Google Drive

Google Drive is the heart of Google's Gsuite - it is what Windows Explorer is to Microsoft Office. Not only does Drive act as the storage for each of the various Google apps, but it can also be the launching point for specific files. Google Drive integrates with computer devices in one of two ways. Files can be uploaded from a computer to be stored on the cloud in Drive. Alternatively, files that are stored in Drive can be downloaded to individual devices. Files within Drive can also be shared with individual users or a sharing link can be created to be shared with whomever has access to the link. See the Sharing section for more information.

Accessing Drive

Screenshot of google app waffle (on google home page) which allows quick access to most google apps. Note "more" button at bottom of screen.

Clicking on the Google waffle, opens up a list of Google Apps that are available on your user account. If the app that you are looking for does not show up, it is possible that it is on a secondary page. Click on More at the bottom of the selection. Additional apps will display.

It is possible to rearrange the order of the Apps in a fashion that is more convenient for your usage. Simply drag the icon (click and hold on it with your mouse/trackpad) and move it to the desired spot. It is possible to move apps from the lower section to the upper section.

Open Google Drive by clicking on the icon. Another way to navigate to Google Drive is by typing the website in directly (drive.google.com). It is also possible to bookmark the Drive homepage as a shortcut.

Drive Home Screen

Screenshot of Google Drive home page. Specifics include search bar (at top), more search options to right of bar, and toolbar just slightly underneath and below search bar. Tools include link sharing, share with individuals, preview, trash and more file options button. Past that is the grid/list toggle icon and settings button.

The Drive home screen is divided into different areas: on the far left is the sidebar. On the very top is the Drive search bar. On the far right next to the file options is a toggle to switch from list view to grid view and vice-versa when in list view. Two icons next to that are Drive settings. The main part of the screen contains the files and folders that are stored within Drive. The top part of this section contains recently viewed files while the bottom section contains all of the folders and files.

Open any file by double clicking on it. Single click on a file to select it. This will open up file options which appear below the search bar on the right. Files can be put into folders by dragging them on top of the desired folder. Open a folder by double clicking on it. Create a sub-folder by dragging it into another folder.

Drive Side Bar

The blue NEW button at the top is the main mechanism for adding files or folders. However, there are some addition functions within the NEW button. Clicking on it opens up the selections as pictured below.

Screenshot of top left hand corner. New button (blue) is clicked with options to create new folder, file upload, folder upload, new google docs, google sheets, google slides or more.

The first option allows the user to create new Folders in Drive. Sub-folders are created when this option is used within a folder.

The second section uploads files or folders from the user's computer into Drive.

Finally, it is possible to create new Docs, Sheets, or Slides files right from Drive by selecting the corresponding tool. Users can create a blank document or one using a template. The More button allows creating new files of other connected Chrome apps.

Search Bar

The search bar is a quick way to find files without having to open any folders. Simply type the name or first few letters of the file and Google will find related files. There is a pull down menu on the far right which opens up additional options.

The search options allow searching by file type, owner, specific location, modification type, as well as different search strings.

My Drive Menu

New Google Docs option expanded allowing creation of new blank document or from a template.

The My Drive button serves two features: it has a pull down menu which serves the same function as the blue NEW button (see above).

screenshot of file options (right click on any file). Options include open with, new folder, share, get shareable link, move to, add star, change colour, rename, download, or remove

Alternatively, My Drive shows the file level and is an easy way to navigate between various folder levels. For example, in the screenshot to the left, the extensions folder is nested within a sub-folder (Google) which is nested within another folder (Images). It is possible to quickly navigate to any one of these folders by clicking on their names.

Clicking on the pull down menu also opens a variety of options relating to file/folder management.

Drive Settings

The cog icon on the far right opens up the Drive settings menu. Clicking on Settings opens up additional options.

The Download Backup and Sync for Mac/Windows option is a program that is installed on the computer which syncs files between Drive and the computer.

screenshot of general settings tab including storage used, convert uploads, language, offline access, density, and suggestions

The General tab allows users to check how much storage is remaining in their Google Drive, Convert uploaded files to Google Docs editor format (otherwise they remain in their native file format such as Microsoft Word), Sync Google files to the computer allowing for offline use, the visual density (or line spacing) between files and various other fuctions.

screenshot settings notifications tab featuring get updates about google drive in your browser, get all updates about google drive items via email

The notifications tab configures how Google sends updates related to Drive activity.

screenshot settings manage apps (showing all apps connected to drive and checkbox to use as default. Additional options pull down next to each app.

The Manage Apps tab shows all of the Chrome Apps that have been connected to connected to Drive and allows them to be selected as the default app. For example, checking Use by default for Read&Write for Chrome makes it the default app for opening PDF files.

Google Drive Sidebar

The Google Drive sidebar on the left side of the screen is the main way to navigate between data sources. The options available are My Drive (personal storage space), Computers (files and folders that are synced with a computer), files and folders that are shared by other users, Recent items, Google Photos, Starred files, Files in the Trash, and Backups. Complete descriptions of each of these options are listed below.

My Drive

Primarily, the bulk of one's information should be stored in My Drive. Clicking on the arrow to the left will expand and show the contents of My Drive including any folders that might have been created which in turn can be expanded to show subfolders. Using the sidebar can be an easy way to navigate between folders. Any clicked folder will display its contents on the main screen.

At this point, Google provides all users with 15 gigabytes of data with the usage shown at the bottom of the sidebar. Users who require additional storage can choose to upgrade their plan to one that offers greater storage (100GB or 1TB). Plans are billed on a monthly basis.

Not everything that is stored within Google Drive counts towards the data limit. Documents created using Docs, Sheets and Slides are not counted towards the data limit. Photos that are uploaded to Google Photos may or may not be counted towards the data limit - high quality uploads (great visual quality at reduced file size) are stored for free but original quality uploads (full resolution) will consume your Drive storage.

Computers

The Computers Drive contains synced files and folders from one or more computers. Syncing files and folders on a computer with Google Drive requires the installation of a program called Backup and Sync from Google which can be downloaded from the internet. Once the program has been installed, simply right click any folder on a computer to sync it with Google Drive. Following that, any changes in that folder will be reflected in Google Drive. This is not only a great backup option but it also makes files and folders readily available anytime you are away from your home computer and there is also the comfort of knowing that any changes made while away from the home computer will automatically be synced.

Shared with me

The Shared with me folder is a critical tool in classrooms where collaboration occurs on a regular basis whether it is between teacher-student or student-student. Sharing files and folders is the fastest way to provide multiple people with access to documents. Gone is the practice of saving files and folders onto a USB drive and passing that among group members. Not only is this process time consuming, but it does not provide everyone with a synchronized up-to-date file since the file could be changed at anytime. Rather, sharing files through Google Drive will make changes instantaneously on the file that is shared between all members.

Recent

The recent folder lists any files which have recently been accessed either through Google Drive or through any of the Google apps such as Docs, Slides, Sheets, or Forms.

Google Photos

Google Photos is a drive space especially designed around the storage of photos that have been uploaded from a computer. Google Photos offers two storage options: High quality uploads and Original resolution. In the Google Photos settings, you can configure how you wish photos to be stored. Photos which use high quality uploads will not affect the storage space allotted whereas original resolution photos will be counted against the 15GB drive space. Although Google Photos is listed as an item in the sidebar, it is really a separate entity and can not be accessed through Google Drive. Instead, there will be a link which will take you to photos.google.com.

Starred

Starred files are any files which are deemed important and easily accessed through this tag.

Team Drives (Enterprise Accounts only)

Increasingly, more and more districts are turning towards the Google platfom as not only educational tools for their students but also as a productivity platform for their staff. Districts which have adopted Google have access to an additional feature in Google Drive called Team Drives. This is a shared space that anyone with the necessary access (different for each district) can set up as a common space for files and folders. Team Drives have several components to it:

Membership: the owner of the Team Drive dictates who has access to the drive by adding members.
Permissions: what members are able or unable to do based on the permission level that has been set by the owner of the Team Drive. Permissions include full access which allows the member the same privileges as the owner, editing access (all features except moving or deleting files and folders), comment access (simply allows viewing and making comments), or viewing access (viewing files only).

There are several steps involved in using Team Drives:

Creating a new Team Drive.
Adding members and setting their permission levels.
Changing member permissions (as required).
Removing members (as required).

Creating a new Team Drive

Open Drive.
In the left navigation, click Team Drives.
At top, click New.
Enter a name.
Click Create.

Adding members and setting their permission levels

To add members and set permissions, you need full access permission.

In the left navigation, click a Team Drive.
At the top, under the Team Drive name, click +Add Members.
Add names, email addresses, or Google Groups.
(Optional) To change the permission from Full access, next to Full, click the Down arrow arrow_drop_down and choose a new permission.
(Optional) Enter a message.
(Optional) If you don’t want to send notifications, select Skip sending notifications.
Choose an option:
- Click Send to send notifications.
- Click Add if you don't want to send notifications.

Changing member permissions

In the left navigation, click a Team Drive.
At the top, next to the Team Drive name, click the Down arrow arrow_drop_down >Manage members.
Next to a member’s name, click the Down arrow arrow_drop_down and select a new permission.
Click Done.

Removing members

In the left navigation, click a Team Drive.
At the top, next to the Team Drive name, click the Down arrow arrow_drop_down >Manage members.
Next to a member’s name, click the Down arrow arrow_drop_down and select Remove member.
Click Done.

Member Permissions

There are varying levels of permissions for members of a team drive. The chart below outlines what each permission level allows.

External Resources on Integrating Google Drive

Folder Tips by Alice Keeler

Google Sites

Report abuse