Google Drive service. Google Drive (Google Drive) - cloud file storage
Such storages are not new for a long time, an example of this is, but let’s take a closer look at what exactly Google Drive is.
How to log into Google Drive
To use Drive, you need to have a Google account. You may already have it if you once registered with .
Please note that after you create one single profile, you will be able to use a wide range of features from many services.
To work with Google applications, you can create several accounts that you will use at your discretion.
So, you have registered in the system and want to create a new account - I will not describe how to do this, because everything is extremely simple (you don’t even have to confirm your phone number).
Just follow Google's instructions and explore the world of its possibilities.
By going to the main page of the site www.google.ru, you will see at the top the access line to the account you are interested in, that’s where we will go.
You can also simply go to the general application menu and select Google Drive.
And now we move to the “holy of holies” - Google Drive is freely available.
In order to get comfortable, just pay attention to the pop-up tips. They will teach you how to create files and folders in which you will upload documents, and more.
Online version of cloud storage from Google
Google Drive provides 15 GB of free storage space for your files.
If you need more storage, pay attention to Google's pricing offers.
Of course, 30 TB is already the maximum possible volume, here are all the tariff offers from this cloud storage:
- Up to 15 GB – free;
- Up to 100 GB – $1.99/month;
- Up to 1 TB – $9.99/month;
- You can see offers from 10 to 30 TB above.
Let's turn to the working interface of Drive - this is a small panel on the left that allows you to quickly create folders and upload documents, as well as edit them.
There are two ways to start working with files - click on the “Create” button or go to the “My Disk” tab.
Let's choose the first method and get the following pop-up lists.
As you can see, there is a wonderful opportunity to connect and use numerous applications from Google. But let's take things in order.
Let's start with something simple - uploading an image and creating a folder.
We upload several images of the same topic so that we can later create a folder and place them there. The reverse order is also quite possible; you can create anything, anytime.
Just upload files from your computer or other device as usual. You can immediately download documents that you store offline in separate folders.
Access to files can be configured individually immediately after downloading using the “Access Settings” function.
To do this, you will either need to specify specific people from your address book, or send a link via social networks. The options can be configured separately – “Editing”, “Commenting” or “Reading”.
In the lower left corner, you will always have access to information about the amount of space occupied on Google Drive.
Now, through the same menu, select “Create a folder”, call it “Dolphins” and transfer the images there using regular drag and drop.
By clicking on the folder, you will see a small panel at the top where all the functions for interacting with it will be collected. Or simply right-click on the folder and access its options.
You can:
- Start by setting up access and sending a link to the folder to those you want;
- Delete the entire folder in a few seconds (it will go to the “Trash”, which is available in the storage in the menu on the left, so you will have the opportunity to restore all deleted materials if necessary);
- Open a folder using connected applications, or do it directly when interacting with the folder;
- Move the folder to other folders created earlier or directly at the moment;
- Rename the folder, change the color, make a note;
- Download a folder or any other files to your computer or other media online.
The top panel also gives access to the appearance of the drive, document sorting and properties - by selecting a specific folder, you can see all the information about it, and statistics will tell you about the actions on Google Drive from the very beginning to the present.
You can move the files to “My Drive” or leave them here. This distinction is convenient because even files sent by mail will not get lost or disappear without a trace, even after the letters themselves are deleted in the mailbox.
The next section is “Google Photos”. If you don't already know, Google has a special service where your photos can be stored.
In order for them to appear there, it is enough to set up synchronization with media connected to the computer. Once you get things going, you can always find files automatically in your Google cloud storage.
"Recent". This is a list of files you have ever worked with, starting with the last manipulations.
"Tagged". Each folder or file can be marked as important, so you can access what is of priority importance.
"Basket" . Deleted files and folders are stored here without taking up disk space. They can always be restored, even after deleting them from the Recycle Bin itself. True, for this you will need to contact Google Technical Support.
And don't forget about the numerous applications that are used when opening various kinds of files, in addition, you can simply open them and use them yourself online.
Installing the program on your computer
It's time to familiarize yourself with the capabilities of Google Drive when interacting with your computer. To do this, select the “Settings” icon on the panel at the top.
After clicking this tab, you will be sent to a page to download the application to your computer. I select the clarification - “For Mac/PC” and click on “Download”, accept the “Google Drive Terms of Use” and proceed to download.
By the way, these conditions are not mandatory, just so you can help the system improve its operation and, if necessary, notify about problems that arise.
We save the installation file where it is more convenient for you (I usually do this in “Downloads”) and run Google Update Setup. To do this, you will need to wait no more than one minute.
Files that are stored on your Google Drive will now be located in a special folder in the “Library” called “Google Drive”. And you can share files directly from this folder when connected to the Internet.
After you go through all the installation steps, you will be automatically redirected to the Drive files folder.
After installation, the Google Drive icon will automatically appear in your computer panel. Control is carried out using any button of your mouse - you can see all the files in the form of a list and access each of them separately.
Thus, there is no need to look into the Google Drive virtual space on the site every time, you will have access to documents constantly.
Google Drive for mobile devices
To download the Google Drive app for other devices, let's go back to the installation page - www.google.com/drive/download.
Select the required program - installation applications for devices on the Android and iOS platforms are provided separately.
So, if your device runs on Android, select the “For Android” tab accordingly.
After this, you will be taken to Google Play, an application store where you can download and install the Google Drive program for free.
In addition, you will be able to see the evaluation of the application by users who have already understood its advantages and disadvantages. You will get all the same features that are provided when using Drive directly on the site.
There is a separate iOS-based application for iPhone and iPad owners. When you select this option on the loading page, you will be redirected to itunes.apple.com/google-drive/.
The site is in English, but you only need to click a couple of buttons to start the installation.
So, select “View in iTunes”, which will take you to a page where you will need to select the “Download Now” icon.
For everyone who has mobile phones running on the Windows Phone platform, I recommend reading the article “”, which tells you how to install applications on such devices.
To summarize, I would like to say that Google Drive is an application of its time, which is extremely simple and convenient to use.
Perhaps 15 GB, which is provided for free, is too little space for some. However, for most users this volume is more than enough for occasional use or for work and educational purposes.
Synchronizing files in cloud storage with those that will be in folders on your computer or mobile devices allows you to quickly access any of them.
You'll never lose documents sent to you via email, and you can create new ones using Google Drive's many companion apps.
And Google Photos will become for you an alternative to other editors that take up extra space. In general, all the possibilities at once and in one place are perhaps one of the main characteristics of this cloud storage.
Google Drive is a cloud file storage service. Thanks to this tool, you don’t have to worry about the safety of your documents, and you don’t need removable drives to work on other devices.
How does Google Drive work?
The new owner of Google Drive receives 15 GB for the safety of information. However, if this is not enough for you, the developers have provided for this scenario - if necessary, it is possible to expand the amount of memory, but it’s not free.
The storage facility accepts data that is located in other services, which are also developed by the American corporation. We are talking about Google Photos and Gmail.
The “My Drive” section was created to store new files, folders, tables, presentations, etc. To have access to it from all devices on which you work on a particular document, be sure to log in to your Google page. In addition, we recommend installing the appropriate versions of the application for both PCs and mobile devices - then the work will be much more comfortable.
You can download the miracle tool by clicking on the link www.drive.google.com, where you will see a big blue “Download Google Drive” button. For mobile devices, the application can be downloaded using the following links: www.play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs (for Android) or www.itunes.apple.com/ru /app/google-drive-free-online-storage/id507874739?mt=8 (for iOS).
File upload: manual mode
Google Drive accepts documents, images, and audio and video files for storage. You need to download data on the page www.drive.google.com or in the appropriate application.
There are several types of loading, one of them is drag and drop. To do this, go to the page using the link given above, create a “folder” and download the material by dragging it into the Google Drive folder. If you have an application, you simply find the appropriate folder on your PC and drag and drop everything you see fit into it. Then they will appear on www.drive.google.com.
For Android devices, this process is as follows: launch the application on your smartphone or tablet, click on the plus sign and select “Download”. Then select the files, after which they will be available in the My Drive section. Files can also be moved to other folders.
In the case of iOS devices, the first steps are similar to the previous description, but after selecting the files, you need to click on the “checkmark”, which is located at the top. A status bar will be displayed at the bottom. To go to a specific file, select “View in Folder.”
Uploading files: synchronization
All material located in the “My Drive” folder is initially synchronized with Google Drive. To synchronize other folders, you must follow these instructions:
- launch the application (for Windows: Start - Programs - Google Drive; for Mac OS: Finder - Programs - Google Drive);
— click on the Google Drive icon (on Windows, the lower right corner of the taskbar; on Mac, the upper right corner of the menu bar);
- click on the icon that looks like an ellipsis in a column (located in the upper right part) and click “Settings”, and then “Synchronization Options”;
- you will be offered 2 synchronization options - for all files in the “My Drive” folder or for specific folders. In our case, we need to choose option 2. Select the checkboxes for the folders you want to synchronize;
— click on the “Apply” button.
Working with folders and documents in Google Drive
To create a folder, you need to go to the Google Drive page on the Internet, click “Create”, then “Folder”. Give the new “folder” a name and click “Create”.
Moving files is also very simple - just right-click on the desired item and click "Move to", then go to the folder where you want to store the selected document and click "Move".
You can also store the file in several places at once. To do this, go to drive.google.com, select the desired file and hold it. Then press the Shift+Z button combination and in each folder click “Add here”.
To delete an object, right-click on it and select the appropriate action. For files that were accidentally deleted, there is a recovery function through the recycle bin.
In addition, you can allow other users to access files, just as you can be allowed to view data from other cloud storage services. There is a section “Available to me” specifically for this purpose. This includes those objects in which the access settings contain your e-mail address. These do not include files with the “Everyone on the Internet” and “Everyone with a link” parameters. For each file, information will be posted about the date access was granted, the name of the owner of the object and the location folder (for data added to the “My Drive” folder).
To synchronize such files with your device, go to the “Shared with me” section, select a specific file and in the context menu click on the “Add to My Drive” item. You can also convert Word documents (and more) to Google format.
To do this, go to www.drive.google.com/drive/settings on your PC and find the line “Convert downloaded files to Google format”. Check the box. Such changes can only be made on PC.
It may happen that while using Google Drive, other programs will start to slow down. In this case, it is necessary to set a limit on the data exchange rate. To do this, click on the application icon (where it is located, we already mentioned above), find the same icon in the form of an ellipsis in a column and click on the “Settings” item. Go to the "Advanced" tab. To adjust the download speed, click “Maximum” to reduce it and “Unlimited” to increase it. After making your selection, click on the “Apply” button.
In general, that's all we wanted to tell you about this wonderful video storage from Google. Install Google Drive and then your documents will not get lost or disappear for no reason.
If you still have questions on the topic “How to use Google Drive?”, you can ask them in the comments
They are direct competitors to Google Drive. In this article, it will be difficult to resist making comparisons between these cloud storage services. Go. Google Drive was introduced on April 24, 2012 and has now replaced Google Docs. What this service is, how to work with it + comparison with competitors, read all this in the article below. I also recommend watching the video in conclusion and then you will 100% use Google Drive)
Google Drive provides up to 15 GB of free storage space for all your data. If this is not enough for you, you can expand the space for a small fee. An increase to 25 GB will cost $2.5 per month, up to 100 GB - $5 per month, and up to 1 TB - $50 per month. It’s hard for me to imagine who might not have enough 100 GB on the Internet, and 1 TB is already quite enough. Perhaps for storing family photos and videos, which have long exceeded 100 GB.
Key features of Google Drive are presented in the figure below
Regarding control over files. Here the functionality was borrowed from the Dropbox service. For me personally, this function is the most important. Quite often you have to give access to a file. How can you do this if only people registered in this service can gain access? (example - ). It is much more convenient to be able to give access to anyone, even an unregistered user. There is another advantage here. Even if the user has an account in this service, he does not have to log in. This is important if the user is not at his computer, but for example in an Internet cafe. So this is a big +. We'll figure out how this is done a little later.
Files of any formats. According to the developers, you can open more than 30 types of files directly from the browser. Here is an excerpt from the background information about Google Drive. As you can see, up to 30 file types is still a long way off, but 16 types is already excellent.
Very interesting support(.ZIP and .RAR) which will need to be checked in the second paragraph of this article. In addition, support for viewing Adobe Photoshop documents (.PSD) and other interesting formats is stated, even if you do not have the appropriate programs installed. In this, Google.Disk outperforms its competitors for what is also a huge +. The only minor drawback is the inability to open documents in the .DJVU format. Let's hope this is temporary.
Regarding the restoration. Within 30 days from the date of editing the files, it will be available. That is, you can undo a change to a document made 29 days ago. The Dropbox service has a similar function, but there you can restore any file within 30 days after it was deleted. Not sure about the count. This function will also need to be checked a little later.
In addition to the functions presented above, Google Drive has additional interesting features. Thanks to the integration or combination of Google Drive and Google Docs, you can create documents and collaborate with other users in real time. For example, create a document similar to Microsoft Word, give other users access to it and work together. There is one limitation here. Operation is only possible when connected to the Internet. This feature is not available in offline mode. Let's hope that over time google drive will master this thing too.
Google Drive has a built-in advanced search function that allows you to search even scanned documents. That is, if you have ever uploaded a photo of a book or other printed information, you can search by text information in an image. Evernote has a similar function, but I haven’t used it yet. Everything has always been like this.
It is also necessary to clarify that you can view files up to 25 MB in size.
Installing and working with Google Drive
To use the Google Drive service, you must first create an account in Google+. If you have one, then immediately follow the link
and click the huge “Try” button
You can also start using Google Drive from your Google+ account by going to the Drive tab
A page will open in a new tab where you need to click “”
Another tab will open in which you will see a pop-up window. It is recommended to check the optional checkbox to help improve google drive. Check the box and click “Accept terms and install”
You need to wait a little while the installer completes the process. At the end you will be thanked for your installation. Close this window
After installation, a window with a proposal will appear Sign in or sign in to Google Drive. Click Login
In the next window, enter your email address and password to log into Google Drive. In order to avoid entering your data ten times, check the “Remain logged in” checkbox. Click on the “Login” button
If you have double authorization enabled, you must also enter the code sent to your mobile phone. Dual authorization greatly improves the security of your account, so it is recommended to enable it. To do this, you need to delve into the settings. If there are any difficulties, write in the comments. I'll make a separate article
In the next window, select “Advanced settings” to specify the folder from which synchronization with Google Drive on the Internet will take place
By default, the Google Drive folder is located on the system drive. We don't need this. Therefore, go to drive D or E and create a new folder. for example Google Drive. In the window below, click on the “Change…” button and indicate the created folder. Then click the “Synchronize” button
After synchronization is complete, your Google Drive folder will open.
Now you can fully use this service. The Google Drive icon appears in the notification area 
To call the context menu on this icon, you need to right-click on it. Using this menu, you can pause synchronization, open the Google Drive folder on your computer, open Google Drive on the web, expand storage space, go to settings, close Google Drive and other functions 
Copy your files to the Google Drive folder and they will be available to you anywhere there is Internet access.
For creating a document in Google Drive or any other object, you must click on the “Create” button on the left. Select the required file type from the drop-down menu. Let's choose Document for example
A New Document will open in a new tab, which you can name as you need and type the text. There are many text formatting options available. This is practically a full-fledged Microsoft Word. The document itself is saved. You don’t need to do anything additional, just close the tab and that’s it
If you need to download a document in a specific format, for example, for offline editing, then this can be done through the “File> Save As” menu and select the desired format
In a few minutes, the file will be saved on your computer in the selected format.
Setting up access to a file or folder in Google Drive
To set up sharing, click on the blue Access Settings button at the top right. A window will open where you can configure access levels. Let's say you need to give access to a person who is not registered on the Google+ network. For example, give parents access to photos. Click on the inscription “Change...”
Select "Publicly available on the Internet." In the Access line you can set the rights to the file. You can give permission to edit the document, leave comments, or simply read-only access. Then click the “Save” button
Then click on the “Done” button.
Edit a document in real time in Google Drive
The user who receives a link to your created file will be able to edit it. You will be able to observe this. Moreover, you can send him a message. To do this, click on the field below the Access Settings button 
A field will open on the right at the bottom where you can write and send a message. You can see all correspondence just above the message entry field
If you click again below the Access Settings button, you can close the chat window.
We've sorted out the documents. Let's consider . We save the archive to the Google Drive folder and view it through the web interface
We sorted out the archives in the video queue. Everything is visible, but not immediately. when uploading to google drive, the video is most likely downloaded and processed by the service Youtube, since the control panel is the same. In a few minutes the video will be available for viewing via the web interface
Watching the video is quite comfortable.
Uploading files with Google Drive installed is accomplished by simply copying files and folders to the Google directory. Files are automatically uploaded to the service. You can download files through the web interface by clicking on the download icon to the right of the “Create” button. This will open a drop-down menu consisting of two items: Files... and Folder.... Choose what you want to download. For example, we need to download an entire folder
The Browse window opens in which you select a folder and click OK. A pop-up window appears at the bottom right showing the download process.
Once completed, the folder will appear in your Google Drive.
Delete files from Google Drive
When you delete files from the Google Drive folder, these files are moved to the trash on your computer and to the trash in the service’s web interface. You can delete files from your computer's Recycle Bin immediately. They can be easily restored from the recycle bin in the web interface. To do this, go to the web interface. On the left, expand the “More” menu and select “Cart”. You will have all your deleted documents. Select the one you need (by clicking on the upper left corner) and click the “Restore” button that appears. This way you can recover deleted documents in Google Drive
If you deleted files from the recycle bin of the web interface, the file cannot be restored. However, you can try to restore it to your computer using . If you haven't written anything to the drive where the Google Drive folder is located, then the chances are high. If an active recording was made, then the probability is quite low. But! It's worth a try.
Conclusion
In this article, we looked at the Google Drive storage service. We made a small comparison with the equally popular services Dropbox and . Summarize.
Pros of Google Drive:
- Support for 16 file types (if we take into account that one file type includes several extensions, then in total there will be about 30 different extensions)
- Ability to create and collaborate on documents
- Ability to give access to a document to a user who does not have a Google+ account
Negative points of the Google Drive service:
- Impossibility from the trash (I really like the Dropbox service)
For me the leader among services Google Drive, and Dropbox, is the latter. Up to 18 GB free + the ability to recover a deleted file within 30 days leaves competitors far behind.
Video where I will show the main features and functions of the Google Drive service
Update from 06/15/2013
Friends, I have great news.
Google Drive now offers up to 15 GB for free
Here is the second confirmation)
Google Drive is one of the best solutions for storing and working with files in the cloud. Moreover, it is also a full-fledged online office suite.
If you are not yet a user of this solution from Google, but would like to become one, this article is for you. We will tell you how to create Google Drive and properly organize work in it.
To start using cloud storage from Good Corporation, you just need to have your own Google account. We have already told you how to create it.
Here we will look at expanding access to Google Drive beyond the web browser - desktop and mobile platforms.
Google Drive for PC
A more convenient way to synchronize local files with the Google cloud on your computer is a special application for Windows and macOS.
Google Disk allows you to organize work with deleted files using a folder on your PC. All changes in the corresponding directory on your computer are automatically synchronized with the web version. For example, deleting a file in a Drive folder will result in its disappearance from the cloud storage. Agree, it’s very convenient.
So how can you install this program on your computer?
Installing the Google Drive app
Like most applications of the Good Corporation, installation and initial setup of Disk takes just a few minutes.
How to use the Google Drive app for PC
Now we can synchronize our files with the cloud by placing them in a special folder. You can access it either from the quick access menu in Windows Explorer or using the tray icon. 
This icon opens a window from which you can quickly access the Google Drive folder on your PC or the web version of the service.
Here you can also go to one of the recently opened documents in the cloud.
Actually, from now on all you need to upload a file to cloud storage is to place it in the folder Google Drive on your computer.
You can also work with documents that are in this directory without any problems. After editing the file, its updated version will be automatically uploaded to the cloud.
We looked at installing and starting to use Google Drive using a computer running Windows as an example. As mentioned earlier, there is a version of the application for devices running macOS. The principle of working with Disk in the Apple operating system is completely similar to that described above.
Google Drive for Android
In addition to the desktop version of the program for synchronizing files with Google cloud storage, there is, of course, a corresponding application for mobile devices.
You can download and install Google Drive on your smartphone or tablet from Google Play.
Unlike the desktop app, Google's mobile version allows you to do everything that the cloud storage web interface does. And in general the design is very similar.
You can add file(s) to the cloud using the button + .
Here, in the pop-up menu, options are available to create a folder, scan, text document, table, presentation, or download a file from the device.
The file menu can be called up by clicking the icon with a vertical ellipsis next to the name of the required document.
A wide range of functions are available here: from moving a file to another directory to saving it in the device’s memory.
From the side menu, you can go to a collection of images in the Google Photos service, documents available to you from other users, and other categories of files.
As for working with documents, by default only the ability to view them is available.
If you need to edit something, you need the appropriate solution from the Google package: Docs, Sheets and Presentations. If necessary, the file can be downloaded and opened in a third-party program.
In general, working with the Disk mobile application is convenient and very simple. Well, it makes no sense to talk about the iOS version of the program separately - its functionality is absolutely the same.
Applications for PCs and mobile devices, as well as the web version of Google Drive, represent an entire ecosystem for working with documents and storing them remotely. Its use can completely replace a full-fledged office suite.
Cloud file storage is a fairly convenient way to save your data on a remote server, saving space on your PC’s hard drive and at the same time being able to quickly access it from any computer or device that has Internet access. One of the most popular services for cloud data storage is Google Drive.
Google Drive features
Google Drive provides its users with up to 15 GB of free space to store any files. In case this is not enough, for a fee the virtual disk can be expanded up to 1 Terabyte. If you wish, you can give other users access to some files stored in the cloud storage and specify the level of access - they can edit the file or only view it.
In addition, it is possible to open files directly in the browser window. Google Drive supports many common file formats, such as PDF, PSD, RAR, DOC, AVI, FLV and others. This feature is especially useful when you access a file storage service from a device that does not have the appropriate program to open the file.
Google Drive also has a recovery feature. The service saves all the changes you have made to files over the last 30 days, and if necessary, you can return the file to one of the previous versions.
Among the additional features of the service, it is worth highlighting the ability to work with documents together with other users and an advanced search function. While you're collaborating on a document, you can instant message with other users right in the document window. And Google Drive's advanced search even includes scanned documents.
How to use Google Drive
In order to start using the Google Drive cloud file storage service, you must first create an account on Google +. If you already have an account, you can immediately go to Google Drive and click the button Try it.
Download the installation distribution to your computer and install the program. Next, enter your data: email address and password. When setting up Google Drive, you can choose the location of the folder to sync. To do this, click the button Advanced settings and at the top of the window indicate the location of your folder.
After installation and configuration, folder synchronization will begin. The Google Drive icon should then appear in your taskbar. By clicking on this icon, you can open the Google Drive folder on your local computer or on the Internet, expand your cloud storage space, close Google Drive, or make some program settings.
All files that you place in your Google Drive folder will be automatically copied to Google cloud storage and you can access them from any device that has internet.
On your Google Drive page on the Internet, you can create a new document, presentation, drawing or table - there is a special editor for this, with an interface similar to MS Office.
To give other users access to a specific file, right-click on it and select the item from the context menu Sharing and configure the access level. Then copy the link and send it to those you want to share the file with.
If you delete a file from a Google Drive folder, it is placed in the Trash on your local computer and in the Trash in your cloud storage. To recover a deleted file from storage, go to the Google Drive page, click the button on the left menu More and select Basket. Go to the cart, check the box next to the items you want and click Restore.
