In this post, we will look at various workarounds that you can try if you can’t launch Google Drive for Desktop Windows 11/10. Google Drive is one of the most popular cloud services available in the market. Not only does it offer cheap storage plans, but it also makes it easy to sync across different devices and platforms. Best of all, it’s available both online and as a desktop app. However, many users have reported problems running the Google Drive app on their Windows PC. So, if you are also suffering from the same problem, then continue with the troubleshooting guide to get rid of the problem.

Can’t launch Google Drive for PC

Here are various fixes you can try if you cannot run Google Drive for Desktop on Windows 11/10 PC.

1. Restart your computer
2. Clear your Google Drive cache data
3. Change Google Drive Proxy Settings
4. Launch Google Drive in Administrator Mode
5. Allow Google Drive Through Windows Firewall Settings
6. Run SFC Scan
7. Reinstall Google Drive

Now let’s look at all the solutions in detail.

1]Restart your computer

The first thing you should do is restart your Windows computer. As it turns out, restarting is the best way to get rid of any application startup issues. So, restart your Windows PC, open the Google Drive desktop client and check if the issue is resolved. If yes, you are good to go. However, if you are still experiencing startup issues, try the technical solutions below.

2]Clear Google Drive cache data.

All apps including Google Drive store cache data which helps this app run faster and more conveniently. However, on the other hand, the main cause of startup problems can be a huge amount of cache data. As a solution, you will have to clear the application cache data from your system in order to fix the problem. Here is how to clear cache data of Google Drive apps from Windows 11/10.

1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows + R hotkeys.
2. In the search bar enter %userprofile%AppdataLocalGoogle and press the enter key.
3. In the next window, open DriverFS folder.
4. Select everything inside and choose the permanent delete option.

That’s all. Now reboot your system, launch Google Drive. Check if the startup problem is fixed.

3]Change your Google Drive proxy settings.

You can change your Google Drive proxy settings to fix this issue. As it turns out, incorrectly configured proxy settings can be another reason why you are facing Google Drive launch issue on Windows PC. So, here are the changes you should make to your Google Drive proxy settings.

1. In the taskbar area, click the Google Drive icon.
2. Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the window.
3. In the context menu, select Preferences option.
4. Click on the gear icon in front of your profile picture.
5. In the next window select direct connection option is present under Proxy settings chapter.
6. Click on the Save option to save your settings.
7. Click on the Restart now from the popup window to apply the changes.

Google Drive will now restart on your system. Check if the problem is fixed or not.

4]Launch Google Drive in administrator mode.

Sometimes the lack of administrator rights can be the root cause of the startup issue. Most text apps, including Google Drive, require admin rights to run smoothly. You can enable the mode by following the steps below.

1. Tap the Windows key to open the Start menu.
2. Enter Google Drive in the search bar.
3. Right click on Google Drive and selectRun as administrator option.
4. Click “Yes” in the “User Account Control” window that appears.

Now check if the issue is resolved or not.

5]Whitelist Google Drive via Windows Firewall settings.

Windows Firewall has the feature of blocking malicious applications on your system. So, if for some reason the Firewall considered the Google Drive app in such a category, you will experience a launch issue. To get rid of the problem, you must allow Google Drive through the Windows Firewall settings. Here are the steps you need to follow.

1. Open the Start menu and search for “Windows Security”.
2. Click on the Firewall & network protection from the left panel of the screen.
3. Select Allow an app through the firewall option.
4. Click on the Change settings option.
5. Find the Google Drive option in the list and check both Private as well as Public boxes.
6. Click OK to save your settings.

Now reboot your system and launch Google Drive. Check if the problem is fixed or not.

6]Run SFC Scan

Corrupted Windows system files are another main reason that causes the mentioned problem. Luckily, you can get rid of such files with System File Checker or sfc.exe Windows OS utility. You can repair all corrupted Windows system files by running this utility. Here are the steps you need to follow to run an sfc scan.

To get started, type CMD in the search box.

In the search results, right-click CMD and select Run as administrator option.

Type the following code in the command prompt window that appears and press enter.

sfc /scannow

The sfc scan will run for a while, automatically replacing any corrupted system files on reboot. Once the process is complete, launch Google Drive and check if the issue is still there.

7]Reinstall Google Drive

The changes are small, but if you still find it difficult to get Google Drive running on your Windows PC, the last thing you can try is to reinstall the app on your system. to him to solve the problem.

related: Google Drive keeps crashing on Windows PC

Why won’t my Google Drive open on desktop?

There can be several reasons why Google Drive won’t open on desktop. But among other things, the main culprit can be a weak internet connection or a corrupted cache. Along with this, incorrectly configured proxy settings and Windows Firewall can also be the cause of the problem.

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