Does the Google Drive Mac OS X desktop app automatically upgrade/update itself?
If not, what's the best way to upgrade the app on a Mac OS X machine?
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Sign up to join this communityDownload the new version from https://www.google.com/drive/download/
Then do a normal install (as if it was a brand new installation).
When you drag the Google Drive icon into the Applications folder, you will be asked if you want to replace the existing application. Replace it.
It already tries to auto-update, but it fails. This bug has existed since at least version 1.20. The symptom is that when a new version comes out, Google drive will try to auto-update, but the only result is that your Mac will defocus from whatever application you are using at the time. It can steal focus even in the middle of active use (say, typing in another application). At that time, if you quickly look at the menu bar icon, it will be pulsing.
There are numerous places online where complaints have been made about this. However, they mostly center on the focus-stealing, as the victims are usually unaware that there is a new version. The victims are often told to re-install, which of course removes the symptom, but does not fix the underlying problem.