Google Workspace Help

Upload files & folders

On your computer, you can upload from files and folders from your computer desktop or Network Drive.

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. At the top left, click New > File Upload or Folder Upload.

3. Choose the file or folder you want to upload from your desktop or Network Drive.

Drag files & folders into Google Drive

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. Locate the file(s) or folder(s) you want to move to Google on your computer (desktop or Network Drive).

3. To upload files and folders, click, hold, and drag them into the Google Drive area in your browser window.

Moving files and folders in bulk

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. Locate the file(s) or folder(s) you want to move to Google on your computer (desktop or Network Drive).

3. There are two ways to select more than one file at the same time:

   • Press and hold the CTRL key (or Command, on a Mac) as you click individual multiple files.

   • To select a long list of files in order, click the first file in the list, press and hold SHIFT, then click the last file in the list.

4. Drag and drop to Google Drive, or click Upload or Open, if prompted.

Additional Links:

Google Drive: Uploading Files (0:00 - 0:40)

Upload files and folders to Google Drive

Switching from your C:\ drive to Google Drive

Each user is allowed uploads of 750 GB per day in the Google Drive Workspace. That said, large files take time to upload; expect a 2GB file to take about an hour (or more, depending on your internet speed). Here are some recommendations for uploading large files. Here are some recommendations for uploading large files.

Go to the office: Often the internet speeds at the Complex and Region offices are more stable and much faster than what you get at home. If you have large files, or a large number or files, to upload, we recommend finding the time to go to do so at a UDOT office.

Compress (zip) the file: If it is a file type that you can't edit in Google Drive (i.e., MP4, LAS, DWG, DXF) and will have to download to edit, consider compressing (zipping) the file to reduce size. You can them download the file, extract (unzip) to edit, re-compress (zip), and re-upload, when needed. Instructions for how to compress a file are found in the Archived Files section here.

Unpack large folders: If you want to move a large folder with many files in it, consider instead creating an empty folder in Google Drive and moving the files over in batches.

Do it at the end of the day: Start your large uploads at the end of the day when you are finishing work, when you don't need to use your computer for other things and let the uploads run into the evening. Close all other programs and windows to minimize interference with your connection.

Especially if you are moving large files or a lot of files, you will inevitably run into an issue from time to time (death, taxes, and tech issues, right?). Here are some tips for troubleshooting uploads to Google Drive.

Use a private or incognito window: These don't store cookies that may affect uploads. You will need to login into your Google Drive account again before starting your upload.

Clear your browser cache and cookies: Sometimes these interfere with uploads. Each browser stores these differently.

Try a different browser: Sometimes the upload issue is temporary and isolated to one browser. Your UDOT computer has Chrome, Edge, and Firefox available to use.

Go to the office: Unstable internet is often a culprit of failed uploads. The internet speeds at the Complex and Region offices are more stable and much faster than what you get at home.

If you keep facing problems with uploading your files, don't suffer through it - contact the UDOT Google Support team for assistance.

Additional Links:

Clear your cache and cookies: in Chrome | in Firefox | in Edge | in Safari

One of the best ways to streamline your workflow and maintain on- or off-line access to your Google Drive content is by syncing your Google Drive to your File Explorer (desktop). This allows you to access and work with native file types, like Microsoft Excel or PDFs for example, directly from your desktop without the need to download and upload. The changes you make will sync with your Google Drive when you are connected to the internet.

Here are step-by-step are instructions on how to install Google File Stream to your computer.

Folders are the primary tool in Google Drive for organizing files. We recommend first developing an organizational structure for your Google Drive. This will help you determine where your files will go when you upload them.

If you would like help thinking through this or leading a session with your team to decide an organizational structure for your Shared Drive, contact the UDOT Google Support team.

Create a folder in Google Drive (from Google Drive Help)

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. On the left, click New > Folder.

3. Enter a name for the folder.

4. Click Create.

Move a file or folder within Google Drive (from Google Drive Help)

You can move an item from anywhere in Google Drive: the main window, the left panel, or search results. Note: If you move folders with a lot of files or subfolders, it might take some time for you to see the changes.

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. Right-click the item you want to move.

3. Click Move to…

4. Choose or create a folder, then click Move.

Drag an item to a folder

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. Click and hold the item you want to move.

3. Move the item over the folder and release it.

Additional Links:

Google Drive: Managing Files (video) Advice for searching within your Drive (00:00 - 1:41), creating and populating folders (1:41 - 2:45) and deleting unneeded files (2:45 - 3:14).

Organize your files in Google Drive Learn to create a folder and move folders within Google Drive.

Add new members to a Shared Drive

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. At the left, click Shared drives and double-click one of your shared drives.

3. At the top, click Manage members.

4. Add email addresses (utah.gov or non-State emails, for consultants).

5. By default, new members will be Content managers. They can upload, edit, move, or delete all files. To change permissions for a new member, click the Down arrow and choose an option (Manager, Content manager, Contributor, Commenter, Viewer).

6. A notification will be sent to the new member, by default. To change whether new members get notified, click Notify people.

7. Click Send.

Manage or remove members from a Shared Drive

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. At the left, click Shared drives and double-click one of your shared drives.

3. At the top, next to the name of your shared drive, click the Down arrow .

4. Click Manage Members.

5. To the right of the person you want to change, click the Down arrow.

6. Click a permission or remove > Done.

Restrict downloading, copying, printing, or sharing

1. On the left, click the Shared drive that contains the files you want to protect.

2. At the top, next to the Shared drive name, click the Down arrow > Shared drive settings.

3. Click Edit to set any of these permissions:

   • Sharing files with people outside of your organization

   • Sharing files with people in your organization who aren’t members of the shared drive

   • Allowing people with Commenter and Viewer access to download, copy, or print files

4. After you choose an option, click Apply.

5. Click Done.

Additional Links:

Store & share files or folders with Shared Drives

Mark a shared file as final

Restrict sharing options on Drive files

Shared Drive cheat sheet

Share a single file

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. Select the file you want to share.

3. Click Share, in the upper right corner.

4. Under "Share with people and groups," enter the email address(es) you want to share with.

5. To change what people can do to your doc, on the right, click the Down arrow > Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.

6. Choose to notify people.

   • If you want to notify people that you shared a doc with them, check the box next to Notify people. If you notify people, each email address you enter will be included in the email.

   • If you don't want to notify people, uncheck the box.

7. Click Done.

Share a folder

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. Right-click the folder you want to share and choose Share from the drop down.

3. Under "People," type the email address(es) of the people you want to share with.

4. To choose how a person can use the folder, click the Down arrow > Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.

5. Click Done. An email is sent to people you shared with.

Additional Links:

Share files from Google Drive

Share folders from Google Drive

Move a file from My Drive to a Shared Drive

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. Right-click the item you want to move.

3. Click Move to… and select the Shared Drive.

4. Choose or create a folder, then click Move.

Drag an item to a folder

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. Click and hold the item you want to move from your My Drive.

3. Drag and hover the item over the Shared Drive in the left-column navigation. This will reveal the list of folders in the Drive.

4. Drag and hover the item over the folder you want it in, and release it.

Additional Links:

Move content to a shared drive

Step 1: Download the folder from My Drive

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. Click the folder to download.

3. Right-click > click Download.

Step 2: Unzip the folder contents

Folders downloaded from Google Drive are automatically compressed (zipped). Unless the folder is being archived (see the information in Phase 1), you will want to unzip the file before re-uploading the contents to a Shared Drive.

1. Locate the zipped file in the Downloads section of your computer. Double-click to open.

2. Select all of the files you want to upload to the Shared Drive. There are two ways to select more than one file at the same time:

   • Press and hold the CTRL key (or Command, on a Mac) as you click individual multiple files.

   • To select a long list of files in order, click the first file in the list, press and hold SHIFT, then click the last file in the list.

3. Click Extract. Depending on your computer settings, the extracted files will either open in a new window, or be routed to your Desktop or Downloads. If you can't find your extracted files, contact

Step 3: Create a new folder in the Shared Drive

1. In Google Drive, on the left, click New > Folder.

2. Enter a name for the folder.

3. Click Create.

Step 4: Upload contents

1. In Google Drive, on the left, click New > File Upload.

2. Choose the extracted files you want to upload to the Shared Drive. There are two ways to select more than one file at the same time:

   1. • Press and hold the CTRL key (or Command, on a Mac) as you click individual multiple files.

      • To select a long list of files in order, click the first file in the list, press and hold SHIFT, then click the last file in the list.

Step 5: Delete the old folder from your My Drive - Removing duplication maintains document integrity.

1. Locate the former folder in your My Drive.

2. Right-click the folder > click Move to trash.

1. Open a browser window and go to drive.google.com. Login with your UtahID.

2. On the left, click Priority.

3. Under Workspaces, click Create Workspace.

4. Enter a name for the workspace and click Create.

5. Click Done.

The easiest way to add a file to a Priority Workspace is to right-click the file, choose Add to workspace, and choose the workspace you want.

You can also add files by searching from the Priority Workspace:

1. Below the workspace you want to add files to, click View workspace.

2. Click Add files.

3. On the right, under Add to Workspace, choose where you want to add files from (Recent, My Drive, Shared Drives, and so on).

4. Search for and find the files you want and click on them.

5. Click Insert.

6. Click Done.

To remove a file from a workspace, right-click the file in a workspace and click Remove from workspace.

Next to the workspace name, click the down arrow, then click Rename, Hide workspace, or Remove workspace.

To show a hidden workspace:

1. At the bottom of the Priority page, click Hidden workspaces.

2. Next to the workspace that you want to see, click the down arrow Unhide workspace.