Error: “Another version of Google Drive is already running”

The error “Another version of Google Drive is already running” appears when you attempt to launch Google Drive for Desktop or run its installer while a background instance, an orphaned process, or a second user session on the same machine is already holding an exclusive lock on Google Drive’s core files. When this occurs, the new instance aborts to prevent database corruption.

Fast Fix

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), switch to the Details tab, locate all instances of GoogleDriveFS.exe, right-click each one, and select End process tree. Afterward, relaunch Google Drive from the Start menu or run your installer again.

Diagnostic Snapshot

Parameter	Specification
Affected Applications	Google Drive for Desktop (GoogleDriveFS.exe on Windows, Google Drive.app on macOS)
Primary Symptom	Modal error dialog blocking application startup or preventing an update installer from completing
Direct Cause	Active single-instance mutex lock, hung background process thread, or secondary logged-in Windows user session
Admin Access Required	No for single-user process termination; Yes if killing processes across other user sessions or repairing multi-user installations

Forensic Decision Path

Follow this path to isolate the running process holding the application lock:

[Error: "Another version is already running"]
  │
  ├─► Is an update installer (GoogleDriveSetup.exe) triggering the error?
  │     └─► Cause: Active background Drive client running during update. Terminate client processes before running setup.
  │
  ├─► Is the error appearing when clicking the desktop shortcut?
  │     ├─► Check Task Manager / Activity Monitor:
  │     │     ├─► `GoogleDriveFS.exe` visible in Details tab? ──► Hung background process. Force terminate.
  │     │     └─► No Drive process visible in current session? ─► Fast User Switching / Multi-session conflict.
  │     │
  │     └─► Does the error persist after killing processes and rebooting?
  │           └─► Stale lock file or corrupted launch configuration in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\DriveFS`.

What This Means: System Mechanics

Google Drive for Desktop is designed as a single-instance application per operating system session. When it initializes:

1. Mutex Lock: It creates a system-wide mutual exclusion (mutex) lock to ensure multiple executables do not write to the same local cache database simultaneously.
2. Drive Mount Hook: It claims a virtual filesystem mount point (such as G:\ on Windows or a CloudStorage path on macOS).

If a previous session crashed, if an automated background update is running in the background, or if a hung thread remains active after closing the window, the mutex remains locked. When a user launches a new shortcut or runs an installer, the incoming process detects the existing mutex or open file handles in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\DriveFS and immediately terminates with this error to avoid corrupting the SQLite file cache.

Common Causes

• Orphaned Background Process: The user interface closed, but GoogleDriveFS.exe remained suspended in the background due to an incomplete sync queue or unresponsive network socket.
• Installer vs. Running Client Conflict: Attempting to run GoogleDriveSetup.exe while Google Drive for Desktop is actively streaming files.
• Fast User Switching / Multi-Session Environments: On shared Windows workstations or Remote Desktop Services (RDS), another user account is logged in and running Drive for Desktop in the background. For virtualized and multi-user environments, review Drive for Desktop vs. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
• Stale Lock or PID Files: An abrupt system shutdown or crash can leave temporary lock files behind in the local cache, misleading the launch sequence into detecting an active instance. If crashes precede this behavior, see “Google Drive for Desktop encountered an error and has stopped”.

Common Misdiagnoses

• Misdiagnosis: “The Google account is signed in on too many computers.”
  • Distinction: This error is an operating system process conflict on the local machine, not an account licensing or concurrency limit. You can sign in to your Google Workspace account on multiple physical devices simultaneously without triggering this prompt.
• Misdiagnosis: “Drive letter G: is occupied by another hard drive.”
  • Distinction: A drive letter collision generates the specific error “Mount point already in use,” whereas “Another version of Google Drive is already running” specifically refers to the executable process itself. If you are experiencing drive letter collisions instead, see Error: “Mount point already in use” (Drive Letter Conflicts).
• Misdiagnosis: “The installed version is obsolete.”
  • Distinction: Deprecated software prompts a version deprecation warning, not a concurrency collision. If your client version has expired, see Troubleshooting “The version of Google Drive… is too old”.

Resolution Steps

Step 1: Terminate All Drive Processes (Windows)

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Click the Details tab.
3. Sort alphabetically by name and look for:
   • GoogleDriveFS.exe
   • GoogleDriveSetup.exe
4. Right-click each entry and select End process tree.
5. Once all entries disappear, relaunch Google Drive from the Start menu.

Step 2: Terminate Drive Processes via Activity Monitor (macOS)

1. Open Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
2. In the top-right search box, type Google Drive.
3. Select any running processes named Google Drive or Google Drive File Stream.
4. Click the Stop (X) icon in the top toolbar and select Force Quit.
5. Relaunch the application from your Applications folder.

Step 3: Check for Other Active User Sessions

If no processes appear in your personal Task Manager view:

1. In Task Manager, select the Users tab.
2. Check if other user accounts are listed with a Disconnected or Active status.
3. If another user is running Google Drive on a shared PC, switch to that user account and sign out, or right-click the disconnected user and select Sign off (requires local administrative privileges).

Step 4: Clear Stale Lock Artifacts

If the error recurs immediately even when no processes are active:

1. Ensure all Google Drive processes are closed.
2. Press Win + R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google, and press Enter.
3. Open the DriveFS folder.
4. If you see temporary .lock files or crash logs, safely clear or rename the cache folder. For step-by-step instructions on rebuilding your local files without losing offline work, follow How to Clear Google Drive Local Cached Files Safely.

Admin & Advanced Checks

• Automated Deployment Collisions: When deploying Google Drive updates silently via Microsoft Intune, SCCM, or Group Policy, ensure deployment scripts gracefully terminate the running user instance before initiating GoogleDriveSetup.exe --silent --install. Without process termination arguments, the silent installer exits with an error code. For setup failure codes, see How to Fix Error Code 2004: Installation Failed.
• Task Scheduler Inspection: Check taskschd.msc under GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore to verify that automated background updates are not overlapping with startup tasks.

Hard Stops

• Unsynced Offline File Queues: If GoogleDriveFS.exe is unresponsive and you must force-terminate it, confirm first whether you made critical edits offline. Force-killing a hung process during an active local database write carries a minor risk of corrupting unsynced local changes. If the client repeatedly fails to mount or display files after terminating, see Fix: Google Drive Not Showing Up in Windows File Explorer.