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[GH-ISSUE #8078] [FR] Google Drive Sync #3540

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opened 2026-03-23 21:31:06 +00:00 by mirror · 5 comments

mirror commented

2026-03-23 21:31:06 +00:00

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Originally created by @sankitdev on GitHub (Jun 22, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/issues/8078

Description

I have been looking out for a note taking app that is simple to use and I can put all my data there. I have used Notion, obsedian but I found one shortcoming in these I can't sync with google drive without additional setup.

Impact

It will be beneficial for all the users as 15 gb is free so note storing will not require additional cost

Additional Context

No response

Originally created by @sankitdev on GitHub (Jun 22, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/issues/8078 ### Description I have been looking out for a note taking app that is simple to use and I can put all my data there. I have used Notion, obsedian but I found one shortcoming in these I can't sync with google drive without additional setup. ### Impact It will be beneficial for all the users as 15 gb is free so note storing will not require additional cost ### Additional Context _No response_

mirror

2026-03-23 21:31:06 +00:00

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mirror commented

2026-03-23 21:31:06 +00:00

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@DeMoN100 commented on GitHub (Jul 3, 2025):

It will be bloat to the software if added & not made as an optional plugin. Part of open source is to not let every proprietary service hook & anchor it's way into every open source project. Being in control of your data is important part of that is to not include things that could trace back with syncs & etc. If you're using google drive well the data isn't yours everything you put there is visible.

You might as well use notion if you're gunna be using ur google drive with this. The bottom line is don't add google sync into the application. If you wana feed the small percent the feature make it an optional plugin they need to download seperately & put into the app. Part of why I wanted to move away from Notion was to get away from the sync with google drive, sync with one note, sync with whatever else. If we're just gunna copy notion & add all the syncs back then this really defeats controling your data because you wouldn't leave gateways to proprietary services to sync with whats yours.

Mandatory features that cannot be removed such as proprietary sync services which a good amount of open source people in the community are against is a way to make people look for the next best thing.

@DeMoN100 commented on GitHub (Jul 3, 2025): It will be bloat to the software if added & not made as an optional plugin. Part of open source is to not let every proprietary service hook & anchor it's way into every open source project. Being in control of your data is important part of that is to not include things that could trace back with syncs & etc. If you're using google drive well the data isn't yours everything you put there is visible. You might as well use notion if you're gunna be using ur google drive with this. The bottom line is don't add google sync into the application. If you wana feed the small percent the feature make it an optional plugin they need to download seperately & put into the app. Part of why I wanted to move away from Notion was to get away from the sync with google drive, sync with one note, sync with whatever else. If we're just gunna copy notion & add all the syncs back then this really defeats controling your data because you wouldn't leave gateways to proprietary services to sync with whats yours. Mandatory features that cannot be removed such as proprietary sync services which a good amount of open source people in the community are against is a way to make people look for the next best thing.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 21:31:06 +00:00

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Owner

@mediacvg commented on GitHub (Jul 4, 2025):

It will be bloat to the software if added & not made as an optional plugin. Part of open source is to not let every proprietary service hook & anchor it's way into every open source project. Being in control of your data is important part of that is to not include things that could trace back with syncs & etc. If you're using google drive well the data isn't yours everything you put there is visible.

You might as well use notion if you're gunna be using ur google drive with this. The bottom line is don't add google sync into the application. If you wana feed the small percent the feature make it an optional plugin they need to download seperately & put into the app. Part of why I wanted to move away from Notion was to get away from the sync with google drive, sync with one note, sync with whatever else. If we're just gunna copy notion & add all the syncs back then this really defeats controling your data because you wouldn't leave gateways to proprietary services to sync with whats yours.

Mandatory features that cannot be removed such as proprietary sync services which a good amount of open source people in the community are against is a way to make people look for the next best thing.

Although the cloud disk service of large enterprises has some privacy risks, I think the security is definitely much stronger than that of individuals' self-built hosting. Even if Obsidian is completely offline, it needs to use various plug-ins to realise certain functions. If you want to synchronise multiple terminals, you need the network. In the era of cloud service big data, developers want to make profits and users want to be safe. The most balanced way is to give users the choice. You can not use some functions, but you can't do without them. .

@mediacvg commented on GitHub (Jul 4, 2025): > It will be bloat to the software if added & not made as an optional plugin. Part of open source is to not let every proprietary service hook & anchor it's way into every open source project. Being in control of your data is important part of that is to not include things that could trace back with syncs & etc. If you're using google drive well the data isn't yours everything you put there is visible. > > You might as well use notion if you're gunna be using ur google drive with this. The bottom line is don't add google sync into the application. If you wana feed the small percent the feature make it an optional plugin they need to download seperately & put into the app. Part of why I wanted to move away from Notion was to get away from the sync with google drive, sync with one note, sync with whatever else. If we're just gunna copy notion & add all the syncs back then this really defeats controling your data because you wouldn't leave gateways to proprietary services to sync with whats yours. > > Mandatory features that cannot be removed such as proprietary sync services which a good amount of open source people in the community are against is a way to make people look for the next best thing. Although the cloud disk service of large enterprises has some privacy risks, I think the security is definitely much stronger than that of individuals' self-built hosting. Even if Obsidian is completely offline, it needs to use various plug-ins to realise certain functions. If you want to synchronise multiple terminals, you need the network. In the era of cloud service big data, developers want to make profits and users want to be safe. The most balanced way is to give users the choice. You can not use some functions, but you can't do without them. .

mirror commented

2026-03-23 21:31:07 +00:00

Author

Owner

@sankitdev commented on GitHub (Jul 4, 2025):

It will be bloat to the software if added & not made as an optional plugin. Part of open source is to not let every proprietary service hook & anchor it's way into every open source project. Being in control of your data is important part of that is to not include things that could trace back with syncs & etc. If you're using google drive well the data isn't yours everything you put there is visible.

You might as well use notion if you're gunna be using ur google drive with this. The bottom line is don't add google sync into the application. If you wana feed the small percent the feature make it an optional plugin they need to download seperately & put into the app. Part of why I wanted to move away from Notion was to get away from the sync with google drive, sync with one note, sync with whatever else. If we're just gunna copy notion & add all the syncs back then this really defeats controling your data because you wouldn't leave gateways to proprietary services to sync with whats yours.

Mandatory features that cannot be removed such as proprietary sync services which a good amount of open source people in the community are against is a way to make people look for the next best thing.

The first thing google drive files are private unless you share them so privacy concern is not there.
Secondly as I already stated 15gb is free so storing files there is best for individule who want syncing.
Also if someone is paying for google one then they have more storage so this point is also there.
Google drive sync is important feature.

@sankitdev commented on GitHub (Jul 4, 2025): > It will be bloat to the software if added & not made as an optional plugin. Part of open source is to not let every proprietary service hook & anchor it's way into every open source project. Being in control of your data is important part of that is to not include things that could trace back with syncs & etc. If you're using google drive well the data isn't yours everything you put there is visible. > > You might as well use notion if you're gunna be using ur google drive with this. The bottom line is don't add google sync into the application. If you wana feed the small percent the feature make it an optional plugin they need to download seperately & put into the app. Part of why I wanted to move away from Notion was to get away from the sync with google drive, sync with one note, sync with whatever else. If we're just gunna copy notion & add all the syncs back then this really defeats controling your data because you wouldn't leave gateways to proprietary services to sync with whats yours. > > Mandatory features that cannot be removed such as proprietary sync services which a good amount of open source people in the community are against is a way to make people look for the next best thing. The first thing google drive files are private unless you share them so privacy concern is not there. Secondly as I already stated 15gb is free so storing files there is best for individule who want syncing. Also if someone is paying for google one then they have more storage so this point is also there. Google drive sync is important feature.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 21:31:07 +00:00

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Owner

@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Jul 4, 2025):

Hey Sorry guys, we don't support Google Drive. From what I heard a while back, OB doesn't recommend Google Drive either. This is because Google Drive has some locks that may corrupt the data you use with the application (AF / OB).

@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Jul 4, 2025): Hey Sorry guys, we don't support Google Drive. From what I heard a while back, OB doesn't recommend Google Drive either. This is because Google Drive has some locks that may corrupt the data you use with the application (AF / OB).

mirror commented

2026-03-23 21:31:07 +00:00

Author

Owner

@DeMoN100 commented on GitHub (Jul 5, 2025):

It will be bloat to the software if added & not made as an optional plugin. Part of open source is to not let every proprietary service hook & anchor it's way into every open source project. Being in control of your data is important part of that is to not include things that could trace back with syncs & etc. If you're using google drive well the data isn't yours everything you put there is visible.
You might as well use notion if you're gunna be using ur google drive with this. The bottom line is don't add google sync into the application. If you wana feed the small percent the feature make it an optional plugin they need to download seperately & put into the app. Part of why I wanted to move away from Notion was to get away from the sync with google drive, sync with one note, sync with whatever else. If we're just gunna copy notion & add all the syncs back then this really defeats controling your data because you wouldn't leave gateways to proprietary services to sync with whats yours.
Mandatory features that cannot be removed such as proprietary sync services which a good amount of open source people in the community are against is a way to make people look for the next best thing.

The first thing google drive files are private unless you share them so privacy concern is not there. Secondly as I already stated 15gb is free so storing files there is best for individule who want syncing. Also if someone is paying for google one then they have more storage so this point is also there. Google drive sync is important feature.

Please read googles privacy policy. Sync is not a necessary feature it's one of convenience sure & if your a pro-proprietary person but not needed to make the application function correctly. To you it's important to me it's bloat to the application i'm not saying dont have it at all just make a plugin for the application so foss users don't have to be stuck with things they don't want or need.

This is one of the many great reasons why people still use obsidian plugins allow you to add in things you think a lot of people will like but not force everyone to have to live with it.

@DeMoN100 commented on GitHub (Jul 5, 2025): > > It will be bloat to the software if added & not made as an optional plugin. Part of open source is to not let every proprietary service hook & anchor it's way into every open source project. Being in control of your data is important part of that is to not include things that could trace back with syncs & etc. If you're using google drive well the data isn't yours everything you put there is visible. > > You might as well use notion if you're gunna be using ur google drive with this. The bottom line is don't add google sync into the application. If you wana feed the small percent the feature make it an optional plugin they need to download seperately & put into the app. Part of why I wanted to move away from Notion was to get away from the sync with google drive, sync with one note, sync with whatever else. If we're just gunna copy notion & add all the syncs back then this really defeats controling your data because you wouldn't leave gateways to proprietary services to sync with whats yours. > > Mandatory features that cannot be removed such as proprietary sync services which a good amount of open source people in the community are against is a way to make people look for the next best thing. > > The first thing google drive files are private unless you share them so privacy concern is not there. Secondly as I already stated 15gb is free so storing files there is best for individule who want syncing. Also if someone is paying for google one then they have more storage so this point is also there. Google drive sync is important feature. Please read googles privacy policy. Sync is not a necessary feature it's one of convenience sure & if your a pro-proprietary person but not needed to make the application function correctly. To you it's important to me it's bloat to the application i'm not saying dont have it at all just make a plugin for the application so foss users don't have to be stuck with things they don't want or need. This is one of the many great reasons why people still use obsidian plugins allow you to add in things you think a lot of people will like but not force everyone to have to live with it.