How to use Google Drive: Is a cloud storage solution that provides 15GB of free storage space and free packages, as well as other storage space and features. With its simple interface and integration with Google Docs, Google Drive is a user-friendly choice.
If you are not familiar with Google Drive, check out the guide below to learn how to create an account, upload and download documents, share files, and make the most of the service.
Getting started – Accessing Google Drive
Step 1 – If you don’t have this account, you’ll need to get a Google account before you can continue to use Drive. Registration is free, so you can access all Google services smoothly and synchronously.
If you want more than 15GB of storage space, you need to pay, but whether you choose to do so, it will not affect your ability to use the service. Given that popular web browsers have a variety of extensions and tools that integrate well with Google Drive, there is no harm in downloading Google Chrome.
Step 2: After registering (or logging in to an existing account), you can access Cloud Drive through a browser or a dedicated mobile application, currently available for Android and iOS.
Navigating – Upgrade my google drive
After logging in to Drive, click the colored plus sign “New” button or “My Drive” in the upper left corner of the screen. In the mobile app, press the circle with the plus sign in the bottom right corner.
This will open a menu that allows you to create or upload files to Drive. You can create spreadsheets, Word documents, slide presentations, tables, graphics and other content through third-party applications.
We won’t go into depth on how to use these free programs here, but here are some tips to help you quickly learn how to use these services:
Tip 1: The buttons on Drive are very simple and straightforward, but if you’re not sure what a button does, just hover your mouse over the button. A pop-up window should appear explaining the function of the button.
Tip 2: If you have ever used Microsoft Office (ie Excel, Word or PowerPoint), then Google’s spreadsheets, documents, and slideshow software should look familiar.
Their operations are similar and arguably more intuitive. You won’t find as many features as Microsoft software, but Drive is free, so this is to be expected.
Tip 3: Although you can go to the main “Documents“, “Worksheets” or “Slides” page to view all files of that type in the same place, creating folders may be a better way to stay organized.
To create a folder, click the “New” button in the upper left corner, select “Folder”, and then name the file directory. Then, just drag the file from the main page of the drive to the folder of your choice.
You can also star the files you want to access in the future by clicking “Add Star” in the item menu, but please remember that these files can only be viewed by the person who added the files, and specific items are shared with you People cannot view.
Tip 4: Another way to quickly find items in Drive is to use the “Search in Drive” feature. There is a field at the top of each page where you can search for files by file name or file type.
If you press the down arrow in this field or in the “More search tools”, you can further specify and search for files based on specific criteria, such as the date or who the file is shared with.
How to use Google Drive: Getting the most out of Google Drive
Uploading and sharing documents
To upload a document to Drive, click the “Upload file” or “File upload” button under “New” or “My Drive” and select a file from your computer. Drive is very suitable for personal use, but its powerful collaboration tools distinguish it from other cloud services.
If you need to work remotely with someone in your project, you can share the document with them and make changes together in real time.
To share the document after it is created, click the “Share” button in the upper right corner, add a collaborator using their email address, and click the blue “Done” button.
After granting them access, the document should appear under the “Shared with me” tab in their Drive dashboard, and a link to the shared document will be sent to their email inbox.
You can use the shareable link at the bottom of the “Share with people and groups” menu to send files via text or other messaging services. Just click “Copy Link” at the bottom of the menu.
In the shared document, you can view the document currently being edited by viewing it in the upper right corner of the window. The names of collaborators will be displayed in different colors (or with pictures of their accounts), so you can quickly distinguish them. Just hover the cursor over any color to see the color it represents.
Downloading documents and accessing files offline
Another useful feature of Drive is that you can view and edit files even if you don’t have internet access. All you need to do is download the Google Docs Offline extension for Google Chrome.
After the download is complete and enabled in the “Drive” settings, you can access specific files (documents, tables, and slides) even when you are on the go or without the Internet. In the file window, a gray circle with a lightning bolt will appear next to the file name to let you know the offline status.
However, one of the disadvantages of this is that you can only access the files you created, and you cannot share them with anyone. You must also have Google Drive open in your browser.
Assuming that you have previously enabled this feature in “Settings”, you can also access data offline through the mobile app.
Adding multiple collaborators via a Google Group
If you want to share a document with a large group of people, you can share the document with the entire Google Group to avoid entering each email address individually. Then everyone in the group (and people added to the group later) can access any content you share.
Sharing multiple files at once
Need to share a bunch of files at once? You can move them to a folder and share that folder instead of sharing each file individually. Everyone who shares the folder with you can access all the data in it.
Converting documents created with other programs
Do you need to share documents with colleagues or friends so that they can collaborate, but have the files included in another similar program? do not worry.
As long as the file format is correct, most files can be easily converted to Google documents, which can then be shared and collaboratively edited. To do this, just upload the required file and open it in Drive.
Next, in the document preview screen that appears, select the “Open with” drop-down menu button. Depending on the file type, Google will recommend using a suitable program to open it.
Choose a program from the menu to convert it to Google Docs format. Below are the file formats that can currently be converted to Google Drive.
Reverting to an older version of a document
A major problem with collaboration is that it is often difficult to fix what others have messed up. Especially for real-time documents that multiple people can access, tracking changes becomes a headache.
Thankfully, if you encounter one of the following situations, don’t worry-Google will support you. Drive will save each updated version of the document for 30 days or 100 revisions (whichever comes first).
The built-in save function makes it easy to restore to an older version of the file (even multiple times).
To retrieve the old version of the document, open the file you want to change. Click File, and then click Version History. Then, select “View Version History.” A new screen will open and a bar will appear on the right side of the document.
This column lists previous revisions in chronological order. Click on any of them to get a preview of that specific revision. If you want to use this button, click the blue “Restore this version” button that appears at the top of the screen.
Click it to restore the document to that version. The version history also enables you to see who made the changes.
When sharing documents, make sure to pay attention to who has editing permissions instead of read-only permissions to avoid unauthorized changes.
How to use Google Drive: Utilizing Google Drive apps
If you need to access a previous version of a document, please open the corresponding file first. Choose File>Version History. Then select “View Version History”. This will open a new screen on the right side of the document.
The screen will contain a bar that will show you a timeline of each revision you make to the document. You can select any of these versions and see its preview. Find the version you want and click the blue “Restore this version” button that appears at the top of the screen.
After clicking, the document will be restored to the old version. Another useful feature of version history is the ability to see who changed.
If necessary, you can lock the document so that only you (and trusted colleagues or contacts) can edit-while allowing other authorized users to view it.
