View & open files

With Google Drive on the web, you can view things like videos, PDFs, Microsoft Office files, audio files, and photos.

Important: If you try to open a suspicious file, you may get a warning message. Use caution if you open the file.

View a file

1. Go to drive.google.com.
2. Log into your Google account with your username and password.
   • Learn how to recover your username or password.
3. Double-click a file.
4. If you open a Google Doc, Sheet, Slides presentation, Form, or Drawing, it will open using that application.
5. If you open a video, PDF, Microsoft Office file, audio file, or photo, it will open in Google Drive.

Open a file using a different app

You can open a file using web apps or apps installed on your computer. To open files with apps installed on your computer, you need the most recent version of Google drive for desktop and the Application Launcher by Google.

1. Go to drive.google.com.
2. Log into your Google account with your username and password.
   • Learn how to recover your username or password.
3. Right-click a file.
4. Place your cursor over Open with.
5. Choose an app.

Learn how to set a default app for opening certain file types.

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