How to use Google Drive: Everything you need to know

Google Drive is an immensely popular cloud storage service, and one of the most generous free tools on the market. It’s powerful and easy to use, but learning how to use Google Drive can be overwhelming if you’re new to cloud storage and have never used competitors like Dropbox or Box.

To help, we put together this beginner’s guide on using Google Drive. Feel free to use the jump links below to skip to the most relevant part for you. If you don’t already have it on your phone, click the download buttons below to download the app for Android or iOS.

Editor’s note: We used an HONOR MagicBook 14 running Windows 11 and a Google Pixel 7 running Android 13 to formulate these steps. We also used an Apple iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 17 to verify steps are the same. We will include separate instructions if they aren’t.

What is Google Drive? How does it work?

We won’t get too technical here, but Google Drive is Google’s cloud storage solution. It allows you to store your media and documents on Google servers to free up space on your local hard drive. Once in Google Drive, you can access these files from just about any device with an internet connection.

Before we dive into all the features and show you how to use Google Drive, let’s talk about a few basic things you have to know. The first is that you need a Google account to use the service. It’s free of charge and can be set up in a few minutes. The account gives you access to all of Google’s services, including Drive, Gmail, Photos, YouTube, Play Store, etc.

You can access Drive on the web by heading to drive.google.com, or you can download the free Android app. You can also view all your files via the Drive folder on your PC with Google Drive for Desktop, but you need to download the software first.

Get the software by visiting Drive’s website. From there, you click on the Settings cog in the top right, then Get Drive for desktop. Follow the installation instructions, then launch the program and go through the setup process.

Download the desktop tool:

1. Go to Google Drive’s website.
2. Click on the Settings cog icon.
3. Select Get Drive for Desktop.
4. Follow the installation process and sign into your Google account.

Pricing

Regarding storage, you get 15GB for free, shared between Drive, Gmail, and Photos. That’s enough for most people, but you can add more for a monthly or yearly subscription fee. This subscription is part of Google One and gives added benefits beyond just storage, like rebates in the Google Store and sharing storage with family members.

We’re just focusing on Google Drive pricing here, so let’s look at the raw storage. A 100GB plan will set you back $1.99 per month, the 200GB plan runs $2.99 monthly, and the most extensive 2TB plan goes for $9.99 monthly. It’s also worth noting that you can save money by paying these plans annually. Those savings work out to about two free months of service on each plan, compared to subscribing month-to-month.

Google has other higher storage limits, if you think 2TB just isn’t enough. These can’t be purchased with an annual discount, and are only available in monthly plans. You can sign up for 5TB, 10TB, 20TB, or even 50TB. These cost $24.99, $49.99, $99.99, and $149.99, accordingly.

Again, remember that multiple Google services will use your Google One storage. These include Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.

Types of supported files

Storage space is the primary concern for most cloud storage solutions, but file type limitations may also be significant for many users. Thankfully, Google Drive supports many file types, including .jpeg, .png, .gif, mpeg4, .mov, and .avi — see the full list here.

There are also file size limits in place, but they won’t cause problems for most users:

• Documents: Up to 1.02 million characters. If you convert a text document to Google Docs format, it can be up to 50 MB.
• Spreadsheets: Up to ten million cells or 18,278 columns for spreadsheets created in or converted to Google Sheets. The same limit exists for Excel spreadsheets.
• Presentations: Up to 100MB for presentations converted to Google Slides.
• Google Sites: Up to 15,000,000 characters per page, 40,000,000 characters per site, 10,000 pages per site, and 15,000 images per site.
• All other files: Up to 5TB.

Additionally, individual users can only upload 750GB a day. If a single file is larger than 750GB, the user won’t be able to upload more that day.

How to upload and download files

You first need to upload your files via the web, PC, or mobile client to access your files on Google Drive. First, we’ll talk about the web version, where there are two ways to upload files to Drive.

Upload to Google Drive using a browser

The easiest way to upload files to Drive is to use the drag-and-drop method: select a file you want to upload from your PC, drag it to Drive in a browser window, and drop it. This works for both individual files as well as folders. A small window in the bottom right will show the upload progress.

You can also upload files manually. Let’s look at the steps.

How to upload files to Google Drive on browser:

1. Using a browser, go to the Google Drive website.
2. Click on the New button in the top-left.
3. Select File upload or Folder upload.
4. Choose what you want to upload.
5. Click Open or Upload.

Upload to Google Drive using the desktop client

An even easier method of uploading to Google’s cloud server is to take advantage of Google Drive for Desktop. This tool creates synced Google Drive folders on your computer. Just drag the documents you want to upload and drop them into the Drive folder. It works the same as transferring files from one folder to another on your computer, although it may take a while for the files to sync.

We have a dedicated guide if you want to learn how to use Google Drive for desktop.

Upload to Google Drive using your smartphone

Uploading files from your mobile device is equally accessible. Open the Drive app, tap the + icon in the bottom-right corner, then tap Upload and select the file you want to send to the cloud. You can also quickly upload files by opening them, tapping the Share button, then Drive.

How to upload files to Google Drive on smartphone:

1. Open the Drive app on your smartphone.
2. Hit the + icon.
3. Select Upload.
4. Tap on the files you want to upload.

Downloading files using a browser

Downloading files from Google Drive is also fast and easy on any device with an internet connection. If you’re using Google Drive for Desktop, anything you upload can be copied to any other folder on your computer, just like any other file. You can also download files from the web client by right-clicking and selecting Download. This works for both individual files and entire folders.

Downloading files using the smartphone app

It can be more convenient on mobile devices to leave the files in the cloud and open them when you need them, but there are some situations where you’ll need to find that Google Drive download button.

How to download files from the Google Drive Android app:

1. Open the Drive app on your smartphone.
2. Find the file you want to download. Tap on the three-dot menu button next to it.
3. Select Download.

If you’re using an iPhone, the process isn’t as straightforward. Let’s show you how it’s done.

How to download files from the Google Drive iPhone app:

1. Launch the Google Drive app.
2. Find the file you want to download and tap on the three-dot menu button next to it.
3. Tap on Send a copy.
4. If you can download the file, there will be a Save option. For example, Save Image.

How to organize and delete files on Google Drive

You can organize the files in Drive the same way you would on your PC. You can leave them all in one place (My Drive by default) or put them in different folders and subfolders. No matter how you organize your files, you can always search for them from the search bar at the top of the screen.

How to create a new folder on the Google Drive website

1. Go to the Google Drive website on your computer.
2. Click on the New button. Select New folder. You can also right-click anywhere and select New folder.
3. Name your folder and hit Create.

How to move files on the Google Drive website

1. Go to the Google Drive website on your computer.
2. Right-click on the file you want to move.
3. Go into Organize and select Move.
4. Navigate to the folder you want to move the file to.
5. Select Move.

Move files on the mobile app

Dragging and dropping also works on mobile, but in my experience, it’s faster if you use the menu options.

1. Open the mobile Drive app.
2. Find the file you want to move and tap on the three-dot button next to it.
3. Select Move.
4. Navigate to the new location.
5. Hit Move.

How to delete Drive files on the web

Since storage space is at a premium in the cloud, it’s essential to know how to delete Drive files to clear up space. The easiest option on the web is to right-click on the file or folder and select Remove.

How to delete Drive files on the mobile app

1. Open the Google Drive app on your phone.
2. Find the file you want to delete. Tap on the three-dot menu button next to it.
3. Hit Remove.
4. Select Move to trash.

How to share files

Sharing files on the web

One of the best things about Drive is sharing files with others. These can be single documents as well as folders.

1. Go to the Google Drive website on your computer.
2. Right-click on the file you want to share.
3. Highlight Share.
4. Select Copy link.
5. Share the link with others.
6. You can also select Manage access to control who can and can’t see the file.

Sharing files on the mobile app

The process is similar for mobile devices.

1. Open the Drive app on your smartphone or tablet.
2. Find the file or folder you want to share.
3. Tap the three-dot menu button next to it.
4. Select Manage access.
5. Modify the options to your liking.
6. Tap on the chain link icon to copy the link.
7. Share the link with others!

How to use Google Drive with third-party apps

Drive is connected with Google’s office productivity suite (Google Workspace), including Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, rivaling Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Although these three services have their dedicated websites, every document you create is automatically saved in Drive. Drive also supports other Google services like Google Forms, Google Drawings, etc.

You can create a document straight from Drive’s web interface or the mobile app, taking you to that Google Doc’s dedicated page. How exactly?

How to create Google Documents:

1. Go to the Google Drive website or open the mobile app.
2. Select the New button.
3. Pick Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides.

No matter which option you choose, you’ll always be able to access all created documents from your PC, mobile device, and the Drive folder on your computer. That is, provided they are connected to the internet.

It also integrates with many third-party apps. These include:

• DocHub (signing PDFs)
• Pixlr Express (photo editor)
• Draw.io (diagrams)
• and many more

You can check out the complete list via the web interface. Click the New button and select More, followed by Connect more apps. When you see something you like, click on it and select the Install button to integrate it with Drive.

Using Gmail’s Drive integration

One of the best and most useful integrations is between Gmail and Drive. 

How to share a Google Drive file on Gmail

1. Go to Gmail.com.
2. Tap on the three-line menu button in the top-left corner.
3. Select Compose.
4. Write your email and fill in all the required fields.
5. Select the Google Drive icon. Find the file, and select Insert.
6. Send your email.

It’s also easy to save Gmail files to Drive. Just hover the cursor over the attached image or other media file and click the Add to Drive icon. On mobile, you have to find the attached file and select the Drive icon.

How to insert Drive file on the Gmail mobile app

1. Open the Gmail app.
2. Hit Compose.
3. Tap on the paperclip icon.
4. Select Insert from Drive.
5. Find the file you want to send and hit Select.
6. Send your email.

It’s worth noting that files on Gmail count toward the same storage limit as files on Drive (just like photos uploaded to Google Photos), so you aren’t saving any space this way. You are, however, making them easier to search for in the Drive interface on the web, mobile, and desktop clients.

How to use Google Drive offline

Having your files online is excellent for accessing them from multiple devices. It can also mean you won’t be able to see or edit them without an internet connection. Fortunately, Google Drive gets around this limitation with an offline mode. It allows you to access files while not connected to the internet. You can view and edit files, including Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. All the changes synchronize automatically when an internet connection is established again.

Using Google Drive offline on the web

You have to turn on offline access individually for each device.

1. Go to the Google Drive website.
2. Click on the Gear icon.
3. Select Settings.
4. Enable Offline mode by check-marking the box next to it.

Also, make sure to download the Google Docs offline Chrome extension. Once that’s done, you can visit Drive’s website to view or edit your files. Remember that you must use the Chrome browser for this to work. You can also open files via the Drive folder on your computer, which will then open up in Chrome.

Using Google Drive offline on the mobile app

Things are a bit different on mobile devices.

1. Open the Drive app.
2. Find the file you want to make available offline. Hit the three-dot menu button next to it.
3. Select Make available offline.

FAQs

If you’ve made it this far, you should have a good idea of how to use Google Drive. To learn more about other Google services, check out our other guides on Google Docs, Sheets, and Photos.