How to Fix “Google Drive Couldn’t Connect” Message | Digital Trends

Google Drive is one of the best cloud storage providers, offering its users the flexibility to access data from almost any device, anywhere in the world. However, it can sometimes happen that loading fails and you get the error message “Google Drive has refused to connect” or “drive.google.com has refused to connect”.

This error can occur if you use any of the Google Office apps (such as Docs, Sheets, or Slides) and use multiple Google accounts. If you are facing such a problem, we can help you. Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how to solve this Google Drive connectivity issue.

Using Incognito Mode

As mentioned earlier, one of the reasons why this error persists is because you have multiple Google accounts synced to your browser. Using your browser’s incognito window is a quick solution to solve Google Drive connection problem. Please note that this is a temporary solution and once you close the Incognito window, you will no longer be signed in to your Google account.

Step 1: Open Chrome and then open an incognito window. It is usually located in the Three-point Menu in the top right corner.

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Step 2: Next, open Google Drive by typing the following drive.google.com in the address bar.

Screenshot of the Google Drive homepage.

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Step 3: Click on that Go to “Drive.” Click the button and log in with your Google account.

Screenshot of the Google account login page.

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Step 4: The “Drive refuses to connect” error should now be resolved.

Sign out of multiple Google accounts

Another solution to the Google Drive refusing to connect issue is to log out of any accounts you may have logged in to through your browser. This usually helps resolve disputes since you only access Google Drive with one account at a time. Here’s how you can do it.

Step 1: Open Chrome and open Google Drive by typing drive.google.com in the address bar.

Step 2: Click on your Google profile icon top right to view all synced accounts.

Screenshot of Google accounts logged into Google Drive.

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Step 3: Next, click on the button that says Sign out of all accounts.

Step 4: A prompt should appear to confirm your action. Click on Keep going to log out of all accounts.

Screenshot of confirmation to log out of all Google accounts.

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Step 5: Once all accounts are signed out, reopen Google Drive and sign in with the Google account that was having connection issues. You should now be able to access your drive.

Clear browser cache and cookies

Another solution is to clear your browser’s cache and cookies. These temporary files are stored on your PC to improve user experience and website performance. It’s a good idea to clean these from time to time or whenever you have trouble browsing. Here’s how you can clear cache and cookies in Chrome. (If you use another browser, here are the steps to clear your browser cache.)

Step 1: Open Google Chrome and click Three-point Menu in the upper right corner of the browser window.

Step 2: Click on Settings in the drop-down menu.

Screenshot of Google Chrome's three-dot menu.

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Step 3: Then click on Privacy and security in the left sidebar. Then you want to search for it Clear browser data option and click on it.

Screenshot of the Google Chrome settings menu.

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Step 4: A popup should appear asking you to check the boxes Cached images and files And Cookies and other website data.

Screenshot of Google Chrome privacy and security settings.

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Step 5: Click on that delete data Click the button and restart Chrome. The drive connection issue should be resolved.

Screenshot of settings for clearing browser data in Google Chrome.

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frequently asked Questions

Do you need a Google account to access Google Drive?

Yes and no. If you want to access your own Google Drive, you must be able to sign in to an existing Google account or create one.

However, if you only want to access a Google Drive document that was created by someone who has a Google account, you typically don’t need to set up a Google account to access a Google Drive document. However, you must be invited to access the document or at least receive a sharing link to it.

How do I sign in to my Google Drive account?

Go to the Google Drive website and select Go to “Drive.”and then sign in to your Drive account using your Google account username and password.

How do I access Google Drive from Gmail?

It depends on why you want to access Google Drive via Gmail:

  • If you just want to attach a Google Drive file to an email you’re writing, do the following: Go to Gmail.com and log in to your Gmail account. Choose Compose and write your email. Then select the Drive symbol at the bottom of the New message Screen for attaching files from Google Drive to your message.
  • If you want to visit your Google Drive: After you log in to your Gmail account and see the main screen of your inbox, select that Google Apps icon in the top right corner. The symbol looks like a group of nine dots. From the menu that appears, select the option Drive. Another browser tab should automatically open showing your Google Drive.

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