edit the folder description
Open the folder or any content in Google Drive
Stop syncing the folder (Admins and Owners)
A folder that contains a synced folder cannot be deleted. To delete it, stop syncing the folder inside it first, or move the synced folder somewhere else.
What happens when content changes in Google Drive
Change in Google Drive | What happens in Aligned |
Content added to the folder | The content appears in your Library within minutes |
Content edited | The new version appears in your Library and in every Room using it |
Content renamed | The name changes in Aligned |
Content moved within the synced folder | The content changes place and stays in every Room using it |
Content moved out of the synced folder | The content is removed from your Library and from every Room using it |
Content deleted or moved to trash | The content is removed from your Library and from every Room using it |
Content restored from Google Drive trash | The content returns to your Library, but not to the Rooms it was in |
Subfolder created | The subfolder is rebuilt in Aligned with everything inside it |
Subfolder deleted | The subfolder is removed with everything inside it |
The synced folder deleted or moved to trash | Syncing pauses. Nothing is removed from Aligned |
Nobody is notified when content is removed in Google Drive. Content removed in Google Drive is removed from Aligned and from every Room using it, without a warning at the moment it happens. Check with the people who manage the Google Drive folder before they retire content that Rooms depend on.
Content removed from a Room does not come back on its own. If content returns to the Google Drive folder after being removed, it returns to your Library but not to the Rooms it was in. Add it to those Rooms again.
Sync states
A synced folder is always in one of three states, shown next to the folder name in your Library.
Synced - the folder is matched to Google Drive and receiving updates. Hover the icon to see when it last synced.
Syncing - a sync is running. Content appears as it arrives.
Sync paused ⚠️ - Aligned can no longer read the folder in Google Drive. Nothing has been removed, and the folder stops receiving updates until it is fixed. It can take up to an hour for Aligned to notice that access was removed, so a folder can briefly show as Synced after the change was made in Google Drive.
Limitations
Google Drive Folder Sync supports the same file formats as any other upload to the Library, and the maximum file size is 1GB. See Content library overview for the full list of formats.
Content in an unsupported format, or larger than 1GB, is skipped. The rest of the folder syncs normally.
Google Drive Folder Sync is one directional. Nothing you do in Aligned is written back to Google Drive.
A synced folder can only sit in your Company Library. You cannot sync a folder into My Library.
Syncing runs on a whole folder. You cannot sync an individual file.
There is no manual sync button. Updates arrive on their own within minutes.
Stopping sync cannot be undone.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Expected errors and blocks
Sync paused
What this means: Aligned can no longer read the folder in Google Drive. Either the Aligned email address was removed from the folder's sharing settings, or the folder was deleted in Google Drive. Nothing has been removed from Aligned, and the folder has stopped receiving updates.
How to fix it: If the address was removed, share the folder with your Aligned email address again and set access to Viewer. If the folder was deleted, restore it from the Google Drive trash. Syncing resumes on its own once either is done.
How to avoid it: Leave the Aligned email address on the folder in Google Drive. Removing it pauses syncing for that folder.
Only admins can sync folder from Google Drive
What this means: Syncing, managing and stopping sync are Admin and Owner actions. Other roles can use synced content but cannot change the connection. The option appears disabled, with this tooltip on hover.
How to fix it: Ask an Admin or Owner in your account to sync or stop syncing the folder.
How to avoid it: Check your role in Settings → Member before planning to sync a folder.
Some content was skipped
What this means: Content in an unsupported format, or larger than 1GB, cannot be added to Aligned. Everything else in the folder synced normally.
How to fix it: Convert the content to a supported format or reduce its size in Google Drive. It syncs on the next update.
How to avoid it: Check formats and sizes in Google Drive before syncing a folder.
This folder cannot be deleted
What this means: The folder contains a synced folder, and a synced folder cannot be deleted in Aligned.
How to fix it: Stop syncing the folder inside it, or move the synced folder somewhere else in your Company Library, then delete the folder.
How to avoid it: Check what is inside a folder before deleting it.
Unexpected errors
Q: Why is my synced folder not updating?
Q: Why is my synced folder not updating?
A synced folder that is not updating is usually in the Sync paused state, which means Aligned can no longer read it in Google Drive. Check the sync icon next to the folder name in your Library and follow the steps in the Sync paused entry above. If the folder shows as Synced and content is still missing, contact Aligned support with the folder name, the name of the content that is missing, and roughly when it was added in Google Drive.
Q: Why did a first sync take so long?
Q: Why did a first sync take so long?
A first sync brings in every piece of content in the folder and everything inside its subfolders, so a large folder takes longer than a small one. Content appears in your Library as it arrives rather than all at once. If a first sync has not finished after several hours, contact Aligned support with the folder name and the approximate number of items inside it.
FAQ
Q: Can I sync a single file from Google Drive?
Q: Can I sync a single file from Google Drive?
You cannot sync a single file. Google Drive Folder Sync works on a whole folder, and everything inside that folder syncs with it. To bring in one piece of content, use Google Drive Import instead.
Q: Can I edit content in a synced folder?
Q: Can I edit content in a synced folder?
You cannot edit, rename, move or delete content in a synced folder from Aligned, because Google Drive is where that content is managed. Make the change in Google Drive and it reaches Aligned within minutes.
Q: Does syncing change anything in Google Drive?
Q: Does syncing change anything in Google Drive?
Syncing does not change anything in Google Drive. Aligned only reads the folders you share with it, and nothing you do in Aligned is written back.
Q: Can I move a synced folder in my Library?
Q: Can I move a synced folder in my Library?
You can move a synced folder anywhere in your Company Library, because where the folder sits in Aligned is yours to decide. It takes on the access of wherever you move it to, exactly like any other folder in your Library. You cannot move a subfolder inside it, and you cannot move a synced folder into My Library.
Q: What happens if someone changes the sharing settings on one file in Google Drive?
Q: What happens if someone changes the sharing settings on one file in Google Drive?
Access to content in Aligned comes from the folder it sits in here, not from Google Drive, so changing the sharing on a single file in Google Drive does not change who can see it in Aligned. The one exception is Google Workspace content, which is shown as an embedded document - if that document is restricted in Google Drive, people see Google's request-access screen instead of the content.
Q: Is there an integration to turn off in the Admin Center?
Q: Is there an integration to turn off in the Admin Center?
There is no integration to switch off. The connection exists because the Aligned email address has been shared on a folder in Google Drive. To end it, either remove that address from the folder in Google Drive, which pauses syncing, or stop syncing the folder in Aligned.
Q: Does a folder shared by one admin appear for the other admins?
Q: Does a folder shared by one admin appear for the other admins?
A folder shared with your Aligned email address is available to every Admin in the account, so any of them can sync it. Once it is synced, who can see it in the Library follows the folder access and user groups you set on it, like any other Company Library folder.
Q: What happens if I stop syncing a folder?
Q: What happens if I stop syncing a folder?
Stopping sync leaves all the content where it is, in your Library and in every Room using it, and makes the folder editable again. Nothing is removed and nothing leaves your Rooms. Stopping sync cannot be undone - the folder can never be synced with Google Drive again.
Q: Can I sync a folder again after stopping sync?
Q: Can I sync a folder again after stopping sync?
You cannot sync the same folder again after stopping sync. You can connect the Google Drive folder as a new folder in Aligned, and its content arrives fresh. That new folder has no relationship to the old one, so its content is not connected to the Rooms that were using the old folder - the old content stays in those Rooms, unchanged and no longer updating.
Q: What happens if my account moves off the Enterprise plan?
Q: What happens if my account moves off the Enterprise plan?
Syncing stops and the folder becomes an ordinary folder in your Library. Nothing is deleted, and everything stays in the Rooms using it. Returning to the Enterprise plan does not restore syncing for that folder - you would connect the Google Drive folder again as a new folder.
Q: Can anyone in my account see synced content?
Q: Can anyone in my account see synced content?
Who can see a synced folder depends on the access set on the folder in Aligned, the same as any other Company Library folder. Syncing does not change who has access to what.
Q: How do I find everything that is synced?
Q: How do I find everything that is synced?
Open Advanced search in your Library and use the Google Drive filter. You can filter by all content, synced folders, or content that is not synced.
Q: Does content from Google Drive appear in Room analytics?
Q: Does content from Google Drive appear in Room analytics?
Synced content appears in Room analytics exactly like any other content in a Room.
Security & Data Handling
Aligned generates a dedicated email address for your account, and that address is used only for your account. Aligned reads only the folders you share with that address, at Viewer level, and cannot see anything else in your Google Drive. For a folder that has been shared but not synced, Aligned reads only its name and the number of items inside it.
Google Drive Folder Sync is one directional. Aligned never writes to Google Drive, and nothing you do in Aligned changes anything in your Google Drive.
The connection belongs to your Aligned account rather than to the person who set it up, so it continues to work when someone leaves the company.
Pro Tips
Share the folder before you go looking for it in Aligned. A folder only appears in the sync picker after it has been shared with your Aligned email address in Google Drive. If the picker looks empty, sharing is the step that is missing.
Keep drafts in a separate Google Drive folder. Everything inside a synced folder reaches Aligned, including content added later, so a folder that mixes approved content with work in progress puts both in front of your team.
Tell whoever manages the Google Drive folder what syncing means. Content they delete in Google Drive comes out of every Room using it, and nobody is notified when it happens.