Whether you are a student or a professional, you most likely need to store files and data all the time. These may be homework assignments or work files but it is important that you keep them safe and secure. Many people still use a USB thumb drive to transfer these files from one device to another but these can break or can be easily lost.
One of the best storage solutions available is Google Drive because it has enormous capacity is easy to use, and can be accessed from anywhere. With the amount of data and collaboration it takes to run the number one website in the world, it’s no surprise that Google Drive has perfected the art of creating, sharing, and organizing documents.
To help everyone understand the benefits of Google Drive, here are 6 things you can do with it that you’ve probably never heard of.
1. Restore All Your Documents
The drive is where Google stores all your documents securely. You can access your files anytime, anywhere, from any device as long as you have an internet connection. when they are moved to this storage. The files can be any format within the commonly-used range, such as JPEGs, PNGs, and PDFs. One really useful thing you can do to keep these files extra safe is to get a cloud backup so you can restore your Google Drive if something happens to it. This can be useful if your Google Drive account is being deleted for any reason such as sometimes happens when you leave a job or finish a university course. It is also ideal to backup all your files in one place if you have multiple Google Drives for different reasons like one for work and one for personal files.
2. Stay Organized and Share Files
Google Drive is great for companies and different organizations because each user can have their own “My Drive”, where they store private files, as well as having access to the “Shared Drive”, where everyone can share and collaborate on documents across the organization. The platform also allows users to create various Shared Drives for different departments, teams, and management levels. You can organize documents and subfolders like on your personal computer, or you can color-code them based on your own criteria.
3. Search for Anything
Being the most powerful search engine, it is no surprise that Google Drive has an excellent search function. It is so advanced, that with just one keyword, you can pull up any relevant documents that you have access to or that have been shared with you in the past. This platform also extends the search algorithm to go into the content of the files, not just the titles themselves. For example, when you type “car” in the search bar, not only does Google Drive show you files that have “car” in their name, but also those with the word appearing anywhere in the document, even the ones with car pictures.
4. Collaborate in Real-Time
Whether it is Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides, Drive gives you and your colleagues the option to edit and contribute to the document together in real-time. You can see who has the document open, who has made edits, and what those changes were, all by accessing the document’s history. Moreover, Google also includes a chatbox, so that you can discuss quickly with everyone on the deck without having to create an actual meeting.
What’s best is you can set permissions for files, folders, and drives to grant access to specific users, or just for yourself, which helps minimize duplication, storage waste, and miscommunication.
5. Work Anywhere
The ability to access your files and folder from anywhere, even on mobile makes it such a versatile app. By signing into your google account, you have access to everything you need, so that you can work, even on a holiday by the beach. Once you have a document open, you can even work on it offline and it will be saved to your computer until you have an internet connection when it will then be saved automatically to the online drive.
6. Use Your Mobile to Access Documents
Many of us use our phones more than we use our computers these days, and Google Drive is compatible with all smartphones. You can edit documents directly, send links, review notes, and use all the other features of the Drive. This is ideal if you want to check your documents on the way to a big meeting or keep your eye on important collaborative files while on vacation.
Google Drive has proven to be an invaluable service for millions of companies and individuals around the world. With excellent security and sharing features at no cost, it really is a fantastic tool with so many excellent uses. Get the most out of your Google Drive by trying out the functions explained in this guide.