Google Drive Cheat Sheet

Why Organize?

The Google Drive is a wonderful cloud based storage option for teachers and students; however, it can get overwhelming as more and more items are stored in your Drive. Teachers and students should take time to manage their drive in order to improve productivity and organization.

Google Drive Basics

After logging into your Drive, the left hand side of the page displays different locations in your Google Drive.

1. Quick Access - Direct access to the last 5 documents you created, edited, or viewed
2. My Drive - User’s main storage space / Users can organize their Drive as they please
3. Team Drives - Google Team Drives are shared spaces where teams can easily store, search, and access their files anywhere, from any device.
4. Shared with me - As others share items with you, they are stored in Share with Me. You can NOT organize Shared with Me; instead, add items to your Drive to organize. Click here to learn more.
5. Google Photos - Any photos you upload to the Drive can be quickly accessed in this area. (You can also find them in My Drive and organize them in specific folders)
6. Recent - Click here to access any of the documents you recently worked on. (You can also find them in My Drive)
7. Starred - You can star/favorite any folders or items in your Drive that are used on a consistent basis. This option provides easy access to those items. (You can also find them in My Drive)
8. Trash - As you delete items in your Drive, they will still be stored in your Trash. We highly recommend that you NEVER empty your Trash.
9. Google Drive Keyboard Shortcuts - Explore keyboard shortcuts to maximize efficiency.

Shared with me

Shared with me is where all of the items are stored that are shared with you. This area of the Drive can be very overwhelming, so here are some tips for managing Shared with me.

1. You can NOT organize this section, so do not even try
2. You will typically receive an email when someone has shared something with you in addition to it being stored in this section of the Drive
3. Do not delete items from Shared with me
4. If someone shares something with you that you want to keep and refer to on a consistent basis, add it to your Drive. Click here for more info.
   1. If you add it to your Drive, you can then move and organize the item in your Drive
   2. Remember - if someone gives you editing privileges and you add it to your Drive, any edit you make on the original copy will also be visible to the owner.
   3. If you want your own copy of the document, you can Make a Copy
5. If you receive something that you only need to look at once, look at it and then leave it in Shared with me. It does not take up any space and will be there if you ever need it.

Need to find something in Shared with Me? You can always search for it in the Google Drive Search bar - click here to learn more about Searching the Drive.

Google Drive - Uploading Files

Google drive provides Google Apps for Education users unlimited storage. Learn more about uploading files to Google Drive.

GCF Google Drive Upload Training

Google Drive Help

Google Drive - Converting Files

Microsoft Office Files can be converted into the corresponding Google Drive resource. These files can be converted automatically when uploaded or individually. It is recommended that you convert files automatically. Learn more about converting files.

GCF Google Drive Convert Files Training

Google Drive Help

Microsoft files can also be edited using the Office Editing Chrome Extension if you choose not to convert them into Google Doc Files.

Organizing Google Drive

There are a variety of ways to organize your Google Drive Files. Learn more about organizing your Google Drive.

Organize Your Drive Tutorial (Be sure to learn about Shift+Z)

GCF Managing Your Files Training

Note: You cannot organize the ‘Shared with me’ section of Google Drive. Best practice use the ‘Add to Drive’ button to organize any important shared files in ‘Your Drive’.

Searching Google Drive

The Google Drive search tools are powerful ways to search for files using a variety of search cues. Learn more about Google Drive Search.

Google Drive Search Tips

Google Drive Add-ons

Google Drive Add-ons add more functionality to your documents, spreadsheets, and forms by installing add-ons, tools built by third-party developers for Google Docs, Forms, and Sheets. Slide Presentations do not currently support add-ons. Learn more about Google Drive Add-ons.

Google Drive Add-On Tutorial