Connecting OneDrive and Google Drive

Esqase can keep one folder in your Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive in step with your Esqase documents, so you can keep working in Word or Google Docs while every file also lives in Esqase. Files and folders move both ways: what you add or change in the drive arrives in Esqase, and what you add or change in Esqase goes back to the drive. From that folder you can also create a Word document or a Google Doc, and turn Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files into PDFs you can send for signature.

This page explains what syncs and what does not, how to connect each drive and choose the folder, why Google Drive only shows Esqase some of your files, how changes flow and how often, how versions and conflicts are handled, how to create, convert, and sign files, what happens when you trash or restore a file, how to disconnect, the limits, and how to fix common problems.

Before you begin

• The connection is personal. Like your email and calendar connections, each member connects their own OneDrive or Google Drive, and nobody inherits a colleague's. The folder Esqase makes in your documents belongs to you: colleagues see it only if you share it with them. See Grant, change, and revoke document access.
• One folder per drive. You can sync one OneDrive folder and one Google Drive folder at a time, in each firm you belong to. To sync a different folder, disconnect the one you have first (see Disconnect).
• You need document access. Opening Cloud storage in your settings needs View access for documents. Choosing a folder, clicking Sync now, and disconnecting need Create access. Syncing keeps working only while your role includes View, Create, and Update access for documents. Firm owners always have full access. See Roles and permissions.
• Work and school Microsoft accounts. Some organisations only let an administrator approve new apps. If Microsoft asks for admin approval when you connect, see Troubleshooting.
• The card says Coming soon. Cloud storage is not switched on for your account yet. There is nothing to set up until it is.

What syncs and what does not

What syncs, both ways:

• Files and folders inside the synced folder, including folders inside folders.
• New files, new versions, renames, moves inside the synced folder, and deletions.
• Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. They arrive in Esqase as Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), and PowerPoint (.pptx) copies, and each edit you make in Google arrives as a new version.

What does not sync:

• Anything outside the synced folder. A file you move out of the folder, on either side, stops syncing. Both copies stay where they are.
• Rich-text documents you write in the Esqase editor. They stay in Esqase and are never copied to the drive.
• Files larger than 100 MB, and Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides whose Word, Excel, or PowerPoint copy would be larger than 10 MB. They are skipped.
• Other Google file types, such as Google Forms, Drawings, and Sites. They are skipped.
• Shared drives, SharePoint document libraries, and files other people share with you. Only your own OneDrive and your own My Drive are supported.
• In Google Drive, files Esqase cannot see. See The Google Drive visibility rule.

Connect OneDrive

1. In the sidebar, click Integrations.
2. Under Cloud storage, find the Microsoft OneDrive card and click Connect.
3. The Connect Microsoft OneDrive dialog explains what Esqase will ask Microsoft for (permission to read and write the files in your OneDrive, to keep that access while you are away, and to see your Microsoft account email address), what it uses it for, and how to disconnect, with a link to section 3.6 of the Privacy Policy. Read it, then click Continue to Microsoft (or Cancel to stop).
4. Sign in to Microsoft if asked, and accept every permission Esqase asks for.
5. When you come back, Esqase says Connected. Choose the folder to sync. and takes you to Settings > Cloud storage with the folder picker already open. Continue with Choose the folder.

Connect Google Drive

1. In the sidebar, click Integrations.
2. Under Cloud storage, find the Google Drive card and click Connect.
3. The Connect Google Drive dialog explains what Esqase will ask Google for (permission to see, edit, create, and delete only the Google Drive files that Esqase creates or that you choose to add, and to see your Google account email address), that Google only shows Esqase those files, and how to disconnect, with a link to section 3.5 of the Privacy Policy. Read it, then click Continue to Google (or Cancel to stop).
4. On Google's screen, keep every permission ticked and approve. A connection that is missing the Google Drive permission is refused, and Esqase asks you to connect again.
5. When you come back, Esqase says Connected. Choose the folder to sync. and takes you to Settings > Cloud storage with the folder step already open. Continue with Choose the folder.

Once connected, each card shows a Connected badge and a more options (⋯) menu. The menu shows the Synced account and offers Cloud storage settings, Sync now and Reconnect (once a folder is syncing), and Disconnect.

Choose the folder

Nothing syncs until you choose the folder. If you leave before choosing one, the card on the Integrations page reads Choose the folder to sync in Cloud storage settings.

To open the folder step yourself:

1. In the sidebar, open Settings. In the Personal group, click Cloud storage. (Or click Cloud storage settings in the connected card's more options (⋯) menu.)
2. In the Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive section, click Choose folder.

For OneDrive, the Choose a Microsoft OneDrive folder dialog opens at My files:

1. Click a folder to open it. The trail at the top shows where you are; click an earlier step to go back.
2. When the folder you want to sync is open, the dialog reads Esqase will sync followed by its path. Click Select this folder. The button stays greyed out at My files, because the whole drive cannot be synced.

For Google Drive, the Choose a Google Drive folder dialog shows the Esqase folder in My Drive. Esqase makes this folder when the dialog opens, or reuses the one it made for you before. Click Use this folder.

You see a message such as Contracts is connected. The first sync has started. Esqase creates the matching folder at the top of My documents and fills it with the first sync. A large folder can take more than one sync to arrive in full; a Partial first sync simply carries on with the next one.

The Cloud storage page then shows, for each drive, the Status (Syncing, Needs attention, Needs reconnecting, Choose a folder, or Not connected), the connected Account, the Synced folder in the drive, the matching folder In Esqase (click it to open it), Files and folders (how many are synced, waiting, in conflict, failed, or skipped), when it Last synced, Recent activity, and the Last error if there is one. Below that, Recent syncs lists the last 20 syncs for the folder, newest first, with their Trigger (Folder connected, Sync now, Automatic, or Scheduled), Status (Queued, Running, Succeeded, Partial, or Failed), how many items were Pulled, Pushed, Skipped, and Failed, when it Started, and its Duration. A scheduled check that found nothing to do is not listed.

The matching folder in Esqase is managed by the sync: Rename, Move to, Assign to matter, and Move to Trash are greyed out on it, with the note Managed by cloud storage sync. Disconnect from Settings to change it. Everything inside it works as usual.

The Google Drive visibility rule

Esqase asks Google for the narrowest Drive permission there is: access only to the files Esqase creates and the files you choose to hand it. It never asks to see the rest of your Drive. The result is a rule worth knowing:

• Esqase sees the Esqase folder, everything Esqase puts in it (files you upload into the synced folder in Esqase, and Google Docs you create from Esqase), and anything you add with Add from Google Drive.
• Esqase does not see files that you, or someone else, drop into the Esqase folder from Google Drive itself, or upload there from the Google Drive app. They stay in your Drive but do not appear in Esqase.

To bring such a file, or any other file or folder from your Drive, into Esqase:

1. In Documents, open the Esqase (Google Drive) folder (or a folder inside it).
2. Click New, then Add from Google Drive.
3. Google's Add from Google Drive window opens. Choose up to 20 files or folders, then confirm your choice in Google's window.
4. You see Added followed by how many items were added. Files arrive straight away. For a folder, its contents arrive with the next sync.

Items you add appear at the top of the Esqase (Google Drive) folder in Esqase. They stay where they are in your Drive, and changes on either side keep syncing.

How changes flow both ways and how often

From your drive to Esqase. Every five minutes Esqase checks your drive for changes in the synced folder. To check straight away, click Sync now on the Cloud storage page, or in the card's more options (⋯) menu on the Integrations page.

• A new file or folder in the drive appears in Esqase.
• An edited file becomes a new version of the same file in Esqase (see Versions and conflicts).
• A rename, or a move to another folder inside the synced folder, is repeated in Esqase.
• A file or folder deleted in the drive moves to the Trash tab in Esqase.

From Esqase to your drive.

• A file you upload into the synced folder, or into a folder inside it, and a new version you upload of a synced file, go to the drive straight away.
• New folders, renames, moves inside the synced folder, and Move to Trash go with the next five-minute sync, or at once when you click Sync now.

Synced files show a small OneDrive or Google Drive icon next to their name in the documents table, with the tooltip Synced with OneDrive or Synced with Google Drive. On a synced file's own page, the Details tab shows Sync (for example, Synced with Microsoft OneDrive) and Last synced (or Waiting for the first sync).

Versions and conflicts

Nothing is overwritten without a trace. Every change that arrives from the drive is saved as a new version of the file in Esqase, and the earlier versions stay on the file's Versions tab. See Upload a new version of a file and view version history.

• Changed in both places between syncs. When a file was edited in the drive and a new version was also uploaded in Esqase before the next sync, the drive's copy wins: it becomes the current version in Esqase, and the Esqase version stays in the file's version history, one step back. The Files and folders line on the Cloud storage page counts these as conflicts. Open the Versions tab to compare the two and keep whichever you need.
• Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Edit them in Google. Esqase keeps each one as a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint copy, and a new version you upload of that copy in Esqase stays in Esqase: it is not sent back to Google Drive. Renames, moves, and Move to Trash still go to Drive.
• A file out for signature. While a signature request on a file is waiting for signers, Esqase does not replace the file with a change from the drive. It takes the change once the request is finished or cancelled, and the version from before stays in the history.

Create a Word document or Google Doc from Esqase

1. In the sidebar, click Documents, then open the synced folder (My documents > folder name (OneDrive), or Esqase (Google Drive)) or a folder inside it.
2. Click New, then Word document (OneDrive) or Google Doc (Google Drive).
3. In the New Word document or New Google Doc dialog, type a Document name, then click Create and open.
4. Esqase creates the file in that folder in your drive, adds it to the folder in Esqase, and opens it in a new tab in Word for the web or Google Docs. You see a message such as 'Engagement letter' created in Microsoft OneDrive, with an Open button in case your browser blocked the new tab.

Your edits in Word or Google Docs come back to Esqase as new versions, within five minutes or straight away with Sync now.

To open a synced Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file (including the copy of a Google Doc, Sheet, or Slides file) in its app later, open the file's More actions (...) menu, or its own page, and click Open in Word for the web (or Open in Excel for the web, Open in PowerPoint for the web, Open in Google Docs, Open in Google Sheets, or Open in Google Slides). The link opens the file in your drive, so a colleague can open it there only if you have shared it with them in OneDrive or Google Drive.

Convert to PDF

You can turn a Word, Excel, PowerPoint, RTF, OpenDocument, or CSV file into a PDF without leaving Esqase.

1. On the file's row, open the More actions (...) menu and click Convert to PDF. (Or open the file and click Convert to PDF in its header; on a narrow screen it sits in the header's More actions menu.)
2. You see Converting to PDF..., then PDF created, and the new PDF opens on its own page.

The PDF is saved in the same folder as the original, with the same name and a .pdf ending (for example, Brief.docx becomes Brief.pdf). The original is not changed. If the original was already approved in a document review, the PDF carries that approval with it.

How Esqase converts the file:

• A file in a folder you synced, once its latest version has reached the drive, is converted by that drive.
• Any other file, including a file in a folder a colleague synced, is converted through your OneDrive, if you have a OneDrive folder syncing. Esqase puts a temporary copy in its own app folder in your OneDrive, converts it, and moves the copy to your OneDrive recycle bin as soon as the PDF is ready.
• Otherwise, Esqase answers Connect Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive from Settings to convert Office files to PDF. With only Google Drive connected, move the file into your synced Google Drive folder first, click Sync now, then convert it.

Convert to PDF appears for members with Update access for documents, on Office files in a synced folder and, once you have a OneDrive folder syncing, on any other Office file. Creating the PDF also needs Create access.

Request a signature on a Word file

Signatures are collected on PDFs, so a Word file (or any other Office file) is converted first. Esqase does both in one step.

1. On the file's row, open the More actions (...) menu and click Request signature (as PDF). (Or open the file and click Request signature (as PDF) in its header.)
2. Esqase converts the file as described in Convert to PDF and opens the new PDF, with the message PDF created. Add signers and fields to send it for signature.
3. Add your signers, place their fields, and send the request, exactly as for any PDF. See Requesting eSignatures.

When everyone has signed, the signed copy becomes the PDF's newest version. If the PDF sits in your synced folder, the signed copy goes to your drive too.

Trash and restore

In Esqase. Moving a synced file or folder to Trash removes it from the drive as well: the confirmation says It is also removed from OneDrive, and restoring it here puts it back (or Google Drive). OneDrive keeps the removed item in its recycle bin, and Google Drive in its trash. Restoring the item from the Trash tab in Esqase uploads it to the drive again. For a Google Doc, Sheet, or Slides file, what goes back is the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint copy Esqase keeps.

In the drive. Deleting a synced file or folder in OneDrive or Google Drive moves it to the Trash tab in Esqase with the next sync. If you then restore it in the drive, the next sync brings it back into Esqase as a new file, and the earlier copy stays in the Esqase Trash.

Disconnect

There are two ways to disconnect, and they do different things.

Stop syncing the folder, keep the connection.

1. Open Settings > Cloud storage.
2. In the drive's section, click Disconnect, then confirm in the Disconnect Microsoft OneDrive? (or Disconnect Google Drive?) dialog.

Esqase stops syncing the folder. Files already in Esqase stay in Esqase, and files in the drive stay in the drive. The folder in Esqase becomes an ordinary folder you can rename, move, or trash. The account stays connected, so Choose folder appears again.

Disconnect the account.

1. On the Integrations page, open the card's more options (⋯) menu and click Disconnect.
2. Confirm in the Disconnect Microsoft OneDrive? (or Disconnect Google Drive?) dialog.

Esqase stops syncing your folder and removes the connection. Files stay where they are on both sides. Disconnecting Google Drive also revokes Esqase's access with Google. For OneDrive, to remove Esqase's access completely, also remove Esqase from your Microsoft account settings.

Limits

• One synced folder per drive, in each firm. OneDrive cannot sync the whole drive; choose a folder inside it.
• A drive folder syncs with one firm at a time. If you belong to more than one firm, each firm needs its own folder. In OneDrive, choose a folder that is not the one you sync with another firm, and not inside or above it. In Google Drive, Esqase uses a folder named Esqase followed by the firm's name in brackets, for example Esqase (Smith Law), for your second firm, because the Esqase folder already syncs with the first. A folder that already syncs with another firm is refused with That folder already syncs with another firm you belong to. Disconnect it there first., and Add from Google Drive leaves out anything inside such a folder.
• Files larger than 100 MB do not sync, and Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides whose Office copy would be larger than 10 MB do not sync. Both are counted as skipped.
• Shared drives, SharePoint document libraries, and files other people share with you are not supported.
• Rich-text documents you write in the Esqase editor stay in Esqase.
• Google Forms, Drawings, Sites, and other Google file types without a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint equivalent do not sync.
• Add from Google Drive takes up to 20 items at a time.
• A Word document or Google Doc name can be up to 200 characters, cannot start or end with a period, and cannot contain any of these characters: " * : < > ? / \ |.
• Changes from the drive arrive with the five-minute check, or when you click Sync now. There is no instant update from the drive.

Troubleshooting

Reconnect messages

• The status reads Needs reconnecting, or the last error says Microsoft OneDrive no longer accepts the saved sign-in. Reconnect Microsoft OneDrive from Settings. (or the same for Google Drive). The drive stopped accepting the sign-in Esqase saved, for example because Esqase was removed from your account's connected apps. On the Integrations page, open the card's more options (⋯) menu, click Reconnect, and approve again with the same account. Esqase says Reconnected. Syncing your folder again. and syncs your folder in the firm you are working in, so it picks up where it stopped. If you also sync a folder in another firm, switch to that firm, open Cloud storage, and click Sync now. Avoid Disconnect here: choosing a folder again makes a new folder in Esqase (see Disconnect).
• The card reads Reconnect to resume syncing your folder. The account was disconnected, for example from the Integrations page while you were working in another firm, but your folder here is still set up. Click Connect on the card and approve again with the same account. Esqase says Reconnected. Syncing your folder again. and the folder picks up where it stopped.
• The last error says Could not refresh the Microsoft OneDrive sign-in. Microsoft could not be reached for a moment. The next sync tries again on its own. If it keeps happening, reconnect as described above.
• An action says OneDrive needs to be reconnected. Reconnect OneDrive from Integrations and try again (or the same for Google Drive). Reconnect as described above.
• Syncing stopped on its own after many failures. After a long run of failed syncs in a row, Esqase stops checking the folder on its five-minute schedule. Fix the cause shown in Last error, then click Sync now; a successful sync starts the schedule again.

The Choose folder step

• Nothing is syncing, and the card reads Choose the folder to sync in Cloud storage settings. You connected the account but did not choose a folder. Open Settings > Cloud storage and click Choose folder.
• Select this folder is greyed out. You are at My files, the top of your OneDrive. Open the folder you want to sync first.
• The last error says The synced folder was deleted in Microsoft OneDrive (or Google Drive). The folder you chose no longer exists in the drive. On the Cloud storage page click Disconnect, then Choose folder and pick another one.
• The In Esqase line says the folder is in the trash, or the last error says The Esqase folder for this sync was deleted or moved to the trash. Restore the folder from the Trash tab in Documents to keep syncing. If it was deleted forever, click Disconnect, then Choose folder again.
• You see That folder already syncs with another firm you belong to. Disconnect it there first. A drive folder syncs with one firm at a time. Choose another folder, or switch to the other firm and click Disconnect there first. See Limits.
• Google Drive made a second folder named Esqase. Esqase can only reuse an Esqase folder it made itself. A folder you created with that name is invisible to it, so it makes its own.

Admin approval in Microsoft work or school accounts

• Microsoft says you need admin approval, or that the app needs permission only an admin can grant. Your organisation's Microsoft 365 settings let only an administrator approve new apps. Ask your IT administrator to approve Esqase for your organisation in the Microsoft Entra admin center, then click Connect on the card again.
• You see Microsoft did not grant Esqase permission to read and write your OneDrive files. Connect again and accept every permission. The file permission was not granted. Connect again and accept every permission; if your organisation blocks it, ask your administrator as above.

Other problems

• You see Google did not grant Esqase permission to manage the files it creates in your Google Drive. Connect again and keep every permission ticked. Click Connect on the Google Drive card again and leave every box ticked on Google's screen.
• A file you put in the Esqase folder in Google Drive does not appear. That is the visibility rule. Add it with New > Add from Google Drive. See The Google Drive visibility rule.
• Add from Google Drive is missing from the New menu. It appears only inside the Esqase (Google Drive) folder or a folder inside it.
• You see Google Drive picking is not available yet. Adding files from Google Drive is not set up for your Esqase environment yet. Everything else about the Google Drive sync still works.
• Word document or Google Doc is missing from the New menu. Open a folder that syncs with a drive you connected yourself.
• You see This folder has not synced yet. Choose Sync now in Settings, then try again. The folder is new and has not reached the drive yet. Click Sync now and try again.
• You see This file has changes that have not synced yet. Choose Sync now in Settings, then try again. The file was changed in Esqase and the drive does not have that version yet. Click Sync now, then convert again.
• You see Your OneDrive storage is full. Free up space and try again. (or the same for Google Drive). Free up space in the drive, then click Sync now.
• A file keeps failing to reach the drive. When the drive refuses a file every time (for example, the drive is full or blocks that file type), Esqase stops trying after five failed attempts and counts it as skipped. Once you have fixed the cause, upload a new version of a file that never reached the drive to make Esqase try again. A file that is already in the drive starts syncing again the next time its copy in the drive changes.
• A sync shows as Failed with The sync run was interrupted. Use Sync now to run it again. Click Sync now.
• The last error says The account that connected this folder no longer has document permissions. Your role no longer includes the document access syncing needs. Ask a firm owner or administrator to restore View, Create, and Update access for documents.
• Open in Word for the web (or Google Docs) does nothing. Your browser may have blocked the new tab. Allow pop-ups for Esqase and try again.

Common questions

• Does Esqase see my whole OneDrive? Microsoft's file permission covers your OneDrive, and Esqase uses it for the folder you choose, to list your folders while you choose one, and for the temporary copies it makes when converting a file that is not in that folder. To notice changes, Esqase reads OneDrive's list of recent changes and ignores everything outside your folder.
• Does Esqase see my whole Google Drive? No. It sees only the files it created and the files you add with Add from Google Drive.
• Can my colleagues see my synced folder? Only if you share it with them, like any other folder in My documents.
• Does Esqase replace a file I edited in Esqase with the drive's copy? Only when the same file changed in both places between syncs. The drive's copy becomes current and your Esqase version stays in the history. See Versions and conflicts.
• Why did my first sync show Partial? A large folder takes more than one sync to arrive in full. The next sync carries on where the last one stopped.

Related

• Integrations overview
• The documents workspace
• Requesting eSignatures
• Approvals for invoices and documents
• Connecting Google (Gmail, Calendar, Meet)
• Connecting Outlook and Zoom
• Roles and permissions