There are many cloud storage services out there. One among them is Google Drive. It was launched by Google (now Alphabet) in April 2012. It is linked to your Gmail account. Every Gmail account comes with 15 GB of free storage space across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.
Most people use Google Drive to store their files as it is convenient to drag-and-drop files in there. However, if you’re thinking of Google Drive as a mere place to store your files, you’re missing out on some pretty powerful possibilities.
Here’s a list of 8 tips on how to use Google Drive for more than just file storage…
- Sync All Your Files
Google Drive syncs across devices, so you can start a project on the PC and pick it up on the phone, tablet, or your home laptop. And it works with any kind of document.
- Create All Kinds of Content
Google Drive isn’t just a place to store files or folders just from outside. You can create content right from within the platform such as Docs, Sheets, and Slide. It just takes a click on the type of content you want to create to get started.
- Create Google Drawings
Google Drawings is the free drawing tool built into Google Drive. It’s like a very basic version of Microsoft Visio. With it, you can create drawings such as organizational charts or basic diagrams in which you need to include text, rudimentary shapes, icons, and images.
- Color-Code Your Folders
Adding color to your folders can help you visually recognize files faster and give you additional ways to organize your Google Drive. Google Drive offers a rainbow of choices. Right-click any folder and select Change Color to get the color options.
- Voice Type in Docs
Voice typing is a helpful accessibility tool that’s available on Google Docs and in Google Slides speaker notes. It’s a feature that’s only available in Chrome browsers, and some aspects (like voice commands for editing, formatting, and punctuation) are only available in certain languages.
- Collect Data by using Google forms
A Google Form gives you a great way to gather responses from people. From a one-question to a long multi-section quiz or surver, the data collected is inserted into a spreadsheet file. Forms support progress bars to show respondents how long they will take complete the quiz or survey. It also supports incorporation of images and YouTube videos.
- Use Keyboard Shortcuts
Google Drive allows you to use keyboard shortcuts for navigation right in your web browser. Here are some of the keyboard shortcuts that you can use.
| Shortcuts | Description |
| X | Select or de-select current highlighted item |
| . | Share selected items |
| Z | Move selected items to new folder |
| S | Star or unstar selected items |
| V | Switch between grid and list in items view |
- Save Files Directly from Your Browser to Drive
Yes, you can save any web page, image, file, or screenshot directly from your browser to Google Drive by using the official Save to Google Drive Chrome extension. With the extension in place, you can right-click on any hyperlink to save its target into your Drive storage or click the icon in the upper-right corner of the browser to capture and save a screenshot of your current view.
Wrapping up
At its essence, Google Drive is a powerful cloud storage solution. But with time, and with the right know-how, it can become a necessary productivity tool for anyone, from students to business professionals.
