> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.expandrive.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.expandrive.com/integrations/google-cloud-storage.md).

# Google Cloud Storage

[Google Cloud Storage](https://cloud.google.com/storage) is a file storage service run by Google. It lets you store files on Google's servers rather than on your local machine. Google Cloud Storage is similar in concept to [Amazon S3](/integrations/amazon-s3.md) or a more technical version of Google Drive: you can store any kind of file, control who has access to it, retrieve it from anywhere, and integrate with the other tools and services provided in Google Cloud. Google Cloud Storage uses [bucket storage](#bucket-storage) to organize the files you save in the storage.

ExpanDrive can connect to your Google Cloud Storage so you can interact with the contents of your buckets directly from your desktop.

## Connecting to Google Cloud Storage

ExpanDrive connects to Google Cloud Storage using OAuth, which means you won't need to enter a password directly into ExpanDrive. Instead, you'll be redirected to Google's login page, where you'll sign in and grant ExpanDrive permission to access your account. Google handles the authentication, and ExpanDrive receives a token it uses to connect on your behalf rather than your actual credentials.

Make sure the user account you are using has access to the bucket(s) you want to connect to in Google Cloud Storage. ExpanDrive only has the permissions granted to your authenticated user account.

### Nickname

The nickname is a display name for this connection. This name is used as the volume label on the mounted drive.

### Bucket Name

Enter the name of the specific Google Cloud Storage bucket you want to connect to. Bucket names are globally unique across all of Google Cloud, so this is the exact name you set when you created the bucket. If you leave this field blank, ExpanDrive shows you all buckets your account has access to.

If you only have access to a particular bucket or don't have the permissions to list the buckets for an account, you must add the *Bucket Name* in the connection setup within ExpanDrive.

### Folder

If you want ExpanDrive to connect to a specific folder within your bucket rather than the root, enter the folder path here. Leave it blank to start at the top level of the bucket.