Issue:
In an environment where Google Drive is the chosen method to share drawings between users with AutoCAD for Mac and the Windows version of AutoCAD, there can often be external references and images that cannot be resolved from one or the other AutoCAD platform.
Causes:
When all the common solutions and adjustments to re-connect the lost xrefs fail to locate them, a more comprehensive solution is needed.
Solution:
The problem can often be solved in the Google Drive settings, which is often overlooked.
First, check Chrome or Edge for the presence of the Google Docs Offline extension from the customize dot stack at the top right of the browser.
Go to More Tools > Extensions. Then find 'Google Docs Offline' and slide the switch to turn it on as shown below.
Then on your workstation go to the local shared Google Drive and select the folder then right-click to select 'Offline Access' then 'Available offline'.
Finally, open AutoCAD for Mac, or the Windows version of AutoCAD, and test opening a drawing that has external references on the Google Drive share.
For more information about using Google Drive files offline, click here.
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