Tips to organize your Google Drive

Use Consistent Naming Conventions

A naming convention is how you name your files. However you name your files is up to you, but it's important to be consistent in your naming. It is helpful to keep file names short. If you want, you can add a date to your file name. If you abbreviate, you should use CAPITAL letters to help you remember. A reminder that Google defaults your files to alpha order, so try not to name your files with different versions of the same title.

Organize into Folders and Subfolders

Once you have determined your naming conventions, you will want to organize things into folders and subfolders. To see your current folder list, click on the drop-down arrow next to “My Drive.” From here, you can easily click-and-drag files into folders. If you are organizing as you go, you can also just click on the folder icon from the application to move the file to a folder.

• To create a new folder from Google Drive, click on the “New” button, and then select “Folder.”

• You will then be prompted to name your folder. Remember to use your consistent naming convention.

• Be sure to pay attention to what you have selected BEFORE you create the folder.

• If you want it at the top-level (as seen above), select “My Drive,” then create the folder.

• If you want to create a subfolder (a folder within a folder), select the parent folder first. This will save you time clicking-and-dragging things around.

Create a Master Folder for Each School Year

Many teachers like to create master folders for each school year. As most teachers are on a school year cycle, this helps you organize each year’s files and folders. You can then add subfolders for other topics, lessons, etc.

Color-Code Your Folders

Adding color to your folders can help you visually recognize files faster and give you additional ways to organize your Google Drive because you can assign meaning to specific colors.

• To change the color of the folder from Drive.

• Right-click (or control-click) on the folder

• Go to “Change Color”

• Select the color from the palette

Try a Numbering System

Numbering files and folders moves those items to the top of My Drive, no matter what they are named.

Add Files to Multiple Folders

When organizing your Google Drive into folders, it can be difficult to decide exactly where to save certain files. You can add files to multiple folders without having to make copies. This allows folders to act more like tags or categories, which can be more useful.

To add a file to multiple folders from Google Drive,

• Single-click the file in Google Drive

• Then use the keyboard shortcut, “⌘ + Z.”

• A pop-up will open and allow you to “add that file to another folder.

Use the Advanced Search to Find Anything in Your Google Drive

Even if you aren’t the most organized Google Drive user, you can rely on the search capabilities to find anything. You can do a simple search, or click the drop-down arrow from the search box for more advanced search options. You can filter by file type, owner, keywords, dates, and more.

Leave “Shared with Me” Alone

The “Shared with Me” section of Google Drive is just an aggregation of files that have been shared with you in some way. People may want to clean up this section, but you should just leave “Shared with Me” alone. These are not your files. Think of it like a feed showing you what files you have access to that are not your own. If you begin deleting files, it can often cause problems for you or other users, so the best advice is just to accept it for what it is.

Use “Add to Drive” to Organize Shared Files and Folders

Even though “Shared with Me” may not be as pretty and organized as you like, there is a way to add these files to your own drive and organize files into your own folders. When you have the shared file open, you will see a Drive icon near the top left. Once you click that icon, the file will be added to your Google Drive, and you can organize it into a folder. (Note: This is not making a copy. It is just giving you access to the file in your Drive.) You can also add the files from the “Shared with Me” section of Google Drive by right-clicking on the file and choosing “Add to Drive.” Or select the file and click on the “Add to Drive” icon from the menu.

Star Files

Find the file you want to star. Then, right click on it. From the menu, select “Add to Starred.” Now click on the “Starred” option over on the left-hand sidebar. It has a handy star icon, to help it stand out. When you open this folder, you’ll see everything you’ve starred. When you no longer need an item in this folder, you can right click on it again. There’s an option to “Remove from Starred.” Click on that, and you’ll no longer be able to access it from the Starred folder.

Delete What You Don’t Need

Are you hanging onto digital files you don’t need? It’s so easy to get in the mindset of keeping everything because it’s not taking up real space. But, just because you can keep things doesn’t mean you need to. When you’re trying to organize your Google Drive, it’s a good time to declutter. In Google Drive, right-click on a file you want to remove. Then hit the “Remove” option.