Hello friends! Cloud storage is very popular right now. Their main purpose is storage and access to information from any device at any time, as well as the ability to share this information with other people (documents, photographs, and other files). In addition, popular cloud services provide a number of useful functions for users - creating and working with documents online, sharing, and more.
On my blog, I have already posted instructions for two large cloud services - and. And I dedicate today's article to another one - Google Drive. Until recently, I did not use it so actively - I mainly relied on Yandex.Disk. But, in connection with the recent ones, I thought about fallbacks.
I propose to understand the interface and main functions of Google Drive. Let's talk about how to use it - upload and provide access to files and folders, perform other actions on files, work with documents and applications online.
If you prefer video format, then you can view my detailed tutorial below:
How do I sign in to Google Drive?
The drive is tied to your Google account, and in order to get inside the cloud, you need to log in to your account - enter your login (gmail mail) and password from it.
You can access Drive from this page www.google.com/intl/en/drive/
Or go from mail by clicking on the "Google Apps" icon at the top right.
How much disk space?
They provide 15 GB for free. This space is divided into files on the disk itself, files and letters in Gmail, as well as Google Photos. By the way, the latter automatically includes images that you upload to posts on the Google Plus social network. You can remove them from Google Photos so that they do not take up space, while they remain in posts.
If you need more space, money can purchase it. There are several plans with monthly or yearly bills up to 30TB of storage.
Also, you can have several Google accounts and each will have its own disk with free space.
Cloud storage interface
Let's go over the main sections, buttons and settings of Google Drive.
Through the "Create" button in the upper left corner, you can upload files and folders from your computer to your disk. And also create folders and documents directly in the cloud. You can create text documents, tables, presentations with slides, Google Forms (for surveys, questionnaires, skype consultations), drawings, maps and websites.
Below this button is located panel with the main sections of the Disk.
In the "My Drive" section contains all files and folders uploaded to the cloud, as well as documents and folders that you have created in the cloud.
By selecting this or that file / folder with the mouse, you can perform various actions on them, I will talk about this further. To select several files at once, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on the files you need.
The display of files on the Disk can be sorted by name, by date of modification, by date of viewing.
In the section "Available to me" files from Google Drives of other users to which you have access are displayed - for example, you followed the link to this file, or you were sent an invitation with access. To open a file, double-click on it.
In the "Recent" section- files that you have recently worked with (opened, downloaded, edited, etc.) are displayed.
Section "Google Photos"- the images that you uploaded to the Google Photos app appear here. Also, pictures uploaded to posts in Google Plus are automatically saved here. You can get into the application itself by clicking on the Google application icon from disk, mail, the start page of the Google Chrome browser.
In the application settings, you can put a useful checkbox so that photos and videos do not take up extra storage space.
To do this, go to Google Photos, click on the three vertical bars at the top left, go to settings.
And check the appropriate box:
Section "Flagged"- files and folders that you mark as important to yourself go here. Marking is very simple - select the file, right-click, select "Add Mark" in the list that opens. To remove a file from "Marked" - again right-click and select "Unmark".
Basket- it contains files that you delete from your Google Drive. The trash can be emptied, then the files are permanently deleted. You can also restore any file from the Trash by selecting it with the mouse and clicking "Restore from Trash".
There are some other useful icons in the upper right corner of Google Drive.
You can customize the display of files in the cloud as a list or grid. By clicking on the letter "i" in the circle, you can view the history of your actions on the disk, as well as the properties of any file by selecting it with the mouse. Clicking on the gear will open an additional list of tabs.
In the "Settings" tab:
You can change the interface language.
Enable offline access (saving Google documents to your computer so that you can work with them without an Internet connection). On this issue, you can read a separate instruction.
Disable automatic uploading of photos from Google Photos to a folder on disk.
Choose the interface option - spacious, regular or compact.
There are also alert settings.
And the ability to connect different Google apps to your drive.
By clicking on the tab "Install disk on computer", you can download the application for PC, as well as for smartphones on Android or Iphone. Here, keep in mind that the PC application is synchronized with the cloud online and all files are on your computer, taking up space. Since this does not suit me, I prefer to use only the web interface. The only advantage of synchronization is the ability to quickly send a large file to the cloud or save all files from the cloud to a computer at once, and then turn off synchronization.
Actions on files and folders in Google Drive
To upload files and folders from your computer to the cloud the "Create" button is used. You click on it and select the appropriate menu item - a window for selecting files on your computer will open. To select multiple files at once, hold down the Ctrl key.
When the file is selected, click on the "Open" button, it will start downloading to Disk. Information about the process will appear in the lower right corner.
An alternative download option is to minimize the Google Drive tab into a smaller window and drag the files from your computer to the "My Drive" section with the mouse.
There are a number of things you can do with files, folders, and documents on disk. To do this, select the desired file (or several) with the mouse and press the right mouse button. A list of available actions will appear. The same actions are duplicated on the panel above.
The content of the file can be viewed by clicking "Preview". If you want to edit the document, then select "Open with". The disk will offer you an application through which you can open the file.
To open the contents of a folder- click on it 2 times. All the same actions can be performed on files and documents in a folder.
You can give access to any file, folder or document on the disk to another person. To set up sharing, click on the corresponding menu item.
In the window that opens, you need to enter the gmail-mail of the person you want to open access to. Click on the pencil icon to indicate the type of access. This can be - commenting, viewing and editing.
If you have provided access with the ability to comment or view, then the user can be prohibited from downloading, copying and printing the file. Just check the boxes you want. Remember to save your changes.
Then click "Submit". The user will receive an email stating that you have given him access to files. On his disk in the "Available to me" section, he will see this file.
To close access, you again need to right-click on this file, select "Share". In the window that opens, click on the username.
Access is denied, the user will see the following message:
You can also customize the access settings. The default is view. Also, using the link, the user can download the file or save it to his disk. In addition, you can enable commenting or editing.
If you click "More", you will see other settings. For example, you can enable access for absolutely any user on the Internet, that is, the file will be available through a search. Or you can disable access via the link and send an invitation for sharing to a specific user by email (we have discussed this process above).
The next item for actions on files - "Move"... With it, files can be moved to folders. This is useful if you have a lot of files and want to organize them. You can also move files by dragging them with the mouse.
Creating folders on disk is easy. Click on the button "Create" - "New folder".
By the way, you can change the color of the folders.
Paragraph "Add a mark" useful if you want to add your favorite files to the "Marked" section for quick access to them.
Paragraph "Rename" will allow you to change the name of a file or folder.
Paragraph "Show Properties"- to view the properties of the file and the history of actions on it.
Paragraph "Versions"- files that you upload to Disk have it.
Let's say you downloaded an archive with materials from your computer and shared a link to it with subscribers. Then you needed to make changes to this archive, you downloaded it to your computer again and edited it. Then we re-uploaded it to Disk with the same name so that the link to the archive would not change. By the way, when you download it again, you can choose how to save this file - separately (the link to it will change), or as a new version, which will replace the old one.
However, the previous version will not be deleted immediately (by default, it remains on disk for another 30 days). But, you can delete it manually or check the box so that older versions are not deleted. This is done, just through this item "Versions".
The remaining actions on the files: create a copy, download it to your computer and delete it to the trash. By the way, to delete the file into the trash can be dragged with the mouse to this section on Google Drive.
So, we figured out the main points of the Google Drive web interface. Now a few words, how to download or save to disk a file shared with you via a link from another Google Drive.
If you followed the link and are authorized in your Google account, then you will see the Google Drive icon at the top, by clicking on which you can save this file to your disk. Nearby is an arrow for downloading the file to your computer.
Well, I hope my Google Drive guide will help you navigate the settings and functionality of this cloud service. Well, if you still have questions, I will be happy to answer them in the comments.
Wish you success!
Best regards, Victoria Karpova
Google Drive makes it easy to store and access files on the Internet in the cloud, allowing you to access them from any computer with an Internet connection. If you download files from compatible programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel, you can even edit them on Google Drive.
Uploading files to google drive
Google Drive gives you 15 gigabytes (15GB) of free storage space so you can download files from your computer and store them in the cloud. There are two main types of files that can be stored on Google Drive:
- Files you can edit such as Microsoft Office, PDFs, and other text files
- Files you CANNOT edit such as music, videos, compressed archives (.zip files), and most other files
Once you upload a file - no matter what type of file it is - you will be able to manage, organize, share and access it from anywhere. Since files in Google Drive are synced across your devices, you will always see the most recent version of the file.
Also, you can view different types of files, even if your computer does not have the software required for this file. For example, you can use Google Drive to view a Photoshop file even if Photoshop is not installed on your current computer.
Convert files to Google Drive format
If you are uploading files that you plan to edit online, you will need to convert them to Google Drive format. Conversion allows you to edit the file and easily share the file with others. Only certain file types such as MS Office file and PDF documents can be converted to Google Drive format.
Unfortunately, this transformation is not always perfect. Depending on the level of formatting used in the original document, the converted document may appear completely different from the original, as shown in the example below.
Remember: changes made to the original document when converted to Google Doc are not always just cosmetic - you may even lose information from the original file. You always need to first preview the file that has been converted before sharing it with others. Remember: you always have the option to keep your files in their original format if you prefer not to edit them online.
Uploading files and folders
Uploading files from your computer to Google Drive is very easy. If you are using the Google Chrome web browser, you can even download entire folders.
To upload a file:
Depending on your browser and operating system, you will be able to download files by simply dragging and dropping from your computer to your Google Drive.
To upload a folder:
Note: This feature is only available if you access Google Drive via Google Chrome.
Converting files to Google Docs format
When you download certain types of files, such as Microsoft Office files or PDF documents, you will only be able to view those files. If you want to edit these types of files in Google Drive, you must convert them to Google Docs format.
To convert a file:
Practice!
- Try uploading the file from your computer to Google Drive. Make sure it has been added to your google drive.
- Download and convert your Microsoft Office file to Google Drive format.
- Open the file to see if Google Drive retained the original formatting of your file.
In today's world, the importance of a quick and easy exchange of information cannot be overstated. Google Drive makes our life much easier by allowing you to upload documents of any type, easily view and edit them, as well as provide access to different levels of other users. Today we'll figure out how to upload a file to Google Drive.
Add files from the phone
Google provides access to files not only in the browser of a personal computer, but also through personal smartphones and tablets. You can upload files from both iOS phones and Android phones. To do this, follow these steps:
- Depending on the device platform, open either the Play Market or the App Store.
- Enter the query "Google Drive" into the search box and click on the found result.
- Click the Download or Install button.
- In any suitable application, open the selected file, then click "Send".
- Select Google Drive from the context menu.
The ability to add files via a mobile device makes it easy to manage your documents without making multiple copies. When editing files on a computer, tablet or phone, the changes will be available from all devices: using the storage provides access to the current version.
For many users, it is easier to structure and edit information using a personal computer. This can be done in two ways: using any browser or through the Google Drive folder.
Via browser
To download videos, photos, contacts or any other file through the browser, you need to follow these steps:
- Open the vault by first logging into your account.
With updated versions of Chrome and Firefox, everything becomes even easier: you just need to "drag" files to the open loading page in the browser.
Be careful: if you upload a file with the same name as the one already stored, only the updated version will be saved. Older versions, however, will also be available: in order to open them, just go to "Version Control".
As soon as the download completion notification appears on the screen, the files are ready to work from any device on which the client is downloaded to access Google Drive.
Through the Google Drive folder
Often, you have to edit text or graphic files on your computer, while storing them is more convenient in Google Drive. For this purpose, there is a free Startup and Synchronization application: it is developed for both Mac and Windows computers. The same program will help you if there is a need to synchronize a large amount of information.
When you uninstall the application from your PC, the current versions of the files will remain available in the browser. Once the client is installed, a Google Drive folder will appear on the desktop. Also, during installation, you can select any folder located on the PC - it will also be synchronized. Anything you put into it will automatically sync with the cloud and every device that has a Drive app on it.
The installation of the application on a PC is discussed in more detail in the next paragraph, but now let's briefly tell you:
- On the download page, click "Download".
- After downloading, go to the "Downloads" folder on your computer and run the file.
- Wait until everything you need to install the program is downloaded from the Internet.
- Then you need to log in, specify the desired settings and select, at the second step: which folders on the computer to synchronize, and at the third: what do you want to synchronize from the Drive with the computer.
After successfully installing the client, you will need to follow these simple steps to add the required information to the cloud storage:
- Select the required documents.
- Add them to your Drive folder.
The selected documents will now be available on all devices connected to Google Drive. It may happen that during the transfer of files, the Internet signal suddenly weakens or disappears. Don't worry: the program will automatically continue transferring information as soon as the connection is restored.
The "Startup and Synchronization" application, in addition to making it much easier to work with documents on a computer, has another important advantage: the ability to upload an unlimited number of photos and videos. The program will provide access to pictures that capture the important moments of your life from any device.
This requires:
- Download and install the "Startup and Synchronization" add-on.
- Launch the client and log into your Google account.
- Select the type of uploaded documents: photo from video, or other files.
- Select the folders from which you want to transfer photos or videos.
- Choose a suitable size (and it is important to indicate "High quality" in order to upload an unlimited number of photo and video materials).
- Click the "Start" button.
After installing the application, the question of how to upload a photo to Google Drive will completely disappear: now synchronization will be instant. When you add pictures to those folders on your computer that you specified in step 4, they will automatically be uploaded to the cloud.
Editing
A significant advantage of cloud storage is the ability to make edits to texts so that they are available from your phone, tablet and computer at the same time. You can change documents in two ways: through a browser and on the computer itself.
Via browser
- Right-click on the document and open the "Version Control" section.
- Select "Download new version".
- Then, in the window that opens, find the desired document on your PC, select it and click "Open".
These simple manipulations will keep all drafts in one document for a month, making it much easier to work with versions.
On the computer
If you need to make changes to the information, just go to the Disk folder and open the necessary document on your personal computer.
When the changes are made, the current version will be synchronized with the "cloud" without additional action. The latest amendments will continue to be accessible from all devices.
Deleting Documents
When you delete a document on one of the devices, it will be deleted from the "cloud". However, if an error is found, it is still possible to recover the information. Deleted documents are not completely erased, but first go to the trash. They are available for recovery until you delete them again using your browser.
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