In this technological era, clouds not only bring us rain, thunder, and lightning but also files and data, storing them safely for a rainy day. One of the best cloud storage services is Google Drive, which saves files online, and can be accessed from any smartphone, tablet, or computer, irrespective of its operating system.
What is Google Drive, and How does it work?
Google Drive can be described as a more advanced hard drive. It lets you upload and save your documents, photos, audios, videos, etc., online to Google servers or “cloud.” Google gives you 15 gb of free storage. If that isn’t enough space for you to work with, according to Businessinsider, Google has now come up with Google One service, where you can upgrade your account to pay for more space.
Files uploaded in Google Drive are private until you invite others to view, edit, or download them. In addition, Drive files are protected by AES256 or AES128 encryption, the same security protocol Google uses on its other services.
The mobile app of Google Drive is available for both iOS and Android phones and gives you immediate access to your files from anywhere. You can view, download, upload and delete files from your handy device through the app.
If you want to access the Drive from your desktop or laptop, there are ways and apps to download and use Google Drive on both Windows PC and Mac. To know more about how to achieve this, click setapp.com.
Google Drive tips you can’t afford to miss
Google Drive is filled with features and tools that are very easy to work with. Nevertheless, here are some handy tips and tricks to navigate Google Drive:
Offline File Access
When you venture into a no internet connection zone and need to access your Drive files immediately, Google Drive has an offline mode that allows you to view and edit files without the internet. This feature works with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Any changes made to the files offline automatically sync when a connection is available.
To turn on offline mode, go to your Drive and click the gear icon at the top right-hand corner of the screen. You will be able to turn it in your Settings by checking the box next to “Offline.”
Backup And Sync All Files
You can easily start a project on any one of your devices and complete it on something else. Google Drive syncs across all your devices with the same email account. It also works with any document, not just Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. You can also install Google’s Backup and Sync program on your desktop. It automatically backs up files from your computer, camera, or SD cards to Google Drive.
Share And Set Access Levels
You can share a document on your Google Drive with upto 200 people, including 50 editors. Make a document public to avoid hassles or share the link with other people setting four access levels.
Owners can do anything to the file, from deleting it to sharing and setting access. Editors can edit the document and only share it with more people if the Owner allows it. Commenters can see it and leave comments, whereas Viewers are mere spectators. However, keep in mind that Viewers and Commenters can make copies of documents. In addition, public documents are made available to search engines.
Direct Share Through Gmail
Gmail and Google Drive are a match made in heaven. If you are a user of both services, you don’t need to attach documents to send them via mail. Instead, files uploaded on Google Drive storage can be inserted directly into Gmail messages by clicking on the Google Drive icon at the bottom of the compose email screen. This feature also lets you send upto 10gb worth of files, instead of the 25mb attachment limit.
Convert To Google Docs Format
Google Drive lets you add any and every file for storage, but to work with them after uploading, you would need to convert the files to Google’s format. Converting a file to Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides format is very simple. After uploading the file, right-click on it to select “Open with.” A menu of choices will appear with options that will let you convert the file to Google format by creating a copy and leaving the original file intact.
Translate Documents
You don’t need to turn to anything else to translate a document in a foreign language that you aren’t proficient at. Just upload it to Google Drive, convert (if in any other format), and open it as a Google Doc. Next, click on Tools and then on Translate Document. Finally, select the language you want to translate the document to, and you will get a duplicate doc in your preferred language.
With the tips and tricks mentioned above, Google Drive can become a powerhouse of productivity, vital to everyone, from students to professionals.
