Sync any Linux folder to Google drive using Rclone + systemd.

Source: Dev.to

Install rclone

sudo apt install rclone

Check version:

rclone version

Configure Google Drive

Run the configuration wizard:

rclone config

1. Choose n) New remote and set the name to gdrive.
2. Select the remote type drive.
3. Accept the defaults for the following prompts:
   • Client ID: press Enter
   • Client Secret: press Enter
   • Scope: 1) Full access
   • Use auto config: Yes (rclone will open a browser for you to log in and grant access)
   • Configure as a Shared Drive?: No
   • Keep this remote?: Yes

Verify the remote:

rclone lsd gdrive:

You should see your Drive folders.

Choose folders to auto‑sync

Example local folder:

/home/arunkrish/workspace

It will be uploaded to the remote path:

gdrive:workspace

Why NOT use sync?

rclone sync mirrors the source, so files deleted locally are also deleted from Google Drive—unsuitable for backups.
Instead, use rclone copy, which only uploads new or changed files and never deletes anything on the remote.

Create systemd auto‑upload services

Service unit

mkdir -p ~/.config/systemd/user
nano ~/.config/systemd/user/gdrive-workspace.service

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Upload workspace to Google Drive

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/bin/rclone copy /home/arunkrish/workspace gdrive:workspace --verbose --create-empty-src-dirs

Timer unit

nano ~/.config/systemd/user/gdrive-workspace.timer

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Run workspace uploader every 5 minutes

[Timer]
OnBootSec=2min
OnUnitActiveSec=5min

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

Enable and start the timer

systemctl --user enable --now gdrive-workspace.timer

Confirm all timers

systemctl --user list-timers

You should see gdrive-workspace.timer in the list.

How Smart Auto‑Sync Works

• Internet OFF → rclone waits.
• Internet ON → rclone uploads new files.
• Files already uploaded are not uploaded again.
• Files deleted locally are not deleted on Drive.

This provides true cloud backup behavior.

Pause Syncing Anytime (Low Data Mode)

To pause the auto‑upload:

systemctl --user stop gdrive-workspace.timer

To resume:

systemctl --user start gdrive-workspace.timer

To disable permanently:

systemctl --user disable gdrive-*.timer

Manual Upload (Optional)

Force an immediate upload with:

rclone copy /home/arunkrish/workspace gdrive:workspace

Summary

Using rclone together with systemd gives you:

• Automatic folder uploads
• Low data usage
• No deletions on Drive (safe backups)
• Offline resilience
• Full control to pause/resume at any time

This setup is cleaner and more powerful than official sync clients.