Google Drive is an immensely well-known cloud storage service that allows you to save documents to the cloud, and then access them on your mobile, tablet or even your computer. It’s pre-installed on a lot of new Android phones and you’ve probably already got an account if ever used Gmail.
It’s fast and easy to use, however for those who are new to cloud storage and haven’t had the experience of competitors such as Dropbox or Box it could be quite confusing. To make it easier, we created this basic guide to using Google Drive. Use the jump links to jump to the relevant section for you. If you don’t have it installed on your smartphone, use the download buttons down below for downloading the application for Android and iOS.
- 1 What is Google Drive? What is its purpose?
What is Google Drive? What is its purpose?
We’ll not get too technical here however Google Drive is the Google’s cloud storage service. It lets you save your documents and media on Google servers, allowing you to free storage space on your computer, and access them on almost any device that has Internet access.
Before we get into all the features available and demonstrate how to use Google Drive, let’s talk about a few basics that you should be aware of. First, you’ll need an account with a Google account to access the service. It’s free and is created in just a few minutes. It gives an access point to every one Google’s services like Drive, Gmail, Photos, YouTube, Play Store and many more.
It is possible to access Drive online via visiting drive.google.com or using the free Android application. You can also access all of your files through your Drive Folder on your computer using Google Drive for Desktop, however, you must download the application first.
It is possible to download the program on Drive’s site. On the homepage, click the settings icon on the right side followed by download Drive for desktop. Follow the steps to install after which you can start the program and proceed through the set-up procedure, and you’ll find an Google Drive icon under the Favorites tab of Windows.
Google Drive pricing
For storage, you can get 15GB free of charge that is shared among Drive, Gmail, and Photos. It’s plenty for most users However, you can also add more storage with an annual or monthly subscription fees. This subscription has now been rebranded as Google One, and gives an additional benefit beyond the usual storage, such as rebates from Google Store. Google Store.
We’ll be focusing upon Google Drive pricing here, therefore let’s take a an overview of the basic storage. A 100GB plan sets the cost at $2 per month, while the 200GB plan is $3 a month, while the biggest 2TB plan costs just $10 per month. It’s worth noting that you could reduce costs by paying for your subscription annually. It’s about two months of free service, compared to a subscription month-to-month.
One thing you must remember to remember is Google Photos storage will soon add to the limit of your Drive. If you are planning to use photos (and many Android people do) This could be a reason enough to upgrade to a premium plan. There are also additional benefits including the possibility to share your storage with your family members.
Types of supported file formats
Space for storage is the primary issue for many cloud storage services, however limitations on file types could be a major issue for many users. Fortunately, Google Drive supports a number of file types such as .jpeg, .png, .gif and mpeg4 .mov and .avi You can find the complete list here.
There are limitations on file size however they shouldn’t create problems for the majority of users.
Documents: up the limit of 1.02 million words. When you transform a Text file in Google Docs format, it could be as big as 50 MB.
Spreadsheets: Up to 2 million spreadsheet cells that can be created or converted into Google Sheets.
Presentations up to 100MB of presentations can be converted into Google Slides.
Other files: Up to 5TB.
This concludes our overview on the basics of what Google Drive is and some fundamental things you need to be aware of before beginning. After we’ve removed that information from the way, let’s take a an overview of how to utilize Google Drive.
How do I transfer and download Google Drive files
In order to be able to access your documents on Google Drive, you first have to upload them through the internet, your computer, or mobile device. We’ll start with the web client, in which there are two methods to upload your files to Drive.
The second is the drag-and-drop method: choose an image you’d like to transfer from your computer and drag it onto Drive from the browser window, then drop it. This method works for individual files and folders. There’s a small window at the bottom which shows the progress of uploads.
Another alternative is to click the New button on the left-hand side of the site. You can then choose Upload Files or Folders (image in the above image). Choose the files or folders that you would like to upload, then click open or upload and you’re ready to go.
A simpler method of uploading files to Google’s cloud storage is to utilize Google Drive for Desktop. Google Drive for Desktop. Drag the documents you’d like to upload, and drop them in your Drive folder. It’s similar to moving documents from one location to the next from your personal computer however, it might take some time for the files to be synchronized.
Uploading files to the device on your smartphone is also simple. Start the Drive app, click the + icon at the bottom-right corner and choose the file you wish to transfer into the cloud. You can also add files to Drive by opening them and clicking Share and then saving them to Drive.
Uploading and downloading data from Google Drive is also fast and simple for any device that has Internet access. In the case of Google Drive for Desktop, the files you upload are copied to any folder on your PC just as any other file. It is also possible to download your files using the web browser by right-clicking and selecting Download. This applies to both individual files as well as entire folders.
For mobile devices, it might be easier to save the files on the cloud and browse them when you need they, however there are situations when you’ll have to locate the Google Drive download button. All you have to do is locate your file within the app, click the three dots to the right side, and then download and you’re ready to go.
How do you organize and delete your files on Google Drive
It is possible to organize the files within Drive in the same way as you do on your PC. It is possible to keep the files in one location (My Drive is the default) or place them in separate folders. To create a folder using the web client, simply click the New button and choose the Folder. It is also possible to right-click inside your Drive Folder on the PC and create a new one as you would normally do on Windows. On your mobile, click on the + icon in blue and then choose Folder which is shown in the images below.
To transfer files to a web-based folder you can use drag and drop for the web browser as well as to move files into the Drive folder. It’s also possible on mobile however, in my personal experience it’s more efficient when you tap the icon for More actions (three horizontal dots) next to the file, choose the Move option and then select the new destination to store the data.
How to delete Drive files
Storage space is in short supply within the cloud, it’s crucial to understand how to remove Drive files in order to free the space. The most straightforward method online is to choose an appropriate folder or file, then use”Delete” on the keyboard. This works with both the web client and the Drive folders.
To erase the Drive document on your smartphone Tap the More actions icon beside the document (three horizontal dots) and then select remove.
One of the great things concerning Drive is the capability to share files with other users. These could be single documents and folders. To share the link of a Google Drive file or folder choose it, then click the Shareable link icon. Then copy and send the link to the people you would like to.
It is important to note that you can control what users are able to do with your link. By default, the Restricted Mode ensures that only those you specifically add are able to view the file. It is possible to change this so that anyone who has the link can access the file. In the case of Google Docs and Sheets, you can choose between editing and viewing permissions.
The process is similar to mobile devices. Click the More action icon (three vertical dots) in front of the file, and then turn on an option to share the file. Link share option. The link will be automatically copied, so you are able to paste in a message application and then send it to your friend. You can also click Add people for the link to be sent via email to an address.
How do I utilize Google Drive with third-party apps
Drive is linked to Google’s Office suite of productivity that comprises Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides that are similar to Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. While these three services do not have their own websites each document you create will be saved to Drive. Drive is also compatible with other Google services such as Google Forms, Google Drawings and much more.
It is possible to create your document directly through Google Drive’s interface on the web or via the mobile application and it will then direct you to Google Doc’s specific page. What exactly do you need to do? Simply click on the blue New button at the top-left corner of the site and then choose Google Docs, Google Sheets as well as Google Slides. On mobile, click on the plus icon in blue and choose from the options described in the preceding sentence.
Whichever option you pick it will be possible access your documents via your smartphone, PC or desktop device, or using the Drive file on your PC.
Google Drive also integrates with numerous third-party applications. They include:
DocHub (signing PDFs)
Pixlr Express (photo editor)
Draw.io (diagrams)
and many and many
A third-party app that is compatible in conjunction with Google Drive is WhatsApp, which lets you save your old messages to Google Drive’s cloud storage service. It’s even better news that WhatsApp has made a change that lets users save messages to Google Drive without having them be counted towards their storage limit.
You can browse all the available apps via the web interface. Click the New button and then choose More, followed by Connecting more apps. If you find something you like then click Connect to connect it with Drive.
Making use of Gmail’s Drive integration
One of the most effective and most effective integrations is the one between Gmail as well as Google Drive. Actually, the unofficial assistance for using Gmail to store data was available before Google Drive as a service. The program was created by fans named Gmail Drive which allowed you to utilize Gmail as storage medium. It was obvious that once Google Drive and Drive for Desktop were launched, Gmail Drive was no longer needed and not supported anymore.
To share the Drive file via Gmail Start writing messages and then click on the Drive icon that is located at the lower right of your screen. Then, you can browse to your file, and then share the file. On your mobile, tap on the icon for Attachment (the paperclip) on right at the very top, and then insert the file the file from Drive. It’s also an easy method to upload large file that are shared via hyperlinks rather than attachments.
It’s also simple to download Gmail files to a drive. Simply hover on the picture or another media files and then click the Drive icon on the lower right. On mobile devices, you need to hold the image in a long-press and then click View image. Click on the icon More Options (the 3 dots) on the right side after which you can save the image to your drive.
It’s important to remember that Gmail files Gmail are counted towards the same limit of storage as those on Drive (just like images that are stored on Google Photos), so you’re not really making any savings by doing this. But you’re making them more searchable through the Drive interface for the web, mobile as well as desktop applications.
How do you utilize Google Drive offline
Being able to upload your documents online can be a great way to access them on different devices, however it also means that you’re not able to view or edit them without internet access. However, that’s not the situation when using Google Drive. It has an offline mode that allows you to access your files even if you’re not connected to internet. You can edit and view documents such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides All changes automatically synchronized once the internet connection is established.
You must enable offline access for each device. On your computer, click the settings menu, then enable offline mode (image in the above image). Make sure you get Google Docs offline Chrome extension. Google Docs offline Chrome extension. Once you’ve done that you’ll be able to visit Drive’s website to browse or modify your documents. Keep in mind that you must make use of the Chrome browser to allow this to be able to work. Naturally, you could open files through in the Drive Folder on your desktop that will be displayed in Chrome.
The process is a little different for mobile devices. To open the Drive app, then tap on the More options icon (three vertical dots) on top of a file, then choose Offline mode. You can also press long on a file , then select other ones, and follow the exact procedure to enable offline mode on several files at the same simultaneously.
