5 hacks you need to know
Nowadays it is important to know how to use Google Drive. This platform is arguably one of the best productivity tools out there – reach one billion users worldwide in 2018.
As good as it is, there might be some hidden features you don’t know about – features that can help you work better and smarter. Here’s how to take full advantage of this storage platform and install additional plug-ins:
Google Drive supports offline access, so you can work on your document even when you’re not connected to the internet. Source: Franck Fife/AFP
5 Ways to Use Google Drive Effectively
1. Install add-ons to check for grammatical errors and plagiarism
If you edit your documents on Google Drive, installing Google plugins is a great way to make your Drive work better.
If you need a tool that will check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation, consider using Grammarly. The best part? This software uses artificial intelligence so you can focus on the content of your task as Grammarly does its work automatically.
You can also use Grammarly to check for plagiarism by clicking on the Plagiarism feature. Note that this feature is a Grammarly suggestion only, so we encourage you to directly attribute sources and citations, and fact-check with reliable websites and sources.
2. Learn to use Google Drive shortcuts
Do you have time and need to quickly navigate through your files on Google Drive? Practice this neat trick.
You can see a full list of keyboard shortcuts by clicking Ctrl and/or when on Google Drive. When you’ve done that, select the keyboard shortcuts you want to learn.
For example, you can use j, k, l, and h to quickly scroll through the items you need on your drive. Hover over a folder or file and click x to access.
If you find yourself constantly updating newer versions of your PDF document, here’s a neat trick to keep multiple versions of a file. Source: Fayez Nureldine/AFP
3. Keep multiple versions of a file
Uploading multiple versions of a PDF, image, or video? Google Drive allows you to constantly upload new versions of a file while keeping the older versions.
To do this, right-click the new file you uploaded to Google Drive and click Manage Versions. Here you can upload newer versions without creating duplicates. Remember to select the “keep forever” option when uploading your new files, or the older versions will be deleted after 30 days.
Unfortunately, this feature doesn’t work with Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides.
4. View your files sorted by size
In general, Google Drive offers each user 15 GB of free storage space. Those who have signed up for Google for Education with a valid student email address are eligible for unlimited Google Drive storage.
Whether you’re a general or student user, knowing the best way to store your files will help free up more disk space—and it starts with organizing your files by size.
That’s how it’s done:
- Go to Google Drive and click “Storage” to view the files sorted by size
- Locate the files that you no longer need
- Right-click the file and choose Remove from the pop-up menu
- The files are transferred to the “Trash” folder
- Hover over the files you don’t need and select “Delete Permanently” to permanently remove them
5. Save files directly from the web (via an extension)
We get it: it can be a hassle to download files from the web to your Google Drive. Consider adding Save to Google Drive to your list of Google Chrome extensions. With it, you can save links, images and videos instantly. Also, you can save an entire webpage in HTML, MHT, Google Docs or PNG format.
Check out the options in this extension so that you can save the files directly to your desired folder. To do this, right-click the extension to display the Options menu. Here, make sure you have linked the correct Google account and set the appropriate folder location.