Install Google Drive

What the Google Drive for Desktop deployer does

This Automox Worklet™ deploys Google Drive for Desktop to Windows endpoints in two phases. The evaluation script inspects the Windows uninstall registry to determine whether the client is already present. The remediation script downloads GoogleDriveSetup.exe from the Automox installer cache and installs it silently with no user interaction and no forced reboot.

The Worklet checks both registry hives so that 64-bit and 32-bit installs are detected in one pass. On 64-bit Windows it reads the native uninstall key under HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall through the registry .NET API, then also enumerates HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall to catch 32-bit installs. Both passes match any DisplayName containing "Google Drive".

When the client is missing, remediation pulls GoogleDriveSetup.exe from https://api.automox.com/api/cache (the Automox installer cache for the latest 64-bit Google Drive build) into the working directory of the script and invokes it with the --silent switch. The installer drops the client into C:\Program Files\Google\Drive File Stream, registers the GoogleDriveFS service, and creates the user-mode shell extension that surfaces the My Drive virtual file system in File Explorer.

Why deploy Google Drive for Desktop fleet-wide

Google Drive for Desktop replaces the legacy Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream clients with a single binary that streams My Drive and Shared Drives on demand. Users get File Explorer access to cloud files without a full local mirror, and IT gets a supported, machine-wide install path that does not depend on each user double-clicking an installer. The operational challenge is reaching every laptop, kiosk, and shared workstation that is supposed to have the client and identifying the endpoints that do not.

Schedule this Worklet against the standard Windows workstation group. The uninstall-key registry pass evaluates every endpoint in scope, GoogleDriveSetup.exe runs only where the entry is missing, and each install result surfaces in the Automox activity log without a separate inventory query.

How Google Drive for Desktop deployment works

1. Evaluation phase: On 64-bit Windows the script opens the LocalMachine Registry64 view through [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey]::OpenBaseKey and walks every subkey of SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall, checking each DisplayName for a wildcard match on "Google Drive". It then falls through to HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall using Get-ChildItem piped to Get-ItemProperty and Where-Object to catch any 32-bit install. On 32-bit Windows it checks HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall with the same Get-ChildItem pattern. If a match is found in any of those passes, evaluation exits 0 and remediation is skipped. If no match is found, evaluation exits 1 and the endpoint is flagged for remediation.

2. Remediation phase: The Worklet downloads GoogleDriveSetup.exe to the script's working directory using a System.Net.WebClient call against the Automox installer cache URL, then runs Start-Process with -ArgumentList "--silent" and -Wait. The installer writes the client to C:\Program Files\Google\Drive File Stream, registers the GoogleDriveFS service, and publishes the uninstall entry that the next evaluation pass will detect. Remove-Item cleans up the staged installer and Write-Output emits "Google Drive installed" to the activity log. A failure in the download or install step is caught and exits with code -1 so the policy reports a failure.

Google Drive for Desktop deployment requirements

• Windows 8 or later workstations and servers; the source scripts target Windows 8 and above, and Google Drive for Desktop currently supports Windows 10 and newer

• PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7 in the Automox agent execution context (the default agent context already meets this)

• Outbound HTTPS to api.automox.com so the agent can pull GoogleDriveSetup.exe from the Automox installer cache

• Local administrator privileges on the endpoint (the Automox agent runs as SYSTEM by default and meets this)

• Roughly 250 MB of free disk space under C:\Program Files\Google\Drive File Stream for the client binaries, with additional space reserved for streamed cache content under each user's profile

• Google Workspace or consumer Google account credentials available to end users at first launch (the Worklet installs the client; end users sign in)

Expected state after Google Drive for Desktop deployment

After a successful remediation, C:\Program Files\Google\Drive File Stream\GoogleDriveFS.exe exists on disk, the GoogleDriveFS service is registered with the Windows Service Control Manager, and an uninstall key appears under HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall with DisplayName "Google Drive". On next user logon, the Google Drive shell extension surfaces the My Drive virtual drive in File Explorer and the end user signs in to mount their content.

Subsequent Worklet runs find the uninstall key, exit evaluation with code 0, and skip remediation. To verify the deployment outside the activity log, run Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Google Drive*" } in PowerShell, or check Get-Service GoogleDriveFS for a Running state on endpoints where a user has signed in. If the install fails, common causes are blocked egress to api.automox.com, a pre-existing Backup and Sync install that conflicts with the new client, or insufficient disk space. Remediate the blocker and rerun the policy. The Worklet is FixNow-compatible, so urgent rollouts can be triggered on demand from the Automox console without waiting for the next scheduled scan.