Welcome to the wonderful world of Google Sheets! If you’ve been using Google Drive for some time, you may be struggling to keep track of all your files. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you optimize and organize your files with ease. Discover below all the features that Drive offers to assist you in this task.
Easily Find Your Files
The Google Drive search feature allows you to search for specific files using words contained within the file or the file name itself. To do this, locate the search bar, enter the word or file name you are looking for, and a list of suggested searches and files will appear as you type. Simply click on a file to open it directly from the search results. You can also press the “Enter” key to view a complete list of search results.
Sort Your Files Your Way
By default, your files are already sorted from newest to oldest. However, you can apply other sorts to organize them in a different order. To sort by name, click on the “Name” button just above the list of files. To sort by date, click on the “Last modified” button and choose the desired sorting option.
Use Filters for Efficient Organization
Filters allow you to hide unimportant files and focus only on those that interest you. For example, if you’re looking for a presentation, you can use a filter to display only presentation files. Here’s how to apply a filter:
- Locate and select the search options arrow in the search bar.
- Choose the filter you want to use. In our example, we’ll use a filter for “File type.”
- Select the desired filter. In our example, we’ll select “Text documents.”
- Click the search button or press the “Enter” key to apply the filter.
- Only files that match the filter will be displayed.
To remove a filter, select the text in the search bar and press the “Backspace” or “Delete” key.
Organize Your Files with Folders
Once you start adding files to Google Drive, you can use folders to organize and group them. Folders in Google Drive work just like folders on your computer.
- From Google Drive, click on the “New” button and select “Folder” from the dropdown menu.
- A dialogue box will appear. Enter a name for your folder and click “Create.”
- Your folder will appear on the left, below “My Drive.” You may need to click the dropdown arrow to view your folders.
To move files into folders:
- Click on the file and drag it to the desired folder.
- The file will appear in the selected folder.
To add multiple files to the same folder, hold down the “Ctrl” key (or “Command” key on a Mac) and click to select each desired file. Then, drag the files to the desired folder.
Easily Delete and Preview Your Files
Deleting a file from your Google Drive is similar to deleting a file from your computer. You need to move the file to the “Trash” and then delete it permanently, just like you would with a file from the “Trash” or “Recycle Bin” on your computer.
- Select the file you want to delete and click the “Delete” button to move the file to the “Trash.”
- Select “Trash” in the left navigation pane.
- The “Trash” will appear. Click on “Trash” at the top of the screen and select “Empty Trash.” The files will be permanently deleted.
Previewing files is a great way to make sure you’re opening the right version of a file or quickly take a look at files without opening them.
- Select the file you want to preview and click the “Preview” button.
- A preview of the file will appear.
Access All Actions Quickly with Right-Click
Right-clicking allows you to access the full list of actions for any file. Most of the listed actions are also available in other places on Google Drive, but this serves as a handy shortcut.
Practice to Master Google Drive
Finally, ready for an extra challenge? Check out this resource from Google that will help you organize and share files:
Applied Digital Skills: Organize Files in Drive: In this lesson, you will learn how to use Google Drive to store, access, and share files such as documents, presentations, forms, and photos all in one place. The lesson takes 45 to 90 minutes.
Challenge!
- Open our example file. Make sure you are logged in to your Google account, then click on “File” > “Make a copy”. For now, do not rename the copy.
- Open Google Drive, create a folder, and name it “Training Documents.”
- Locate our example file in your Drive.
- Add our example file to the folder you created in Step 2.
- Open the folder and preview the example file.
- Close the preview.
- When you’re done, your screen should look like this:
Join us on our website Crawlan.com to discover more tips and tricks for optimizing your use of Google Sheets and Google Drive. With our practical guides and available resources, you’ll become an expert in no time!
So, what are you waiting for? Start organizing your files on Google Drive now and take advantage of this powerful platform to manage your data with ease and efficiency.
See you soon for more exclusive tips!
