Turns Gmail into a virtual drive (legacy tool)
GMail Drive is a lightweight utility that lets users treat their Gmail inbox as a virtual storage drive within Windows Explorer. Created as a workaround before official cloud storage options became widespread, it provides a basic way to upload and retrieve files using Gmail’s email infrastructure.
GMail Drive works by sending files to your Gmail account as email attachments, then indexing those messages through a special shell extension. This makes the attachments appear as files inside a mounted drive in Windows Explorer. Users can drag and drop files just like they would with a regular folder. It's a straightforward way to store documents online using Gmail’s available storage space.
How GMail Drive stores files via Gmail
Limitations and system compatibility
As an unofficial tool, GMail Drive is no longer reliable for most users. Gmail’s evolving security—such as OAuth and API changes—has broken compatibility, and the tool hasn’t been updated in years. It may still run on older systems like Windows XP or 7, especially with legacy Gmail setups. Its low resource requirements make it ideal for aging hardware, but support for modern systems is unlikely.
Final thoughts
GMail Drive is best seen as a legacy utility that showcased a clever workaround at a time when free online storage options were scarce. It does not integrate with Google Drive, nor does it support modern collaboration or security features. While its drag-and-drop simplicity once made it appealing, most users will be better served by current, officially supported cloud storage tools.
