Google Drive: why and how to use it

In fact it is just as perfect. It is ultra practical, simple, quick, efficient, easy to handle and perfectly to the point. At the beginning you may have a few synchronization hubs on your Word, Excel or PowerPoint files following poor manipulation on your part … But it is quite rare, the tool is very easy to use.
You are entitled to 15 GB of free storage, as much to say that if you do not put or few images and videos, you will never need to pay (if necessary, 100GB will cost you only € 2 per month). In this regard, we advise you to use Google Photos rather than using Google Drive storage. Be careful you need to perform a small simple handling to prevent your photos to be counted in your drive.

Google Drive

Google Drive is Google’s cloud storage service, but also a full online office suite with a word processor (which has a very effective spelling and grammar correction tool), a spreadsheet, etc.

From € 69.00 per year

Why use Google Drive ?

What are the news of the latest version of Google Drive ?

With which Google Drive bones compatible ?

What are the best alternatives to Google Drive ?

Description

Google Drive is Google’s Cloud (online backup) storage service for your files, offered for free to all people with a Gmail account (free opening). It is directly accessible thanks to the applications you can download for Android, iOS (iPhone, iPad), Windows, and Mac, and from any device with a web browser.

Google Drive is a good solution if you are looking to replace your USB key or your external hard drive (to transport your files) with a cloud storage space. You can access all your content as soon as you have an internet connection, and download them if necessary. But that’s not all !

For professionals, Google Drive is included in the Google Workspace subscription (ex G Suite) which adds additional storage space by users and allows you to easily create new documents and share them from Gmail and Google Chat.

Find Google Drive (and its Google One offer) in our folder: data storage and backup: what the cloud can do for you

Why use Google Drive ?

Google Drive is a cloud storage service, offered by Google, to save all your online files. If you have a Google account, that is to say a Gmail address, this is particularly the case if you have an Android device, you have access to this service automatically. You can save any document that you want to keep and access it from any device, however this service is not suitable for the conservation of photos. For photos, Google offers a more suitable application: Google Photos.

But Google Drive is not just a way to create a backup copy of your files, it’s much more than that. Indeed, the service has a full office system with several tools: a word processor (docs), a spreadsheet (sheets), a presentation application (slides), forms (FORMS), a layout application (Drawings ), and is even connected to Google Maps for the creation of personalized cards. You can therefore create and/or modify files and synchronize them with all your devices.

Regarding the management of your files, you can create as much folder as you wish to organize them. You can also create sub-folders. You will be able to recreate the folder of files of your computer in order to better find your documents. The interface is intuitive and translated into French, and the system supports drag and drop to import files.

The service allows the work in cooperation from A to Z. You can create your files, or pass them out, and share them with whoever you want by giving them three types of rights: reading, suggestion or modification, depending on what you need. Note that you can also share a complete file, in the same way you can manage specific rights to share files.

With modification rights, all persons can participate in the development of the document (s). It should be noted that, in particular on the Soundtrack type documents, you can protect the areas (lines, columns, or cells) that you want other participants (titles, total and other calculations, etc.)). A revision history is always available, with names of contributors and dates, and it is possible at any time to go back (30 days). The people with whom you share the files will be able to download them to their computer, process them online directly or from their mobile application.

Note that Drive allows you to work offline (in its mobile version only). Concretely, this means that you do not have to update the file that interests you every time you open it on your device. This saves bandwidth or working in an area without network coverage or with poor internet connection. On the other hand, you can tell Google Drive that the version you work on is synchronized with the Cloud version. Be careful however, this can play tricks on you, especially if it is a shared file on which you are several to collaborate, because if you delete synchronization, your employees may work on bad review.

Google Drive is also connected to Gmail with the possibility of saving the attachments of the emails received directly on your drive, or to attach the files of the drive to your outgoing emails.

By default, you have access to 15 GB of storage for free. This can be extended to 30 TB when subscribing to pay offers for individuals or a subscription to Google Workspace for professionals. Its interface supports the viewing of many file formats: image, sound, video, text, word, excel, powerpoint, pdf, compressed archives, and even autocad and photoshop files !

What are the news of the latest version of Google Drive ?

With Google Drive for Android you can now scan your documents directly from your mobile device. To do this, simply take it a photo with the application. The images are then automatically cropped and flattered, and stored directly in PDF format.

And that’s not all, because this new function is connected to an OCR, an optical character recognition tool, which allows you to integrate the text of your PDF directly in Google Docs.

In the new features of Google Drive in general, it should be noted that the office service now supports 100 % files from the Microsoft Office suite without needing to convert them, so you can work directly the Docx files, Doc Doc , Dot, XLS, XLSX, XLSM, XLT, PPT, PPTX, PPS and POT.

New search filters are available. When you enter the title of the file or folder sought, Google Drive offers you 6 new search parameters: the location, the file type, the contact, the last modification date, the research in the title only or “to do “(approvals, follow -ups or transfers of ownership).

Mobile experience was improved at the start of 2023 as well as the interface of office tools which now take the Material Design 3 look 3.

With which Google Drive bones compatible ?

Google Drive offers to download computer software, compatible with Windows and Mac (MacOS) which automatizes the synchronization of the files there in your cloud.

There is also an Android version and an iOS version (from 11.0 for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch). Our links guide you directly to the Play Store and the App Store.

And, of course, Google Drive is available on any platform via its online service accessible from any web browser under any system (Windows, Mac, Linux).

What are the best alternatives to Google Drive ?

There are many cloud storage options for backup and synchronization of your files, often accessible via applications or a web browser. Some allow work in cooperation, others not. Here are a few.

If you have a Microsoft account (Hotmail or Outlook address for example), then you already have access to the editor’s cloud storage: OneDrive. If you don’t have one, the creation of this account is free. You can save your files and photos there. The interest of OneDrive, like Google Drive elsewhere, is to be connected to a file modification system, indeed OneDrive allows you to use Microsoft Office online (a light version of Microsoft Office, which does not Do not require a license to operate). OneDrive also offers safe-style storage (without subscription you can store 3 files). Like Google Drive, OneDrive is available for free for a limited space, and offers a premium subscription (Microsoft Office 365) which allows you to go to 1 TB and extends all the functionalities of the service. OneDrive is available for download for iOS, Android and Windows, but also in the form of online service. The application allows collaboration on files and file management.

If you have an iCloud account, that is, you are a possessor of an iPhone or an iPad, then you can use iCloud. With iCloud, you can synchronize all your files with your Apple account to access it from anywhere. iCloud is also available for Windows.

In line with online storage programs, there is also the well known Dropbox. It provides software and applications for all systems, including mobile, and is also accessible via an online service. Usable personally to have a copy of your files, or in business collaboration. You can store any type of file and collaborate with other people (with a comment tool). The storage space and the collaboration possibilities can be extended with a subscription (several available according to your needs). Dropbox also offers a file editor and file management.

Users will be able to store their data in Box, KDRIVE or PCLOUD. They all offer free gigas, and then offer subscriptions to increase your space. They do not have an office in office but make it possible to preview the documents they contain.

If you are looking for a storage space with office tools, you can turn to Levia, an eco-responsible French product that compensates for all these CO2 emissions by paying donations to reforestation organizations. Leviia authorizes collaborative work and offers subscription formulas ranging from 100GB to 1000TO according to user needs. Available in online service and in mobile applications.

Proton Drive is a whole new solution that allows you to store your data in the cloud, by offering highly secure collaboration and sharing tools. Indeed, the Proton Drive Creed and the continuation of Proton software solutions is security and confidentiality. Developed by a Swiss company, they highlight the encryption of exchanges, data encryption and simplified file management. Different safety options are made available to users to optimally protect, sharing and accessing files.

Google Drive: why and how to use it ?

Tutorials

Google Drive: why and how to use it ?

What is this ?

Google Drive is a cloud (Cloud in English), which means that it can record all your documents in a place (called server) on the Internet. This allows you to recover them, modify and use at all times, anywhere on the planet. Whether it’s your smartphone, tablet or PC: all documents, images or videos synchronize when you are connected to the Internet.

Your files will therefore be stored here, in a cloud ..

Why use it ?

As explained previously, all your saved documents can be found easily and quickly. You are sure you are no longer losing your files on a unfortunately lost USB key or on your computer hard drive that has burnt or other … You have access to these files on your smartphone (practical when you need an invoice , of an identity or other piece and that we do not have on either) or on any computer of your friends (practical to show vacation photos, even if we recommend the Google application Photos for this).

Google Drive works even better with Google tools: Docs, Sheets and Slides.

You can also add multiple users to files or folders you choose. It is very practical for collaborative work. You can choose if the user has full access (modification, addition, consultation) or part of the access. Good news: Google has developed simple and free applications to replace your Word, Excel or PowerPoint;). You can learn more about Google Doc, Google Sheets and Google Slides by clicking on links (patient, it happens …).

How it works ?

It’s very simple (like all that Google develops you tell me): you just have to log into the Google Drive page and create a Google account if it is not already done. 2 possibilities are then available to you: you can use Google Drive on the Internet (as if you are going on the Google or Facebook search engine) or directly on your computer !

Find all your files wherever you are.

Indeed Google offers you the possibility to download the Google Drive software which allows you to create a folder on your own hard drive and add your files as if it were on your PC ! Magic no ? A special Google Drive folder will then be created in your shortcuts and you can manage it like any folder on your computer.

Tutorial: How to use Google Drive ?

As you understood, Google Drive is a document sharing application. Which means you can have your own documents in the “My Drive” folder in the web application menu. These will naturally be these files that will synchronize on your computer if you decide to download the Google Drive software. The “Shared with me” folder takes up all the files that you are shared on your email address using the Google Drive account.

To add a file to a folder, simply slip this file into the chosen folder or create it directly by right click and choose the file type you want to create. It is exactly the same operation as using a computer.

Advice & Tip : If you want to share several files around a project or an activity, create a file on behalf of the project to insert the different files. This allows you to share only one project and not several.

On paper it looks perfect, but in fact ?

In fact it is just as perfect. It is ultra practical, simple, quick, efficient, easy to handle and perfectly to the point. At the beginning you may have a few synchronization hubs on your Word, Excel or PowerPoint files following poor manipulation on your part … But it is quite rare, the tool is very easy to use.
You are entitled to 15 GB of free storage, as much to say that if you do not put or few images and videos, you will never need to pay (if necessary, 100GB will cost you only € 2 per month). In this regard, we advise you to use Google Photos rather than using Google Drive storage. Be careful you need to perform a small simple handling to prevent your photos to be counted in your drive.

Is it really secure ?

“Google it scares me, they recover all my data” “I don’t want them to have all my files” “and if Google was hacked, they would have all my folders ??»
Don’t panic: Google’s dataserver are ultra secure and your Google account too: you can ask that Google send you a validation SMS each time you log into your account. The hacker will therefore have to have your password and your phone in hand to access your account … Mission Impossible.