Organise your files in Google Drive

To organise your files in Drive, you can create folders to make files easier to find and share with others.

Note: If you organise a lot of files or folders at once, it might take time for you to see the changes.

This is available on multiple devices.

Create, move and copy files

Create a folder

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Drive app.
2. At the bottom right, tap add .
3. Tap Folder.
4. Name the folder.
5. Tap Create.

Move a file or folder

Important: To move a file, you must have permission to move the file from the source to the destination, otherwise the file won't be moved. A shortcut is created in the destination folder instead.

You can move an item from anywhere in Google Drive: the main window, the left panel or the search results.

Note: If you move folders with a lot of files or sub-folders, it might take some time for you to see the changes.

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Drive app.
2. Next to the file that you want to copy, click more Move.
3. Choose the folder, then tap Move here.
   • To create a new folder, tap new folder .

You can also move items between side-by-side screens open in the Drive app.

Important: Both instances of Drive must be logged into the same account.

1. On your Android device, open two instances of the Drive app side by side.
2. From your primary Drive account, long press on the file or folder that you want to move.
3. Drag your selected file or folder into its new location.

Make a copy of a file

To make a copy of a file, go to drive.google.com on a computer.

Delete a file or folder

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Drive app.
2. Next to the file that you want to copy, click more .
3. Tap Remove.

If you accidentally put an item in the bin, you can restore your item.

Change the colour of your folder

You can customise the colour of folders and shortcuts to folders in your My Drive and shared drives. If you change any colours, it will only apply to your view in Drive.

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Drive app.
2. Next to the folder that you want to change, tap more   Change colour.
3. Choose the colour that you want.

Drag files into and out of Drive

You can drag and drop files into Drive to upload them. You can also drag files out of Drive and drop them into other apps. When you drag a file out of Drive, you will paste a link to the file in the other app.

Important: Your device must be on Android N or later and be in split-screen mode. Not all apps support drag and drop.

1. Touch and hold the item.
2. Drag the item into another app.
3. Lift your finger to drop the item.

Related resources

• Find files in Google Drive

• Move files and folders into shared drives (beta)

• Learn how shortcuts replace files and folders stored in multiple locations