Switching to Drive from your C:\ drive

Want to get more out of Google apps at work or school?  Sign up for a free G Suite trial
" "

Drive

Now that you have Google Drive, here are a few tips. They’ll help you begin replacing the C:\ drive on your Microsoft® Windows® computer as your storage solution.


Get Drive: drive.google.com | Android app | iOS app

" "

Comparison at a glance

Show all instructions | Hide all instructions

In C:\ drive.. In Drive...*
Upload files and folders
Upload files and folders

If you’re using the latest version of Chrome or Firefox®, you can simply drag files directly from your computer to the Drive page on your browser.

For more details, see Get started with Drive.
Can’t share files and folders or set sharing access
Share files and folders and set sharing access

Share with specific people

  1. Right-click a file or folder and click Share.
  2. Under People, enter the email address of the person or group you want to share with.
  3. Click Edit Edit and choose the access level.
  4. Click Send.

Share with your organization

  1. Right-click a file or folder and click Share.
  2. Under Get link, click Change link to your organization.
  3. At right, click the Down arrow  and choose a permission.
  4. Click Copy link and then click Done.
  5. Paste the link in an email or any place you want to share it.

For more details, see Get started with Drive.
Can’t set an expiration date
Set an expiration date on a shared file
  1. Right-click a shared file and click Share.
  2. Click Advanced.
  3. Point to a person’s name and click Timer History on.
  4. Change the date.
  5. Click Save changesand thenDone.

For more details, see Set an expiration date for file access.
Search for files or folders
Search for files or folders
  1. In the search box, enter a word or phrase.

    To help you search faster, Drive suggests search terms and results as you enter text.

  2. Click a file suggestion to open it, or click a search suggestion to see a list of results for that search term.

For more details, see Get started with Drive.
Sort files and folders
Sort files and folders

At the top of your files, click an option:

  • Name—Orders files alphabetically by name.
  • Last modified—Orders files by the last time anyone changed a file, or the last time you changed or opened a file.
Can't manage versions
Manage versions
  • In Drive, right-click a non-Google file and select Manage versions. You can download a specific version or upload a new version.
  • In Docs, Sheets, or Slides, select Fileand thenVersion historyand thenSee version history. You can name a specific version or make a copy of a version.

For more details, read See changes to your Drive files and folders.
Make files available offline
Make files available offline
  1. Install the Google Docs Offline extension.
  2. In Drive, click Settings Settingsand thenSettings.
  3. In the Offline section, check the Create, open and edit your recent Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files on this device while offline box.
  4. Click Done.
  5. Right-click a file and turn on Available offline.

To learn how to access files offline from your desktop or mobile, see Access stored Drive files without the internet.
*These instructions are primarily web only.
Was this helpful?
How can we improve it?