What is Google Drive?

Google Drive is a free service from Google that allows you to store files online and access them anywhere using the cloud. The service syncs stored documents, photos and more across all of the user's devices, including mobile devices, tablets and PCs. Google Drive also gives you access to free web-based applications for creating documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more.

Why use Google Drive? What are the benefits?

Easy Document Access: Google Drive is a great place to store all your files in one place. Drive allows you to access everything from anywhere.

Google Drive doesn't just store your files; it also allows you to create, share, and manage documents with its own productivity apps. If you've ever used a suite like Microsoft Office, some things about Google Drive's apps might seem familiar. For instance, Google Drive offers apps similar to Power Point, Spreadsheets, and Word documents.

Collaboration: Google Drive makes it so easy to collaborate virtually! You and your colleague (or an entire team of people) can work on the same document, at the same time, and all changes are saved instantly. Never worry about making sure you're in the "newest version" of a document again!

Google Drive -- How to:

Accessing Google Drive and Files

Learn how to log into Google drive along with how to upload a files.

Sharing Files & Folders

Learn how to share files and folders with the share button and how to get a link to insert in email.

Finding & Organizing Files & Folders

Learn how to locate and organize files and folders.

Adding a Star

Learn how to add a star to files and folders for easy access later. Adding a star to your most used files and folders makes it much faster to locate them.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: I clicked on the link for a document in my email, why does it say I don't have access?

A: Make sure you're logged into your BCPS Google Account. If you have a personal gmail, it may be registering you as logged in under your personal account.

Q: How do I make sure I can find a document / file again when someone shares it with me?

A: Whenever anyone shares a document / file with you, make sure that the first thing you do is click "Add to my Drive." Then immediately click the link for "organize" or "move" in the notification that the file has been added to your Drive. Place the file in the folder you want it to be housed in. This will help you to be able to find it more easily in your future work.

Q: I shared a document with a colleage and wrote a note in the notification. My colleague opened the file from their email, but now they can't find the message I sent them. How do I prevent this?

A: Messages that are sent within sharing notifications typically disappear from the gmail queue after they've been read. Instead of just sharing the file with someone, write an email through your gmail account to that person and link the file inside the email. This will ensure that your message stays in their email queue unless they delete it.

For more How-To tutorials and FAQs visit the Google Support page.

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