What is Google Drive? A Beginner’s Guide to Cloud Storage

Google Drive is one of the most popular cloud storage services. It lets you store files online and access them from anywhere.

I have been using Google Drive for almost a decadebe it for personal needs or professionaland the cloud-based storage platform has never disappointed me.

In this postI’ll cover Google Drive’s benefitsadvanced featuresand its integration with Gemini.

AdditionallyI’ll answer common doubts about whether Google Drive is free and cover steps on how to accessuploadand create new files and folders. 

By the endyou can decide for yourself if Google Drive is a good fit for your business or personal needs.

What is Google Drive?

Google Drive is an AI-powered cloud storage solution. It offers excellent file-sharing and collaboration features that help streamline workflows. 

It was launched in 2012 and currently has over 2 billion active users. That’s almost 2.8 times more than Dropbox (750 million monthly users)!

Teams can use it to work remotely and uploadshareand edit files from any deviceas it is accessible via a browser. It supports 100+ file typesincluding popular office file formats:

• Docs
• Sheets
• Slides
• PDFs
• Microsoft Office files 

Google Drive is enterprise-readywith available storage running from 15 GB to 5 TB per user. It allows easy storage add-on when needed.

TechnicallyGoogle Drive’s storage is the sum of content used by Gmail and Google Photos. Soany email attachments and photos/videos stored in Google Photos will count against the available storage space.

As for integrationGoogle Drive works well with other systems and servicesincluding YouTubeGoogle Analyticsetc.

Benefits of Using Google Drive

Once you start using Google Driveyou’ll find it to offer many benefitsincluding:

• Uploading and downloading files → Download and upload files at ease and access files anywhere from any device of your choice. 

• Drag-and-drop functionality → You can drag-and-drop files to Google Drivemaking it easy to use and intuitive for most advanced users.

• Organizing and searching files → Offers advanced searching capabilities powered by AI for relevant search results. It takes your activities into account to show useful information.
• File sharing and collaboration → Share files among peers and outsiders with easy file sharing options such as ViewEditand Comment. Moreoveryou can share drives for easy team collaboration. It also supports collaboration on file-level for office formats such as docsspreadsheetsand presentations.

Google Drive Advanced Features

Along with basic features such as uploaddownloadsearchingfile sharingand collaborationGoogle Drive provides advanced features such as:

• Syncing files between desktop and cloud: With the Google Drive for Desktop appyou can enable automatic sync between desktop and cloud. This is handy for people who work using Microsoft Office or other Office suite solutions such as LibreOfficeWPS Officeetc.

• Version history: Google offers version history for sheetsdocsand sliders. It helps keep track of the changes and revert to the original if needed. For other file typesyou can manage versions by right-clicking the file and downloading an older version.

• Tracking file changes: Users can check file changes and activity. All they need to do is right-click the file (or click on three dots) and choose File Information > Activity. 

• Restore previous files: Once you delete a fileit gets stored in the trash for 30 days. You can restore it if the need arises.

• Offline access: To ensure availability during internet outagesGoogle Drive offers offline access to Google DocsSheetsand Slides. To enable offline accessyou need to be connected to the internet and then install and turn on the “Google Docs Offline Chrome extension“. Once donego to Google Drive > Settings > Turn on Offline setting.

Google Drive and Gemini

Until recentlyGoogle Drive didn’t have any AI capabilities. HoweverGoogle introduced Gemini for Google Workspace in 2024. This functionality tides over to Google Drivewhich lets users:

• Summarize long documents
• Retrieve facts faster
• Create custom proposals for clients
• Create interactive presentations with AI-generated images and designs

Note: Google Gemini is only available with Google Workspace plans. 

Is Google Drive Free?

Google Drive is free for normal userswith each account having a limit of 15 GB of storage space across Google PhotosGmailand Drive itself.

It invites users to start using Drive for basic functionalitiesespecially for storing filesphotosor even videos. Once they run out of spaceGoogle offers paid plans where users can upgrade storage tiers (up to 30 TB).

I started using Google Drive in 2014. Since thenI’ve used Drive for free until 2019but I soon hit the 15 GB free storage mark. This made me upgrade to the Basic plan on a monthly basis. HoweverI recently learned that getting the annual plan can save me 16%so I went forward and subscribed to its yearly plan!

Andno doubtthe new storage space is filling up as well!

Google Drive’s storage can be increased via Google One plans. The pricing for Google One is as follows:

• Basic – $1.99 /mo.provides 100 GB for DriveGmailand Photos.
• Standard – $2.99/mo.with 200 GB storage.
• Premium – $9.99/mo.which offers 2 TB storage space with unlimited Magic Editor and Google Workspace premium features.

Alternativelybusinesses can access Google Drive via Google Workspacewhich gives access to pooled storageGemini AI accessvideo meetingseSignatureand much more.

How to Access Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud-based storage system that makes it accessible to any device via the web browser of your choice.

To access it via a web browserdo the following:

• Open the web browser of your choice.
• Go to “drive.google.com“.
• Log in to your Google account (sign up if you don’t have one).

Alternativelyyou can also use the Google Drive for Desktop app to access the solution from Windows and Mac. Once installedit’ll create a Google Drive folder where you can put files/folders for easy access and sync with the cloud.

If you’re on a smartphone or tabletit’s better to install the Android or iOS appdepending on your device type and operating system.

These apps offer ease of use and let you accessuploador download files directly from your handheld device. 

Google Drive is synced across the webdesktopand mobile devices.

How to Upload to Google Drive?

Uploading files/folders to Google Drive is easy. Howeverthe steps differ depending on where you’re trying to upload. I’ll show the process for each one below.

Web browser

1. Go to drive.google.com.
2. Sign in to your Google account.
3. Click on “New” from the top-left corner.
4. Select “File Upload” or “Folder Upload” as per your need.
5. Now choose the file/folder you want to upload.

AlternativelyGoogle Drive also supports drag-and-drop functionality.

Google Drive Mobile App

For the Google Drive mobile appfollow the steps mentioned below:

1. Open the Android/iPhone mobile app.
2. Click on the “+ New” button on the bottom right.
3. Select “Upload” and then select the file you want to upload.

Google Drive for Desktop

For the desktop appyou need to follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Make sure you have the Google Drive app installed on your computer.
2. Log in to your Google account.
3. It’ll create a Google Drive folder.
4. Drag and drop files into that specific folder.

Google Drive will automatically sync the changes to the cloud.

How to Create a Folder in Google Drive?

To create a folder in Google Driveyou will need to follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Open Google Drive via web or your preferred app (Android/iOS).
2. Click on the “New + ” button on the top left. Alternativelyyou can use Alt + N to open the Create menu.
3. Select the “New Folder” option.
4. Nowname the new folder as per your needs.

This will create and highlight the new folder.

Can I Use Google Drive on Mac?

Yesyou can use Google Drive on Mac. There are two ways you can do this:

• Accessing via the web browser of your choice.
• Use the Google Drive app for Mac.

For the Google Drive app for Macyou’ll need to ensure proper permission to access the folder. 

How to Find Large Files in Google Drive?

Finding large files in Google Drive requires you to list files based on their size. 

The exact steps you’ll need to follow are:

• Open up your Google Drive via browser or app.
• Click on “Storage” from the left menu.
• Nowyou’ll see the files listed based on their size.
• Clicking on “Storage used” will show you the ascending file size order.

How to Secure Google Drive Files?

Google Drive files are secure by default. Howeveras a useryou can take multiple steps to secure your file or Google Drive in general. These include:

• Not sharing files with unknown people
• Don’t store sensitive files on Drive
• Ensure that editors cannot add other people
• Regularly check shared documents access
• Trim Google Drive Apps when not in use
• Encrypt the files before uploading them to Google Drive

Google Drive Keyboard Shortcuts

Google Drive supports keyword shortcuts for almost all necessary actionsincluding editingselectingand navigating.

You can find the whole list of keyword shortcuts by pressing Ctrl + / (forward slash).

I primarily like its navigation keyword shortcutssuch as:

• / — for searching the drive
• Ctrl + F – for find/find next feature in docssheetand slides
• Alt + N – to open the Create menu
• Enter – to open selected items

The macOS shortcuts are different from Windows/ChromeOSsince the Alt and CTRL keys are replaced with Option and Command keys. To learn the list of Google Drive shortcutscheck out this help article.

How to Share Google Drive Files?

Google has made it easy to share Drive files. You can share files and folders via email or link. 

1. Open the file or folder you want to share in Google Drive.
2. Click on the Share option at the top right (or open the three dots on the file).
3. Nowadd the recipient email address in the “Add peoplegroupsand calendar events”.

4. Select an access type such as ViewerCommenteror Editor.

5. Choose to Add expiration date.
6. Add any message if you want.
7. Click on Send.

Similarlyyou can share the file via General access.

1. Open the file you want to share.
2. Click on the Share button at the top right corner.
3. Under “General access”change it to “Restricted”“Organization”or anyone with the link.
4. Click on “Done” to make changes.

You can also copy the link after making the changes and share it manually via personal messenger or task management solutions such as Notion or Trello.

How Fast is Google Drive?

Google Drive is fast. 

In my best Dropbox alternatives postI found Google Drive to be the second best when compared to Zoho Worldrive. It took 26 seconds to upload a 211 MB MP4 file compared to 23 seconds by Zoho and 28 seconds by Dropbox. 

Howeverthe time taken to upload depends on your location and your internet speed. The test was done using a fairly fast internet connection of 90 Mbps upload and download speedsand the location was India.

To gauge Google Drive’s performancelet’s test it from two locations: the US and the UK. For this testI am going to use ProtonVPN.

Google Drive US test

I connected to a US server. Once connectedmy internet speed was affected due to the use of a VPNand it is now at 73.77 Mbps download speed and only 1.78 Mbps upload speed.

It took 184 seconds for the 211 MB file to upload. That’s almost 7 times slower (compared to using a 90 Mbps connection) for a 50 times slower internet upload speed.

Google Drive UK test

After I connected to the UK server using Proton VPNmy internet speeds changed to 77 Mbps download and 4.58 Mbps upload.

It took 117 seconds to upload the 211 Mb MP4 file. That’s not badconsidering that the upload speeds are down to 4.58 Mbps (almost 19 times slower). In shortit took 4.5x more time to upload the filedespite the internet upload speeds being 19 times slower! Impressive.

OverallGoogle Drive performed fast. For US and UK teststhe upload times are high due to slower upload speeds. It gives you a clear perspective of how long it can take to upload your files to Google Cloud storage.

Is Google Drive Good for Business?

Google Drive is an excellent choice for businessesoffered through Google Workspace.

Google Workspace functions primarily as a business email hosting solutionbut includes a complete collaborative package with MeetGmailSheetsSlidesDocsand Drive. Furthermoreyou get Google GeminiGoogle’s proprietary GenAI offeringwhich can help improve business efficiency and productivity.

Howeverthere are a few things that you must know before choosing Google Drive.

• It doesn’t support zero-knowledge. Howeverit does keep data encrypted during transmission via AES 256-bit and TLS encryption.
• The Google Drive privacy policy is not ideal for privacy-focused businesses. They collect way more information than a business might like. They scan all the uploaded content and also collect other local information and device types. Additionallythey share the collected info with other trusted businesses or people.

In shortI recommend Google Drive for businesses that don’t have stringent privacy needs but want strong security and collaborative features.

Google Drive Alternatives

Google Drive has strong competition in the cloud storage market. I strongly recommend checking out Dropboxsync.comand pCloud for personal use.

Howeverif you’re looking for cloud storage for businessI recommend Zoho WorldDrive and OneDrive.

For a complete listcheck out our post on free cloud storage options!