Google Drive for Beginners: Store, Share and Organise Your Files
Google Drive is a free online storage service that comes with every Google account, including the one you use for Gmail or your Android phone. It lets you store files in the cloud, open them from any device, and share them with others without email attachments.
If you have never used it properly, this guide will get you comfortable with the basics and a few features that make life much easier.
What you get for free
Every Google account includes 15 GB of free storage, shared between Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos. If you need more, you can buy extra storage through a Google One plan. Files created in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are also stored in Drive.
How to open Google Drive
- Computer: go to drive.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
- Phone: install the Google Drive app (it is usually pre-installed on Android).
- Desktop app: Google Drive for desktop adds Drive as a folder or drive on your Windows PC or Mac, so you can use it like any other folder.
Uploading files and folders
On a computer, click the + New button and choose File upload or Folder upload. You can also simply drag files from your computer into the Drive browser window.
On a phone, tap the + button and choose Upload. You can also use Scan to turn paper documents into clean PDFs using your camera, which is great for receipts, forms and ID copies.
Keeping things organised
- Create folders for main areas of your life, such as Work, Studies, Bills and Family.
- Name files clearly, for example
Electricity-Bill-2026-08.pdfrather thanscan123.pdf. - Star important files so they appear in the Starred section.
- Use search. Drive can search file names and even text inside PDFs and images, so finding things is fast.
Sharing files safely
Right-click a file or folder (or tap the three dots on a phone) and choose Share. You have two main options:
| Option | Who can open it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Add people by email | Only the people you add | Private or sensitive files |
| Anyone with the link | Anyone who gets the link | Non-sensitive files shared widely |
For each person or link, you can choose their permission level:
- Viewer: can only see the file.
- Commenter: can view and add comments.
- Editor: can change, and in some cases re-share, the file.
To stop sharing, open Share again and remove people, or change general access back to Restricted.
Working offline
You can make files available without internet. On a phone, tap the three dots next to a file and turn on Available offline. On a computer using Chrome, turn on offline mode in Drive's settings, or use Google Drive for desktop, which can keep chosen folders on your computer.
Google Docs, Sheets and Slides
Drive includes free alternatives to Word, Excel and PowerPoint. They save automatically, work in any browser and let several people edit at the same time. You can open and edit Microsoft Office files directly and download your work as .docx, .xlsx or .pptx whenever you need to.
Managing your storage
When you run low on space, Gmail may stop receiving emails and photos may stop backing up. To free space:
- Visit the Storage page in Drive and sort files by size to find the biggest ones.
- Delete large videos or old backups you no longer need.
- Empty the Trash. Deleted files still use space until the trash is emptied or 30 days pass.
- Clean up large Gmail attachments by searching Gmail for
has:attachment larger:10M.
Keeping your Drive secure
Since your Drive may contain important personal documents, protect your Google account with a strong password and two-factor authentication. Review shared files occasionally and remove access you no longer need.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Drive a backup?
It can be part of your backup plan, but if you delete a file in a synced folder, it may be deleted in Drive too. Keep a second copy of irreplaceable files, as explained in our backup guide.
Can someone see my files if I don't share them?
No. Files in Drive are private by default. Only people you share with can access them.
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