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Google Drive is a hugely popular cloud storage service, and one of the most generous free tools out there. It's powerful and easy to use, but if you're new to cloud storage and haven't used competitors like Dropbox or Mega, learning how to use Google Drive can be a little tricky. Here is a short guide to the essential features of Google Drive.
Google Drive offers free storage space (15 GB), and synchronization software to install on your PC, with which you can access this space as easily as the files on your hard drive.
In addition, integrated online applications (word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software) allow you not only to open the documents you copy to Drive, but also to edit them or create new ones. You can find your documents and work on them from any machine connected to the internet, PC, tablet or even smartphone.
The software also allows you to set up a backup of your hard drive to your online space, in just a few clicks. As for photos and videos taken with your smartphone, they can be automatically transferred to your storage space, with Google Photos. All documents and images stored online can be easily shared: just send a link to the people concerned.
To take advantage of all this, all you need is a (free) Google account, in other words a Gmail address. In this article, we share with you the complete guide to learn how to perfectly master Google Drive features and thus take advantage of the Cloud for more productivity.
Table of contents
What is Google Drive? How does it work ?
We won't go into technical details, but Google Drive is Google's cloud storage solution. It allows you to store your media and documents on Google's servers to free up space on your hard drive and access them from 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 basics you need to know. The first is that you need a Google account to use the service. This account is free and can be set up in minutes. This account gives you access to all Google services including Drive, Gmail, Photos, YouTube, Play Store, etc.
You can access Drive on the web by going to drive.google.com or through the free Android app. You can also view all your files through the Drive folder on your PC with Google Drive for Desktop, but you need to download the software first.
You can get the software by visiting the Drive website. From there, click the Settings button in the top right, then click Get Drive for desktop. Follow the installation instructions, then launch the program and go through the setup process, after which you will see a Google Drive icon under the Windows Favorites tab.
Google Drive Pricing
As for storage, you get 15GB for free, which is shared between Drive, Gmail, and Photos. That's enough for most people, but you can add more for a monthly or annual subscription. This subscription is part of Google One, and offers additional benefits beyond simple storage, such as discounts in the Google Store and sharing storage with family members.
We're focusing on Google Drive prices here, so let's look at raw storage. A 100GB plan will cost you $2 per month and the larger 2TB plan costs $10 per month. It's also worth noting that you can save money by paying annually. For each formula, these savings represent approximately two months of free service compared to a monthly subscription.
It's very important to keep in mind that Google Photos storage now counts towards your Drive storage limit. If you plan on using Photos (which most Android users are), that might be reason enough to upgrade to a paid plan.
Use Google Drive online
Accessible from anywhere via a simple Web browser, Google Drive offers 15 GB of free storage space, an online office suite, sharing tools, and a backup function. To take advantage of it, all you have to do is open a Google account.
- Edition : Click New to create a new document with Google's online software. To open an existing document, double-click it.
- Storage : To place a file in your online storage space, simply drag it with the mouse, from your hard drive, to the Drive window.
- Sauvegarde : By activating the backup, the content of your hard disk is automatically duplicated on Drive.
- Share : To share a document with colleagues or friends, just send them a sharing link.
Synchronize Google Drive and PC
The Backup and synchronization software allows you to find locally, on your hard drive, an automatically synced copy of cloud-stored files and folders to Google Drive.
1. Install the software
Download the software (link), install it, and in the window that opens next, click Get Started. Log in to your Google account, then click OK. In the My computer window which then appears, uncheck all the items in the upper frame (this is the backup aspect), then click Next and OK.
2. Choose folders
You then choose which folders in your online space will be synchronized locally: all (Synchronize all…), or only some (Synchronize only these folders). Please note, this takes up space on your hard disk, if you have a second disk, it is possible to modify the storage location (Modify). Click on Start then on Continue to start the synchronization.
3. Access files
Open File Explorer: your Google Drive folder is accessible from the Quick Access section. You can create sub-folders there as you wish (right click New > Folder). To place a file or folder in your online space, drag it with the mouse into the Google Drive folder. Note that the element is copied and not moved (to move, do a cut/paste).
4. Access the web interface
Your online space and the Google Drive folder on your PC are synchronized: any action performed on one is reflected in the other (moving a file, deleting, etc.). To quickly access the web interface, click the Google Drive icon at the end of the taskbar, then the Access Google Drive icon on the web at the top.
To modify the choices made in step 2, click on the Google Drive icon, in the taskbar, then on the 3 dots, at the top right, and Preferences. If you exclude certain folders from synchronization, they are erased from your PC, but remain available online.
Enable Google Drive Backup
The Backup and synchronization software allows you to perform a continuous backup of files from your hard drive to your Drive space.
1. Open window
If you have not yet installed the software, do so as indicated on the opposite page, and continue the procedure up to the My computer window (step 1). If it is already installed, click on its icon, at the end of the taskbar, then on the 3 dots and on Preferences.
2. Enable Backup
Select the entire Documents, Pictures and Computer folder (the files placed on the Desktop), or uncheck one or the other and select only part of it (or other folders) via Select Folder. Validate with OK. The backup is in the Drive voting computers section.
Share a folder or file
Folders or files stored online can be easily shared with friends or collaborators : just send them a link to the relevant item.
1. Share from Drive
From your Google Drive space, right-click on the file or folder concerned and get shareable link. In the (Limited) drop-down list, choose All users with the link. Then copy the link, and send it to the people concerned by email or messaging.
2. From Explorer
Have you installed Backup and Sync (page 24)? Navigate to the affected file via the Google Drive folder in File Explorer. Right click on it then Google Drive > Share. Click on Get the link, choose All Users… from the drop-down list, and right-click the link > Copy.
work online
Google Drive integrates a complete office suite, with word processor and spreadsheet, which allows you to open and edit your documents, or create new ones directly online.
1. Open a document
Log in to Google Drive. To open an existing document, right-click on it and select the appropriate application. To create a new document, click + New and select the app: Google Docs (word processing), Google Sheets (spreadsheet) or Google Slides (presentation). You can start from a model by clicking on the small arrow on the right.
2. Edit content
Google's online apps offer a nice array of features. Formatting, inserting images, calculation formulas… you will find practically everything you have with the software you usually use on your PC, such as Microsoft Office or Libre Office. If you opened a blank document, name it by clicking Untitled Document at the top.
3. Save your work
No need to look for the save function: saving all your changes is automatic. You can check it by clicking on the icon Show document status, at the top. Note that the Google suite is compatible with the most common formats (.doc, docx, .odt, xlsx, .ods…). You can also open files compressed in Zip format.
4. Retrieve the document
To download a copy of the document to the computer, do File > Download and select a format. You can also print a copy, via the printer icon. You will find your document in your Drive anyway. Right click on it then Download to retrieve it on the computer.
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Collect and share your photos
With Google Photos, automatically upload the photos and videos you take with your mobile device to your online space.
1. Enable Backup
Download the Google Photos app on your mobile device, then launch it and open the menu at the top right to go to the Backup and sync settings. Enable this feature, and choose a import size : Original quality (best), or image compression (High quality), with the benefit of unlimited storage.
2. Set up transfers
Then go to Mobile data consumption. Enable Back up photos over mobile data connection if you want photos to be transferred over 4G (otherwise only over Wi-Fi). Same thing below, this time concerning the videos.
3. Find your images
To view the images on your PC, go to http://photos.google.com. To download snapshots to your hard disk, select them, by checking the small circle at the top left, then in the menu at the top right (the 3 dots), choose Download. You get a Photos.zip folder containing the images.
4. Share snaps
To share your images with friends, select the snapshots (you can also check a date), then at the top right, click on the icon Share then Create a link (twice). Copy the link obtained, and paste it in an email or a message to your friends.
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Google Drive can't connect: How to troubleshoot?
If your Drive isn't working or you're having trouble connecting, here's how fix google drive can't connect.
1. Check the G Suite Dashboard
The vendor offers an excellent service for users to check general issues affecting the tool. Any known Google Server failures are flagged in the G Suite dashboard, with a red dot displayed next to each product name.
You can access the verification page by by clicking here. Another way to check is to visit https://downdetector.fr/statut/google-drive/.
2. Disconnecting and reconnecting your Google Drive account
The solution to restore the connection to Google Drive is to reconnect to the Google server. If you're using a computer, follow the steps below to disconnect and reconnect your Google Drive account.
- Click on the icon corresponding to Backup and Synchronization
- Tap Error->Google Drive folder not found->Sign out your account
- Then log back in and check that Google Drive is working with optimal settings.
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3. Restart your computer
Restarting your computer will unlock Google Drive. This is a simple procedure that will not negatively impact the tool or your computer.
To restart, simply open the Windows menu (bottom left of the desktop), press the Start button and select "Restart". After restarting your computer, check that Google Drive is working with optimal settings.
4. Reboot and/or reinstall the backup and sync system
To restart, click Backup and Sync, click Exit Backup and Sync and re-enable the service. If there is no improvement, you can continue with the reinstallation steps.
To do this, go to the Backup and Sync download page and download the latest version. During the installation process, you will be asked to confirm the replacement of the current version – please press yes.
After reinstalling Backup and Sync, you will have to wait for some time. Then check that Google Drive is working with optimal settings.
5. Perform the usual diagnostic and troubleshooting steps
Check the internet connection: If you receive the "Trying to connect" error message, check your Internet connection. To do this, just visit any web page.
Check the browser version you are using: Google Drive works with the latest two versions of major browsers. These are: Google Chrome (recommended), Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Edge and Safari (Mac only). It is important to update your browser to fix any connection issues with the tool.
If you're using Chrome, here's how.
- Click on the three dots symbol in the upper right corner.
- Tap Update Google Chrome
- Click Restart
- If you don't see the update button, it means you already have the latest version.
If you're using Firefox, here's how.
- Click the menu button -> Help
- Select "About Firefox" (Firefox will check for updates and download them automatically).
- Click Restart
Clear cookies and cache: Cookies and caches store information in order to personalize your browsing experience and speed up the loading of previously viewed pages. In theory, the objective is therefore noble.
However, both can sometimes cause glitches in apps like Google Drive. In this case, it is recommended to clear your browser's cookies and cache.
If you're using Chrome, here's how.
- Click on the three dots (top right of the page).
- Click More tools->Clear browsing data.
- Select a period
- Check the option “Cookies and website data, cached images and files”.
- Click Clear Data
If you're using Firefox, here's how.
- Click on the menu button
- Select Options->Privacy and Security->History Section
- Click on the “Settings” button.
- Check the boxes for cookies and cache or all the boxes.
Although this is not the ideal solution, it should be pointed out that you can also configure a offline access to Google Drive, which will allow you to consult and modify your files without an internet connection.
To enable this feature, you just need to follow these steps.
- Open Chrome browser (your account must be pre-registered)
- Go to drive.google.com/drive/settings
- Check the box next to “Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings files to this computer” so you can edit them offline.
When the connection is reestablished, the changes made are synchronized. We hope the solutions detailed below will help you reconnect to Google Drive in time.
Google Drive flags text files containing "1" as copyright infringement
Google Drive suffers from a rather unusual bug that sees it flag text files as copyright infringement simply because they contain a '1' or a '0'.
As TorrentFreak reports, the behavior was first spotted by Dr. Emily Dolson, an assistant professor at Michigan State University. She posted an image showing Google Drive flagging the output04.txt file stored on her Google Drive as violating copyright infringement policy. The file contained only the number one and was created for use in a university algorithms course.
HackerNews users decided to test the prevalence of this phenomenon and discovered that copyright infringement was also triggered when a text file contained a "0" or "1/n". It's unclear what causes Google's automatic file-checking system to decide that these files violate someone's copyright, but something is definitely wrong.
Fortunately, someone at Google was checking Google Drive's Twitter account and spotted Mr. Dolson's tweet exposing the breach. This is of course a bug, of which "the Drive team is very aware now". A fix is in the works, but there is no indication when it will be released. In the meantime, it's best to avoid storing text files containing only these characters on your hard drive, unless you like seeing little violation icons next to your filenames.
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Finally, Google Drive is one of the niftiest, most complete and generous cloud storage and synchronization services, with excellent collaboration capabilities of the productivity suite. If you have any further questions, you can write to us in the comments section or through our contact page. Don't forget to share the article on Facebook and Twitter!
