I’m new to this forum and hope to learn how to remove my info from Google drive to a safe storage. I hope to find a word processing program which will be more protected from government and big tech oversight. I own a macOS Ventura 2017 and do not have an active Word account. I’ve been using Google docs and drive. I need help and guidance. Thank you
1 Like
Welcome @Howdygal .
Google should let you export everything from its drive. https://www.howtogeek.com/696484/how-to-export-your-google-drive-files/
Once you have your data on your computer, an open source editor will let you modify documents and create new ones.
Open Source Editors that work on Mac, Windows, and Linux:
OnlyOffice (better compatibility with Microsoft Word currently) ONLYOFFICE desktop and mobile apps | ONLYOFFICE
LibreOffice Download LibreOffice | LibreOffice - Free Office Suite - Based on OpenOffice - Compatible with Microsoft
With local files, it is up to you to make sure they get backed up to somewhere safe. At the minimum I would buy a thumb drive just for your documents.
2 Likes
Welcome @Howdygal
@Zip is right ON! Get your data off the clouds. A USB stick is great to save data.
Once you are comfy with your data and a USB stick (some people call it a USB key) you might want to get a second USB stick for a new operating system. (Distro on a stick!)
My PowerMac(2013) started up Linux Cinnamon Mint first time perfectly. My wifi, printer, touchpad, second monitor all worked with no attention from me. I kept the MACOS on the internal drive and run “Mint” from a USB drive (bigger than a stick, it’s 1TB).
I personally prefer Libre Office as a replacement for Google Doc/Sheets/Presentations… iWork Pages etc and of course MSOffice+. OnlyOffice is cool too, just not my preference AND since they are free (FOSS) there is no $ to spend trying them out.
Good luck!
1 Like
I’ll second what @NorseMan stated regarding Libre Office. Being a Linux Mint user, the suite is provided with the O/S install. The ability to read & write Micro$oft format files is quite useful.
Cloud data vs local data - I personally keep all of our data locally, on a NAS ( Network Attached Storage ) device. The media used doesn’t matter in the big picture, having the data lcoal does. 
USB stick/drive, spare drive in your system, whatever works in your case.
Google is not our friend when it comes to anything even remotely related to privacy. Perhaps in their paid services, but I don’t have any trust in the freebie services.
Go forth and prosper! 
1 Like