When you requested me to call the websites and functions I take advantage of each single day, Google Drive can be close to the highest of the listing. What’s Google Drive? a cloud-based app used for file creation, storing, sharing, collaboration, and a complete lot extra.
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In truth, Google Drive has extra worth than meets the attention. Do you know that you may crop photographs proper inside a Google Doc? Or that you should utilize Drive to ship actually massive recordsdata to folks — recordsdata which can be too massive for Gmail?
Let’s discover ways to take full benefit of what Google Drive has to supply. (You would possibly need to bookmark our list of little-known Google Calendar features, too.)
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What’s Google Drive?
Google Drive is a free, cloud-based file storage service that permits customers to avoid wasting recordsdata on-line and entry them from anyplace. With Drive, you’ll be able to simply share recordsdata with others and collaborate.
When you’ve got a Google account, you have already got entry to Drive and 15GB of free storage.
How does Google Drive work?
Whereas the first operate of Google Drive is storage, Drive additionally serves because the nerve heart for your whole account-related exercise. Drive integrates with Google Docs, Slides, Types, and Sheets which let you not solely create new recordsdata however collaborate on them along with your group in actual time.
You’ll be able to add your recordsdata on-line or set up Drive for Desktop, which lets you sync folders out of your laptop to Drive. When you edit, transfer, or take away a file on the cloud, the identical occurs in your laptop (or no matter gadget you might be utilizing).
The best way to Use It
As we briefly talked about above, to make use of Google Drive you’ll first must arrange an account. Merely head to Google’s homepage and click on “sign up” the place you’ll be prompted to create an account should you don’t have already got one.
As soon as an account is created there are a number of methods to entry Drive. You’ll be able to sort https://drive.google.com into your browser. If already signed in, from the Google homepage you’ll be able to click on the “apps” icon within the prime proper nook and choose Drive from the drop down menu.
When you log in, you’ll be delivered to your principal Drive hub the place you’ll be able to view your recordsdata and create new ones. View recordsdata which have been shared with you, your shared units, or use the search bar on the prime to discover a particular file.
Google’s AI know-how and search capabilities are embedded in Drive — serving to you to shortly discover what you want. Subsequent, we’ll provide you with some fast tricks to make utilizing Google Drive even simpler.
9 Useful Google Drive Suggestions
1) Use these keyboard shortcuts.
Are you seeking to actually streamline your Google Drive efforts? Google Drive’s acquired a ton of keyboard shortcuts to make use of, resembling:
- Shift + t = Create new doc.
- Shift + p = Create new presentation.
- Shift + s = Create new spreadsheet.
- / = Search your Drive.
Ever want a fast reminder of those shortcuts whereas utilizing Google Drive? You’ll be able to all the time show the listing by urgent Shift + / or Ctrl + / on Chrome OS or Home windows, or ⌘ + / on a Mac. Or, click on the gear icon within the higher left hand nook of your display screen and select “Keyboard Shortcuts” from the dropdown menu.
2) Ship giant recordsdata to others.
When you‘re searching for methods to get round Gmail’s file measurement restrict, Google Drive might turn into your go-to. Whereas Gmail limits the file measurement of attachments to 25 MB — which suggests no sending massive video, audio, or complicated picture recordsdata — Google Drive helps you to ship recordsdata as much as 15 GB. To do that, you may create a folder, add recordsdata to that folder, and share the folder with others.
To create a folder, log in to Google Drive and click on the massive, “New” button on the right-hand facet of your display screen. Choose “Folder” from the dropdown menu. Then, both drag and drop recordsdata into the central pane of the display screen (as proven within the screenshot beneath), or right-click anyplace on the central pane of the display screen and select “Add Information.”
(Psst: Discover the call-to-action for buying more storage space within the backside left-hand nook. As you’ll be able to think about, including giant recordsdata to your Drive will have an effect on your general space for storing. Google provides you 30 GB at no cost, however should you ever want extra, you should purchase 100 GB of further house for $1.99/month or 1 TB for $9.99/month.)
Subsequent, share the folder with others by opening My Drive, which is your principal Google Drive web page. Proper-click on the folder and select “Share” from the dropdown menu.
Enter names and e mail addresses of these you‘d wish to share the folder with, and select whether or not or not they will edit or touch upon the paperwork inside. Click on achieved, and also you’re all set!
3) Crop, masks, and add borders to pictures.
As soon as you’ve got added a picture right into a doc or slide of a presentation, you’ll be able to crop it, masks it, and even add borders to it. Take a look at the directions beneath. (And should you ever need to reset a picture again to its authentic type, merely choose the picture and click on the “Reset Picture” icon in your toolbar.)
Crop an Picture
Choose a picture in your doc or presentation and click on the crop icon in your toolbar.
From there, drag and drop the blue handles till you’ve got cropped the picture to your liking. To put it aside, click on “Enter” in your keyboard or simply click on again into your doc or slide.
Masks an Picture
“Masking” a picture merely means becoming a picture into a selected form. You are able to do this in a slide presentation in Drive, however not in a doc.
Choose a picture in your presentation and click on the dropdown arrow subsequent to the crop icon in your toolbar. 4 masks classes will seem that you may choose from: shapes, arrows, callouts, and equation.
Choose one and the picture will take that form. You’ll be able to resize it by dragging and dropping the blue handles.
Add borders to an Picture
You’ll be able to add coloured borders to any picture in a doc or presentation, even after you’ve got cropped or masked it. To do that, choose the picture and click on the road shade icon in your toolbar, which seems to be like a pencil.
Select a shade (or click on “Customized” to create your individual), and the border of the picture will turn into that shade. To put it aside, merely click on off of the picture.
4) Customise how gadgets are displayed in My Drive.
Lately, Google modified My Drive‘s default view from “listing view” to “grid view,” so all my recordsdata have been displayed like giant icons as an alternative of in a protracted listing. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of this modification — however fortunately, they made it very easy to change it again.
Merely click on the icon furthest left of the gear icon (which is situated on the highest proper of your window). That icon will appear to be the one beneath if it‘s been set to “Grid View,” and it’ll appear to be a bulleted listing if it has been set to “Listing View.”
Wish to change how your gadgets are ordered? Click on the “AZ” icon within the prime proper hand nook to order gadgets by “Final modified,” “Final edited by me, ”Final openedby me,” or their file names in alphabetical order.
Lastly, you’ll be able to modify how densely packed collectively the gadgets are on My Drive, from “snug” to “cozy” to “compact.” To do that, click on the gear icon, and select “Settings” from the dropdown menu. Below “Density,” take your decide between the three choices.
6) Save net content material like photographs proper to Drive.
Google created a browser extension referred to as “Save to Google Drive” that allows you to add paperwork, photographs, hyperlinks, and HTML5 audio and video recordsdata to Drive with a easy proper click on.
To allow this in your desktop laptop, download Google’s free browser extension and authorize it in your laptop. Then, proper click on on the net content material you need to save and choose “Save to Google Drive.” You can entry that file on Drive instantly.
7) Entry and edit your paperwork offline.
I‘ve discovered myself desirous to tweak a doc whereas on an airplane with out WiFi a couple of too many occasions, which is why I like that Google Drive lets you entry and edit paperwork offline on desktop, in your iPhone or iPad, or in your Android gadget. You have to be related to the web so as to allow offline entry for a file — however when you’ve achieved that, you are good to go. All of the adjustments you made on-line will likely be up to date on-line whenever you restore your web connection.
Be conscious of which computer systems or units you allow offline entry on, although. Google recommends sticking to non-public computer systems and units and/or ones you employ usually, in any other case your information might be in danger.
Desktop
On a desktop laptop, the one prerequisite to viewing and modifying recordsdata offline is that you have to be utilizing a Chrome net browser. So you’ll want to download Google Chrome should you plan to make use of this characteristic.
To allow offline viewing and modifying, go to Google Drive in your net browser and click on the gear icon within the prime proper hand nook. Select Settings from the dropdown menu. Then, merely test the field within the “Offline” part, like I did beneath:
(Want extra assist? Watch Google’s educational video here.)
iPhone & iPad
You’ll be able to allow offline entry to particular recordsdata in your Apple units. First, be certain you are related to the web to allow offline entry for later. Then, discover the file you need to have the ability to entry offline and contact the gray “i” button subsequent to it.
A particulars panel will slide in on the suitable — discover “Carry on Gadget” and easily change the setting from “Off” to “On.”
Whenever you‘re not related to the web, you’ll see a pin icon subsequent to your whole offline recordsdata. To entry your offline gadgets, open the Google Drive app and choose “On gadget” from the left-hand navigation panel. (Want extra assist? Click here for Google’s help web page.)
Android
You’ll be able to allow offline entry to particular recordsdata in your Apple units. First, be certain you are related to the web to allow offline entry for later. Then, discover the file you need to have the ability to entry offline and both:
- Contact the gray i button subsequent to the file and change the setting from “Off” to “On” to “Carry on gadget” within the particulars panel.
- Contact and maintain the identify of a file for 1-2 seconds. Then, within the field that seems, contact the offline icon.If the icon isn’t crammed in, the file is already accessible offline.
If the icon isn’t crammed in, the file is already accessible offline. 
To entry your offline gadgets, open the Google Drive app and choose “On gadget” from the left-hand navigation panel. (Want extra assist? Click here for Google’s help web page.)
8) Take a look at the revision historical past and restore earlier variations.
I like this characteristic as a result of it permits me to see the entire adjustments I and others have made to file in Drive. Higher but, I can revert again to earlier variations of my file — and see which individual made particular edits. Fairly cool, eh?
When you simply need a fast scan of the exercise historical past with out going into element, all it’s important to do is right-click on a file or funder and click on “View Particulars” from the dropdown menu. A panel will seem on the right-hand facet of your display screen exhibiting an outline of who made adjustments and when.
To see the revision historical past in additional element, open the file, click on the “File” menu on the prime left of your display screen, and select “See revision historical past.” A revision historical past panel will seem on the right-hand facet of your display screen, exhibiting who made adjustments and when — and which particular adjustments that individual made, should you click on “Present extra detailed revisions” on the backside.
To revive a earlier revision, click on that revision after which click on the “Restore this revision” hyperlink that seems.
Don‘t fear, restoring the revision gained’t remove any variations of your file. You’ll be able to return to the present model of your doc by clicking the X within the higher proper of the revision historical past panel. What it’s going to do is transfer that earlier model to the highest of your revisions historical past.
Google Drive will preserve a model historical past of all of your recordsdata for as much as 30 days or 100 revisions. After that, to avoid wasting space for storing, it’ll merge revisions primarily based on the age of the file and/or measurement of the revisions in a course of referred to as “revision pruning.” If you wish to maintain revisions for longer than that — say, for a doc that is up to date by a number of folks many occasions per day — you’ll be able to mark particular person Google Drive recordsdata to maintain all of the variations. Learn how to do that here however have in mind it’s going to affect space for storing.
9) Set Drive as your default doc location.
Wish to streamline your cloud storage expertise? You can also make Google Drive the default save location for all of your new paperwork on a Home windows desktop laptop.
Home windows customers: Discover your laptop‘s Paperwork folder and right-click it. Choose “Properties” from the dropdown menu. Click on “Embody a folder…”, after which discover your Google Drive folder. Subsequent, choose Google Drive to focus on it and click on “Embody folder.” Choose “Google Drive” from Library Places and click on “Set save location.” To use the adjustments, click on “Apply.” And also you’re achieved!
Editor’s be aware: This text was initially printed in June 2015 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
