Drive

What you can do with Drive

With Google Drive, you can store your files securely and open or edit them from any device. Files you create with Google apps open in your browser or mobile app. Other types of files in your Drive folder open in their regular applications (like Adobe Reader for PDF files).

Open & Add files & folders

Create a new file from Drive

Click New and choose an option to create a Google file or a folder in Drive.

Upload files or folders to Drive

If you're using the latest Chrome Browser or Firefox, you can drag files or folders from your computer into a Drive folder. Or, you can click New File upload or Folder upload and choose the file or folder you want to upload.

You can also use Drive for desktop to upload files or folders.

Upload a file with the same name

If you upload a file with the same name, Google Drive will upload the file as a revision of the file already in Google Drive.

To keep both files:

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
Upload a file.
Click Keep as separate file.

Learn more at the Drive Help Center

Work Drive interface

Move files into Drive folders

Select the file.
Click More Move to .
Select the folder and click Move or Move here.

You can also drag files and folders to a folder in My Drive on the left.

Delete files in Drive

To remove a file from your Drive, put it in your trash. The file will stay in your trash for 30 days before being automatically deleted. When you put a file in the trash:

If you own the file, people you’ve shared it with can make a copy. Learn how to permanently delete a file.
If you don’t own the file, removing the file from your Drive only removes it for you.

Delete a file

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
Click a file.
Click Remove .

Restore a file

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
On the left, click Trash.
Click the file you want to restore.
At the top, click Restore .
- Tip: You can sort your trashed files by trashed date to find the oldest or newest files trashed.
You can find restored files in their original location. If the original location no longer exists, look in "My Drive.

Search for files in Drive

On your computer, go to https://drive.google.com.
(Optional) To narrow your search, use these options:
- Type: Search by file type
- People: Search by people associated with the file, such as who the file is shared with
- Modified: Search by the date a file was last modified
- Location: Search in a specific folder
In the search box, type a word or phrase. Suggestions appear as you type. To see more search options, click Advanced search.

Quickly see who changed what

When you’re collaborating on a document, you’ll want to see what changes have been made since you last worked on it. With Docs, you can instantly see what’s changed, who changed it, and when. If you need to revert to an earlier version of your document, use the revision history.

See who commented, edited, moved, or shared a file

You can see activity on files in My Drive or in a shared drive.

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
On the left click My Drive.
In the upper right, click Info .
Select an option. To access:
- Recent changes, select an option:
  - Click Activity
  - Scroll down the right side
- The activity of a specific file or folder, click the file or folder.

In Google Workspace, you can still work with Microsoft Office files, even if you don't have Office installed.

You can:

Add Office files to Google Drive.
Keep your files in Microsoft format, even if you no longer have Office.
Convert Office documents and Adobe PDF files to Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides.
Work in Office and save changes to Drive.
Comment on Office files in Drive preview.
Email copies of Docs, Sheets, or Slides files in a Microsoft format.
Preview or download Office files that are embedded within other Office files.

Work with Microsoft Office files

Add Office files to Drive

Save and access your Office files from Drive.

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
At the top left, click New File upload.
Choose the file you want to upload.

Work in Office and sync files to Drive (Office required)

After you move your Office files to Drive, you can still work on them in Office and save your changes to Drive.

If you haven't already, install Google Drive for desktop on your computer. This adds your Google Drive folder to your computer.
On your computer, add your Office file to your Google Drive folder.
In Office, click FileOpen and find your Google Drive folder.
Click your Office file and click Open.
Edit your file.
Any changes you make to your file in Office sync in Drive.

Share a copy of a file in an Office format

If you're sharing a Google file with people who only have Office, you can attach a Microsoft copy to an email.

In Docs, Sheets, or Slides, open the file.
Click FileEmail as attachment.
Under Attach as, choose Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft PowerPoint.
Enter the email address, subject, and message.
(Optional) Check the Send a copy to myself box.
Click Send.

Learn more at the Google Drive Help Center

Add labels to files in Drive

Labels help you organize, find, and apply policies to items in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. You can apply up to 5 labels to each file.

Apply a label from Drive

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
Right click on a file or multiple files, and choose Labels and then Apply a label from the menu.
Use the dialog to choose a label, and field values to apply to the file.

Notes:

To remove a label from a file, find the label you want to remove and click Remove .
If you do not see the Labels section, it may be that your administrator has not yet enabled it for your account. Contact your administrator.

Apply a label from Docs, Sheets, or Slides

When viewing or editing a file in Docs, Sheets, or Slides, click the File menu and choose Labels.
View existing labels and apply new labels in the side panel.

Note: To remove a label from a file, find the label you want to remove and click Remove .

See labels using the Drive App

On your mobile device, open the Drive app (iOS, Android).
Find the file you want to view labels for.
Use the ellipsis button to open the context menu, and choose Details and activity.
Choose Labels from the Details view.

Note: Labels cannot be applied or modified in the mobile app at this time.

Find files with labels

Use Drive search options to find content with specific labels or fields.

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
At the top, next to Search Drive, click the Down arrow .
Next to Labels, select a label from the drop-down menu.
Below the label you chose, you can optionally select a field from the drop down menu, and specify a value.
Click Search.

Note: Search results only contain files you can access.

Star important files or folders

Right-click a file or folder.
Select OrganizeAdd to Starred.
(Optional) To see all your starred files and folders, in the left sidebar, click Starred.

Color-code a Drive folder

Organize your Drive visually with color-coded folders.

Right-click the folder you want to change.
Click Change color and choose the color you want.

Mark & prioritize important files

To keep important or frequently used files at your fingertips, you can:

Add files to a workspace in Drive
Star files
Color-code folders

Note: Adding files to a workspace does not remove them from anywhere else or change permissions. It just puts them in one place so you can quickly find them.

Create a workspace and add files

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
On the left, click Workspaces Create Workspace.
- Enter a name for the workspace and click Create.
Click Add files.
On the right, under Add to Workspace, choose where you want to add files from.
- You can add from Recent, My Drive, and Shared Drives.
Find the files you want to add and select them.
Click Insert Done.

Add a single file to a workspace

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
Find the file you like to add.
Right-click the file you like to add.
Select Organize Add to Workspace Name of workspace.

Learn more at the Google Drive Help Center

Find files and folders with shortcuts

Shortcuts can make it easier for you and your team to find and organize files and folders in Google Drive. A shortcut is a link that references another file or folder. You can use them in My Drive or a shared drive.

Anyone with access to the file, folder, or shared drive can see a shortcut, but it doesn’t mean they can open it. You need to give people access to the original file, not the shortcut.

Create shortcuts

On your computer, go to Google Drive.
Right click on a file or folder.
Click Organize > Add shortcut .

Notes:

If you create a shortcut in a folder that’s owned by someone else, you can’t delete the shortcut.
You can't create a shortcut of a shortcut, but you can make a copy of it.

Delete shortcuts

In your browser, go to Google Drive.
Right click the shortcut you want to remove.
Click Move to trash .
To permanently remove the shortcut, delete it from your trash.
- On the left, click Trash.
- Right click the shortcut you want to delete Delete forever .

Note: Deleting a shortcut does not delete the original file or folder the shortcut is based on. The original file or folder can only be deleted by the owner.

Fix broken shortcuts

A shortcut will break if:

You don’t have permission to open the original file.
The original file is in the trash.
The original file is deleted.

To fix the broken shortcut, try to restore the original file, or ask the owner for permission to open the file.

Set up offline access for files in Drive

Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers only

If you want to view and edit files when you're not connected to the internet, set up offline access. You need to do this before you go offline or lose internet access.

Before you turn on offline access

You must be connected to the internet.
You must use the Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser.
Don't use private browsing.
Install and turn on Google Docs Offline Chrome extension.
Make sure you have enough available space on your device to save your files.

Turn on offline access to recent files

Open Google Drive.
At the top right, click Settings Settings.
Turn on Offline setting.
- If you are using Microsoft Edge, you will be redirected to the Chrome Web Store to download the Google Docs Offline extension.
To work offline, open Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides.

Make specific files available for offline editing

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
Right click the Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file you want to save offline.
Click Make available offline .

To save multiple files offline, press Shift or Command (Mac)/Ctrl (Windows) while you click other files.

If you need access to many of your Drive files, you might want to set up Drive for desktop instead.

What happens to my offline changes?

If you edit a file offline:

Changes are implemented when you’re back online.
New changes overwrite previous changes.
You can find edits in the file’s version history.

Tip: Learn how to find what's changed in a file.

Learn more at the Google Drive Help Center

Access your files from any device

Share a file in Drive

Select the file you want to share.
Click Share or Share .
Enter the email address or Google group you want to share with.
To decide what role people will have on your file, select Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
If your account is eligible, you can add an expiration date for access.
Choose to notify people.
- If you want to notify people that you shared an item with them, check the box next to Notify people. If you notify people, each email address you enter will be included in the email.
- If you don't want to notify people, uncheck the box.
Click Send or Share

Note: If visitor sharing is on for your organization, you can invite someone who doesn't have a Google Account to collaborate on your Google Drive files and folders. See Share documents with visitors.

Tip: If you're collaborating with a group of people on many files, you might want to set up a shared drive instead.

Share a link to a file in Drive

You can choose if your file should be available to anyone or restricted to only the people with access. If you allow access to anyone with the link, your folder won't restrict who can access it.

Select the file you want to share.
Click Share or Share .
Under “General access”, click the Down arrow .
Choose who can access the file.

Tip: If you use your Google account for work or school, you can choose to only share files and folders with a specific audience, like your department. You might find a description of each audience when you hover over the group name.

To decide what role people will have with your file, select Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
- Learn more about how others view, comment, or edit files.
Click Done.

Learn more at the Drive Help Center.

Change permissions on your files in Drive

In Drive, click a file or folder, then click Share .
Change permissions as desired.
Click Save.

You can also make someone else the owner of your file.

Stop sharing your files in Drive

Find the file or folder in Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides.
Open or select the file or folder.
Click Share or Share .
Find the person you want to stop sharing with.
To the right of their name, click the Down arrow Remove access.
Click Save.

Restrict access to files you own

Find the file or folder in Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides.
Open or select the file or folder.
Click Share or Share Copy link .
Under “General access”, click the Down arrow .
Select Restricted.
Click Done.

Learn more at the Drive Help Center

Set an expiration date on confidential proposals

If you’re sending proposals to outside clients or agencies, you might want to restrict their access after any projects are complete. Set an expiration date on files so they can’t view them once the project ends.

Open a file in Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides.
Click Share find the user you'd like to give temporary permissions to.
- If you haven't shared the file with that person yet, add the user's email and click Send or Share. At the top right of the document, click Share again.
Next to the person's name, click the Down arrow Add expiration.
Next to "Access expires," click a date to set as the expiration date. Choose a date within one year of the current date.
Click Save.

Transfer ownership of a file

You can transfer ownership of your Google Drive files and folders to someone else in your organization. If you transfer ownership of a folder, you also have to transfer ownership of each file in the folder.

Transfer ownership of a file or folder

On your computer, open Google Drive.
Find the file you want to transfer then right-click.
Click Share > click Share .
Next to the recipients name, click the Down arrow Transfer ownership.

Share files & folders

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