How to Use Google Drive
When Google Drive was first introduced, the software served as a place to store data in a Cloud folder so you could access them anywhere. As Drive software improved, it synchronized all Google Docs functions and became the hub for creating Google documents and Office tools. You can even install multiple apps into Drive for broader functionality. Check out the following instructions to get the most out of Google Drive.
Setting
Sign in to the Google Drive website with your Google account. If you don't have a Google account, you can create a Gmail account for free. Google Drive allows you to store data in Cloud folders, as well as create documents and many types of documents through the Google Drive website interface.
Add data to Drive software. There are 2 ways to add data to Drive. You can create Google Drive documents, or download data from your computer. To create a new data, press the CREATE button. To upload a file, press the 'Up Arrow' button next to the CREATE button.
Change the way data is displayed. You can choose data display mode by grid (Grid) or list (List). List mode will allow you to see who owns the document and when the document was last modified. Grid mode will give you a preview of the first page of each data. You can change views by pressing the buttons next to the gear icon in the upper right corner of the page.
Use the navigation bar on the left to find data. 'My Drive' is where all the data and folders you've uploaded are stored. 'Shared with Me' is text and data shared with you by other people using Drive. 'Starred' data is marked as important data, and 'Recent' data is the data most recently edited by you.
You can drag and drop data and folders around Drive to arrange them appropriately.
Select the check box to select multiple data and folders. You can perform multiple actions on selected data by pressing the buttons at the top of the page. If you're using large icon view, the check box appears when hovering over the text. More options are available in the 'More' menu.
Click the Folder icon with the '+' sign to create a new folder in your Drive. You can create subfolders within other folders to organize data.
Search data. You can search for documents and Google Drive folders by using the search bar at the top of the website. Google Drive will search by title, content, and other users. If a listing is found using the exact same word as the title, it will appear under the search bar as you type so you can quickly select it.
Download the application for mobile devices. The Google Drive app can be downloaded for Android or iOS devices, allowing you to access data from your phone or tablet. The app can be downloaded for free from the app store. The mobile app probably won't have some of the same features as the web browser version.
Document
Press the CREATE button. A menu will appear allowing you to select the type of text you want to create. You have many default options, and for more options click on the 'Connect more app' link below the menu:
Folder – Create a folder in My Drive to organize data.
Document – Creates a new word processing document. You can adjust formatting and page setup using the tools and menus at the top of the document. Documents can be exported as Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, PDF, and other formats.
Presentation – Opens Google Drive similar to Microsoft PowerPoint. Data can be exported as Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, JPG, and other formats.
Spreadsheet – Create a new spreadsheet. Spreadsheets can be exported as Microsoft Excel, Open Office, PDF, CSV, and other formats.
Form – Allows you to create text forms to fill out online. Forms can be exported to CSV data.
Create new data. Once the text format is selected, the new document to be created will appear. If you choose Presentation or Form, step-by-step setup instructions in the form of a wizard will help you shape the text.
Name the data. At the top of the web page, click the gray italicized word 'Untitled'
Edit text. Start writing in a commercial style. You may realize that Google Drive has most of the basic features, but some advanced features may not be available.
The text is automatically saved while performing the operation.
Export and convert data formats. If you want the data to be compatible with certain compatible programs, select File and place the arrow on the 'Download As' button. A menu appears with all available formats. Choose the format that suits your needs. You will be asked to name the document and choose where to download it. Once the data is loaded, it will appear as selected text.
Share text. Click File and select Share, or press the blue Share button in the upper right corner of the web page to open the Sharing settings. You can specify who can view and edit data.
Send the link above to those with whom you want to share data. You can use the buttons below to quickly share via Gmail, Google+, Facebook, or Twitter.
Change who has access to the document by clicking the 'Change…' link. By default, documents are private and you must invite certain people to give them access. You can change this to allow everyone to have the link, so that the document can be opened and found throughout the Internet.
Invite others to edit the text by entering their contact information in the 'Invite people' area. Invited users must sign in to Google Drive to access the text.
Change other people's access permissions by clicking the blue link next to their name. You can allow them to edit the text or just view it.
Export text. To export a document, spreadsheet, or presentation, click File and select 'Publish to the web'. Export your document to Google Drive to create a copy that anyone can see. The copy becomes a separate web page that does not link to the original text. This allows you to share documents with anyone without changing the sharing settings.
An exported text cannot be edited. You can re-edit the remaining original text in Google Drive.
Print text. If you have a printer set up or can access a Google Cloud printer, you can print documents. Click the File menu and select Print from the bottom of the list.
Print settings. You can specify which pages will be printed, as well as the format of the printed pages. Click Print to go to the next screen.
The print review page opens, and you can select the printer by pressing the Change button. This comes in handy if you try to access your Google Cloud printer at home while working or studying.
Convert text to an older version. If you make a bunch of changes to a document and realize you need to convert it to an old version, you can use the Revision History tool to look through old copies. Open the document and click the File menu. Select 'See revision history' and a list of revision tables will open on the right side of the web page.
You can select each proofread in the list to view the text in the main window.
When you find the revision you want to keep, click 'Restore this revision link' below its entry in the list.
Data
Download the Google Drive sync program for your computer. This step is optional, but can make syncing special data with Google Drive easier. If you want to set up the program, find the download link from the main Google Drive website. The path will download the correct installation program for your operating system.
Once you have downloaded the program, install it immediately and log in with your Google account. A folder will be created on your computer desktop allowing you to access all of your Google Drive data.
Drag any data you want to add to your Google Drive storage into the folder and they will automatically upload. When a data is uploaded successfully, it will display a green mark right at the icon.
Upload settings. Click the gear icon in the top right corner of the website and move your mouse to 'Upload settings'. You can choose Google Drive to automatically convert uploaded data such as Word or Excel documents into Drive format, and you can use Drive to convert PDF data into editable text data.
You can choose to be reminded every time you do this, or you can choose to have it done automatically.
Unconverted data will not open in Google Drive unless you convert it. If not, you will need to download them to a device that has a program to open the data.
Click the Upload pen. A menu will appear allowing you to upload individual data or an entire folder. Find the data or folder you want to upload to Drive. The data conversion settings initially set will take effect, and you can see the data upload progress in the window that appears.
A free Google Drive account helps you store 15GB of uploaded data. The archive will be shared with the Gmail account. Any data created in Drive does not affect your storage capacity. You can see what items are taking up storage space by clicking the 'Manage' link in the bottom left corner of the Drive page.
Uploaded data appears in the My Drive folder. You can move them within the folder system if you want.
Download data from Google Drive to your computer. If you want to download one or more data to your personal computer, select the check box for the data you want to download. Click the More button at the top of the web page and select Download.
When downloading Google Drive data, you will be asked about the data format you want to convert. Otherwise, the data will start downloading automatically.
Delete unnecessary data. To delete data and folders, select the box that marks the data you want to delete. Click the Trash button at the top of the web page. You can cancel the deletion action by clicking the Undo link, or going to the Trash section in the left menu.
Remember, documents created on Google Drive do not affect storage capacity.
Other features
Edit images uploaded to Drive. You can use the free app Pixlr to edit any image uploaded directly to Drive. Press the CREATE button and select 'Connect more apps'. Search for Pixlr and install for free.
Once Pixlr is installed, right-click on an image in Drive and select 'Open with'. Select Pixlr from the menu and the image will open in a new tab. You can start editing with Pixlr.
Listen to stored music data. If you are using Google Drive to store MP3 music data, you need to download them first to enjoy. With the Drive Music Chrome app, you can use the Google Chrome search page to listen to music stored in Drive. The app can be downloaded for free from the Chrome web store.
Draw shapes with Drive. You can add the Drawing app to Drive, which installs a basic image creation program. Use this program to draw images for other documents, or create professional sketches by sharing drawings with others.
Combine PDF data. Installing the PDF Merge application for Google Drive helps you quickly combine PDF data stored in Drive. You can drag and drop commands to sort the final PDF data. The application uploads the PDF data to the server, combines them, and then sends back the final combined data.
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