Prereq

Before you connect reMarkable to Google Drive: the Connect requirement

To connect reMarkable to Google Drive, the device needs an active reMarkable Connect subscription. This is the paid tier (reMarkable’s optional monthly subscription); the free tier handles cloud sync between the device and the reMarkable mobile/desktop app but does not include Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive integration. If you’ve been using a reMarkable on the free plan and want to start syncing to Drive, you’ll need to subscribe to Connect first. Pricing lives on reMarkable’s Connect page and varies by region; the integration is included in both individual Connect and Connect for Business plans.

The Connect requirement is the most common confusion in the Google Drive setup. Buyers expect the integration to ship with the device because every modern tablet has cloud-storage support natively; reMarkable’s free tier is unusually restrictive on this. The integration itself works well once you’re subscribed, but the subscription is the gate. If you’re not sure you want a Connect subscription, the free tier and a manual export workflow (sideload PDFs through the reMarkable app, export marked-up PDFs back the same way) covers similar ground at zero cost.

Setup

How to connect reMarkable to Google Drive: the five-minute setup

Once you have an active Connect subscription, the actual setup takes about five minutes. On the reMarkable device, open Settings, then Account, then Cloud Services. The screen shows a list of available integrations (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive). Tap Add next to Google Drive. The device opens a browser-based OAuth flow where you sign in to your Google account, grant the reMarkable app access to specific Drive folders, and accept the permissions. Within seconds the Drive folders appear in the reMarkable file manager.

The folder permission step matters. Google’s OAuth flow asks which Drive folders you want the reMarkable to access. Pick a specific folder (e.g., “reMarkable”, “Work Notes”, “Meeting PDFs”) rather than granting full Drive access; the device only needs to see the folders that flow into your reMarkable workflow. This keeps the integration scoped and makes the sync faster because the device doesn’t try to index your entire Drive. Add more folders later from the same Settings menu if your workflow expands.

Sync

What actually syncs between reMarkable and Google Drive

Direction File type How it syncs
Drive to reMarkable PDFs and EPUBs in granted folder Appear in file manager under Drive folder name
reMarkable to Drive Marked-up PDFs you export Export back to Drive folder with handwriting flattened
reMarkable to Drive Notebooks (native reMarkable pages) Export as PDF, then choose Drive as the destination
Drive to reMarkable Google Docs (native format) Convert to PDF first; native .gdoc doesn’t open on reMarkable
Drive to reMarkable Images, videos, spreadsheets Not synced; the integration is PDF/EPUB only

The integration is scoped to documents the reMarkable can actually open: PDFs and EPUBs. Google Docs in native .gdoc format don’t appear on the device; you convert them to PDF first inside Docs (File > Download > PDF) and the PDF then flows through Drive to the reMarkable. The same applies to spreadsheets and slides; convert to PDF for the device. Photos, videos, and other media types are not synced; the reMarkable is a document device, not a media tablet.

To connect reMarkable to Google Drive well, scope the OAuth grant to a specific folder rather than your whole Drive. The sync is faster, the file manager stays manageable, and you avoid accidentally syncing unrelated documents to a writing device.Setup section

Troubleshoot

Common reMarkable Google Drive sync issues

Three recurring issues come up when users connect reMarkable to Google Drive. First, the folder doesn’t appear after OAuth: usually means the OAuth grant was scoped to a folder you forgot to actually create in Drive. Open Drive, confirm the folder exists, refresh the integration on the device, and the files appear. Second, exported PDFs don’t go back to Drive: this means the export destination defaulted to the reMarkable cloud rather than Drive. Choose Drive explicitly on each export, or set Drive as the default in Settings > Cloud Services.

Third, sync is slow on large folders: Google Drive’s API throttles large folder indexing, so the first sync of a 500-PDF folder can take 10-15 minutes. Subsequent syncs are fast because only changes propagate. The workaround is to keep your reMarkable-synced folder focused (under 100 PDFs at a time); archive older PDFs to a different Drive folder that the reMarkable doesn’t have access to. For deeper Connect-subscription detail, our reMarkable Connect for Business piece covers the org-tier setup.

If you’ve connected your reMarkable to Google Drive and worked out a folder structure that keeps the integration manageable long-term, drop the pattern in the comments. The Drive-folder discipline is where most users either lock in a clean workflow or watch the integration drift into chaos.

FAQ

Common questions, answered briefly

Do I need Connect to connect reMarkable to Google Drive?
Yes. Google Drive integration requires an active reMarkable Connect subscription (paid tier). The free tier covers device-to-reMarkable-cloud sync only. If you’re not sure you want a subscription, run on free for a week and see how often you’d export PDFs manually; if more than three times a week, Connect earns its fee.
How do I connect reMarkable to Google Drive step by step?
On the reMarkable, open Settings > Account > Cloud Services > Add Google Drive. Sign in to your Google account through the OAuth flow, grant access to a specific Drive folder (not your full Drive), accept the permissions. Within seconds the folder appears in the reMarkable file manager. About five minutes start to finish.
What syncs between reMarkable and Google Drive?
PDFs and EPUBs in your granted folder sync to the reMarkable. Marked-up PDFs export back to Drive with your handwriting flattened. Notebooks (native reMarkable pages) export as PDFs to Drive on demand. Google Docs in native .gdoc format don’t sync directly; convert to PDF first. Images, videos, and other media types are not part of the integration.
Can I connect reMarkable to Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive at the same time?
Yes. The Connect subscription includes all three cloud-storage integrations, and you can connect more than one at a time. Each integration uses its own OAuth flow and scopes to its own folder structure. Most users settle on one primary cloud service and treat the other two as optional; running all three active without discipline can make the file manager noisy.
Why doesn’t my Google Drive folder appear on the reMarkable after setup?
Usually means the OAuth grant was scoped to a Drive folder that doesn’t exist yet, or the folder is empty. Open Drive in a browser, confirm the folder exists and has at least one PDF or EPUB, then refresh the Cloud Services screen on the reMarkable. The folder appears within a few seconds. If it still doesn’t, re-run the OAuth setup and pick a different folder.

If yours isn’t above, drop the question in the comments and we’ll fold it in next refresh.

People also ask

Other questions, briefly answered

What does Connect cost and include? How does the reMarkable desktop app work? What’s the full reMarkable lineup in 2026? What templates work on the reMarkable?
OEM Spec reMarkable: Connect plan page (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive integrations) remarkable.com/store/connect Doc reMarkable: official help (cloud services setup, troubleshooting) remarkable.com/help