Open my google drive. How to install Google Drive on a computer

The cloud is a service where data can be stored and easily managed. That is, you can upload your files to it, work with them directly on the Internet, download them at any time, and also transfer them to another person.

Any user can get such a service at their disposal absolutely free of charge. In fact, this is your own hard drive on the Internet.

We can say that this is something like a local disk of a computer, but only with the ability to use it on any device with an Internet connection. Plus, you can transfer files to other users by simply sending them a download link.

So, the cloud is needed to:

• Store files and folders with files
• Work with them on any computer or smartphone with Internet access
• Easily and quickly transfer files to other people

Thus, it replaces flash drives, disks and other devices for transferring information.

That is, I can upload the files I need to such a service and work with them on any other computer with the Internet. It can be documents, books, music, videos - in general, any files.

Initially, they are available only to me, but if I wish, I can make some of them public. Then they can be downloaded.

That is, a special Internet address (link) will be generated, where the file can be saved to the computer. I can send this address to any person (for example, via Skype or via mail), and the person will be able to download my file.

Where and how to get the cloud

There are sites that give users the cloud. It's like with mail: there are sites where you can get it. We go to such a site, register and get a cloud service for storing data.

We are allocated some specific free volume. On some services, it is a very decent 50-100 GB. If you want more, then it's for the money.

And you can register several times and, accordingly, get several free volumes. Everything is free, everything is legal!

The easiest way to get a cloud is to do it where you have mail. The fact is that the largest mail sites (Yandex, Mail, Gmail) distribute such services for free. You just need to want.

That is, you do not even need to register. Just open your mail and indicate that you want to receive the cloud. They give it to you right away.

Websites that give away clouds for free

Yandex.Disk is a cloud service from Yandex. If you have mail there, then you have such a disk. Free and forever given 10 GB.

To get Yandex.Disk, you need to open the yandex.ru website and go to your mail. Then open the "Disk" tab (at the top).

You will be greeted and offered to download a special program to your computer for convenient work with Yandex.Disk.

It is better not to do this right away - you can always install it later. I recommend that you close this window and first learn how to use Yandex.Disk without a program.

That's all! Upload files, sort them, share, delete. In general, you already have a cloud. It even has some files and folders already loaded with files for example.

For further access to Yandex.Disk, you need to follow all the same steps: open the yandex.ru website, open your mail, go to the "Disk" tab.

And you can install and configure a special program "Disk for Windows" and use the cloud directly from your computer - without going to the site yandex.ru

Mail.ru cloud is a service from the mail.ru mail site. 25 GB is free.

To receive this goodness, you just need to have a mail.ru mailbox. If it is, then you also have a cloud.

To enter it, you need to open the mail.ru website and open your mail. Then click on the "Cloud" button at the top.

Your personal cloud service will open. Some sample files are already loaded into it. You can remove them, or you can leave them. In general, your cloud is already ready to go.

You can use it directly, via mail, or you can download and install a special application (program). Then the cloud will be available directly from the computer - a shortcut will appear on the Desktop for its instant opening.

Google Drive (Google Drive) is a service that is "attached" to gmail.com mail. 15 GB is free.

To get into it, you need to go to your email inbox on the site gmail.com. Then click on the picture with small squares next to your name (top right) and click on the "Disk" item.

Perhaps after that Google will ask you a couple of questions. A little lower, in the pictures, it is shown what he should answer in this case.

After that, your personal cloud will load. It will already have a folder with several files. You can delete this folder with all its contents, or you can leave it as you wish.

So, the disk is ready to go. You can start downloading!

It opens in exactly the same way - through the mail. And you can install a special program. Then it will be available from your computer.

It seemed to me that this cloud is much more difficult to use than all the others. Not everyone will understand. But there are certain advantages that other services do not have. For example, right in it you can create a document, presentation, table, form or picture.

That is, a program will open directly on the Internet to create a file of the desired type. It is quite simple and allows you to both create a file and save it to Google Drive, as well as download it to your computer in the desired format.

Such programs can be used instead of Word, Excel, Power Point. It is very convenient when you have to work on a computer on which they are not installed.

Which service is better

As various tests have shown, the "mail" clouds, which I just talked about, surpass all other similar services in quality, convenience and free features.

I will not go into details, but the places were distributed as follows:

Therefore, I recommend that you still use one of these services. If you don't have an email account on any of them, then you just need to register. You will have a new mail (which, by the way, is not necessary to use) and a cloud.

Of course, there are other sites where you can get a cloud service for free. But most of them in the free versions have various unpleasant limitations.

But there is one that compares favorably with all the others (including postal ones). It is best for transferring files to other people. Address: mega.co.nz

Mega - it makes sense to use this service for those who place files for download. The fact is that through special loader programs such as MiPony, they can be saved to a computer very quickly and easily. Much easier and faster than other cloud services. 50 GB is free.

Initially, the site opens in English. To switch to the Russian version, click on the Menu button (top right), select Language from the list, then click on Russian and on the Save button.

Just in case, here are two more good cloud services:

Dropbox - 2 GB allocated for free.

One Drive - 7 GB free.

How to manage the cloud

You can manage it on the very site where you received it. Log in there with your username and password, go to a specific section and get access to the cloud.

And you can do it even easier, more convenient and, most importantly, much faster: with the help of a small application (program).

Each service has its own, that is, you need to download it from the site where you have the cloud.

This application allows you to quickly and easily upload, watch, download files and folders with files from your cloud service. It takes up very little space, and you can install such a program on any computer or smartphone (not just yours).

How to install the application. Open your cloud and there will be a link or a download button in a prominent place. The pictures below show where such a button is in the "mail" cloud services.

Download the program file and open it. Installation will begin. Below is an illustrated instruction for each "mail" service. Do everything as in the pictures, and the application will install.

Yandex.Disk:

Mail.ru cloud:

How to use the application

After installing the application, a shortcut to the program appears on the desktop. With it, we will work with the cloud.

When you first start the program, you will be asked to enter data from the cloud. Type in your email address and password. Then you agree to the terms of service and click "Login".

Now, when you open the program icon, your cloud will open directly on your computer - in a regular folder.

Also, along with the opening of the application, its icon appears in the tray.

This is where the computer clock is - in the lower right corner of the screen (on the taskbar, where the rest of the icons are).

This icon can be hidden under a small arrow next to the alphabet.

With it, you can control the application. To do this, click on it with the left or right mouse button.

File/Folder Synchronization. This is the most difficult part to understand, but it must be understood in order to successfully work with the application.

The meaning of synchronization is that the computer or smartphone on which the application is installed must connect to your cloud and upload files from or to it.

This process must be completed, otherwise we will not be able to use the downloaded data. Synchronization takes place over the Internet. That is, without the Internet, it is simply impossible.

Consider the following situation. My cloud already has downloaded files and folders with files.

By the way, initially, upon receipt of the cloud, it already has some information. So if you didn’t delete it on purpose, then there are several files there.

I installed the application on my computer, opened it, entered my username and password. Cloud folder opened. So, all the data that was originally on it should be uploaded to this folder. That is, my cloud and computer must be synchronized.

It turns out that all the files that are on the cloud are downloaded to my computer in this very folder. And if there are few of them and they are small in size, then this process will happen quickly - I may not even notice it.

But if the files are large, and my Internet is not very fast, then synchronization will take some time.

In practice, it looks like this: I open the application shortcut and see an empty folder, although I know for sure that there are files on my cloud.

Usually in this case, users start to get nervous - they worry that their files have been deleted. In fact, they are all there. And we do not see them because the synchronization procedure has not yet been completed.

And this can be verified. When synchronization is in progress, the application icon (the one in the tray) seems to be moving.

And if we click on it, then in the menu that opens there will be an item indicating the progress of the process.

In fact, at this moment, files are downloaded from the Internet. That is, the Internet itself may be slower because of this.

Synchronization can be turned off if necessary. To do this, click on the application icon in the tray and select the appropriate item from the menu. By the way, there you can completely exit the program.

In general, while synchronization is in progress, the files will not be available. The same thing happens when you transfer information from your computer to the cloud.

How to upload a file (folder with files) to the cloud. To do this, you just need to copy the desired files, and then paste them into the application folder.

Copying / pasting occurs as usual, but after that all transferred files should be synchronized. Otherwise, they will not be uploaded to the Internet on your cloud.

In the Mail.ru Cloud application, this process happens instantly. Moreover, even for large files (from 1 GB).

In the Yandex.Disk program, synchronization takes some time, but it still happens quickly.

With a fairly slow Internet connection, a 1 GB file downloaded in just a few minutes. If you uploaded it directly to the cloud (without an application), this process would take more than an hour.

But Google Drive is lagging behind in this regard. Apparently, this application works on a different technology, and synchronization takes the same time as a regular file download.

My results may differ from yours. Perhaps your synchronization process will be faster or vice versa slower than mine.

How to download a file (folder with files) from the cloud. All files that you want to download to your computer or phone from the application must be fully synchronized.

You can transfer them to your computer by simply copying them. That is, open the application, copy the necessary files and paste them into the folder of your choice on the computer. That's all! A couple of seconds - and the files are downloaded.

Disadvantages of cloud services

Everything has both pluses and minuses. And cloud services also have them. I will list the main ones:

1. Memory consumption. In other words, the work of cloud services "strains" the computer. In the case of Yandex.Disk and Cloud.Mail.ru, the load is insignificant, but Google Drive is rather voracious. Modern computers may not notice this, but old ones will have to puff.

2. Safety. Since the cloud is an Internet service, there is always a certain possibility that your files may fall into the wrong hands. Of course, modern data protection technologies minimize this probability, but there is always a risk. Moreover, the service is public.

3. Need Internet. Without the Internet, you will not be able to use any cloud service.

Additional Information

In case the information provided in this lesson is not enough for you.

Each cloud service has detailed instructions for use. Users do not particularly favor it, but it really has a lot of useful and interesting information.

Hello readers of my blog! We're all used to keeping personal or work information on our local computer, but that's not the only option these days.

On the Internet, there are many " " for storing information. But one of the most versatile is Google Drive. I would like to tell you about this wonderful service.

I will tell you about how to use Google Drive and what advantages it has.

What is it needed for?

You may think that this is a completely pointless idea. But how many times have you had to copy or move files from one computer to another using a flash drive? Probably a lot. But with Google Drive, you will have access to your information from absolutely any PC, tablet, phone that has an Internet connection.

This service can save any documents of various formats: tables, presentations, and so on. Admit it, this is a fairly convenient resource that provides access to your files without electronic media.

Using Google Drive

Naturally, to use this storage, you should register on the official Google website. This is done quite simply: you need to fill in a few fields and confirm the registration via SMS, which will be sent to your mobile phone. After that, it will automatically transfer you to the Google mailer. Almost everything is ready!

In the workspace of the application, in the upper left corner, you will see the inscription "create", it is clearly visible, it is written on a red background. Select the menu option you want, for example, "Upload File". A tree of your local drives and folders on your computer will open in front of you, select the file you need and click "Open", it will immediately be written to Google Drive.

The "Create" function allows you to create separate folders, which will allow you to sort your information into sections to quickly find the files you need.

There are also services that allow you to quickly open text documents, spreadsheets and presentations. This is very convenient, especially for the workflow. Your work will benefit from the use of this cloud space.

I also really like this feature: you can see all the changes that have been made to the files. That is, it displays which files I created, the entire history of their changes is saved.

Pretty simple and reliable service, right?! The intuitive interface is very easy to manage. From the first second of working with Google Drive, it will become clear to you what to do and how.

If you are not used to working through a browser, then I suggest you download the application to your computer. In the lower left corner there is a button "download disc for PC".

The installation of the program is very simple, there are no difficulties.

After that, you will be able to use the files uploaded to the cloud without launching the browser, but through the program on your computer.

As for the space provided. Free you have 15 GB. But this is not the limit.

Security

Many large companies trust Google's cloud storage, not only because this service helps to eliminate the use of email and other types of remote information transfer for exchanging documents and media files, but also for security reasons. All problems in the system are immediately identified and corrected. There can be no information leakage.

With Google's cloud storage, you will have access to the functions of a regular disk on your computer: if you accidentally delete something, don't worry, this file has been moved to the "Trash" section.

In order for all your friends or colleagues to view a document, you just need to upload it to Google Disk and give them access to it. Now everyone will be able to view files, add new ones and edit old ones (this depends on the rights that you give them as the owner).

Smartphone app

Of course, the easiest way is to use the Google Drive service on a computer. But what if you don't have that option? There is a way out, namely, the Google Disk mobile client, which will allow you to download and view files anywhere, having a phone or tablet at hand. This application is designed for the Android operating system.

Navigation of the program is very simple and almost no different from the computer version. The application package contains utilities that will allow you to open both media files and text documents.

You can find the service client on the Google website or download it from the Play Market. If you do not have a device running Android OS, then you can use the mobile version of the resource. You will be redirected to this alternative as soon as the system detects the type of device you signed in from.

Summing up

In general, in order to take full advantage of this cloud service from Google, just follow a few simple steps:

1. Register on the official Google website. This account will allow you to use all company resources.
2. After confirming registration, go to your account, where you can open the Google Drive application.
3. Click on the "Create" tab, after "Upload File". In the window that appears, select the desired object to download. You can also create folders for convenience.
4. Download and view files at any time convenient for you, provide access to them to friends and colleagues, if necessary. If some object has become irrelevant, you can safely delete it. It does not take much time.

In the mobile version, in addition to all the above points, it is worth adding the download and installation of the client from the official website or the Play Market.

I hope that after my words it became clear to you how to use Google Drive and why, in fact, the service itself was developed. Simple management of this cloud storage will allow even the most inexperienced user to instantly understand the interface and forget about flash drives and e-mail forever as a means of exchanging files.

• Yandex disk
• Dropbox

Sincerely! Abdullin Ruslan

Technological progress does not stand still. One technology that becomes impractical over time goes away, and another, more advanced one comes to replace it. A clear example of this is the evolution of data storage methods. If earlier CDs and DVDs were in use, now more and more people prefer to store information on flash drives, which are more compact in size and can hold much more information, moreover, they support multiple overwriting.

There is also a more advanced technology that has not yet gained popularity among the masses, but has serious prospects - cloud storage services.

Any user who has created an account in such a service can upload his files to the server and access them from any computer or other supported device (tablet, smartphone, etc.) on which he logs into his account. Agree, it is very practical: you can save time and money. There is only one drawback - you must have access to the Internet. Failure to connect will deprive you of access to the downloaded information. Fortunately, almost everyone now has access to the Internet.

Comparison of cloud storage services: Dropbox, Google Drive, Cloud Mail, MediaFire, Yandex Disk, Microsoft OneDrive, Copy Com, Apple iCloud

This article will compare nine popular cloud storage services, which will be evaluated on the three most important parameters for users: workspace size, security of use and functionality. So let's get started.

The amount of space provided

For those users who work with large files, the size of the disk space is a fundamental criterion. If the service cannot provide the necessary space, it will not be appropriate for them to use it.

Dropbox, which was once one of the founders of cloud technologies can now be safely called an outsider, which cannot compete with other participants in the comparison in terms of disk space. Only 2 gigabytes upon registration, one gigabyte for completing a simple task and 13 gigabytes for attracting users through a referral program (500 megabytes per user who registered and installed the client).
Google Drive was not particularly generous, providing only 15 gigabytes for free on the server. And given that the same space is used to store Google Docs documents and e-mail, users will have to be content with little. You can increase the storage size by purchasing a subscription. For example, now 100 GB costs $2, 1 TB costs $10. You can get a maximum of several tens of terabytes (I wonder who might need so much).

Cloud Mail.ru - no matter what they say about cloud storage Mail.ru, and there is enough free space on the servers for users. Each person who connected the service can use up to 100 gigabytes of space, uploading files of unlimited size there.
MediaFire - 50 gigabytes of space available in the MediaFire cloud, but the conditions for obtaining are rather complicated. The initial disk space is only 10 gigabytes. Another 8 gigabytes can be obtained by installing certain applications and extensions, and the remaining 32 by inviting other people to become customers of the service. 1 additional gigabyte per user.
Yandex Disk - cloud storage of the domestic company Yandex initially gives 3 GB free space, which, through simple manipulations, can easily be turned into 10 GB. Additional space is opened by attracting active referrals (500 megabytes per person). It also makes sense to follow various promotions on the Yandex. For example, now any subscriber of the OnLime tariff plan from Rostelecom can open another 100 GB, and whoever buys a Kingston flash drive with the Yandex logo can receive as many additional gigabytes as the size of this flash drive.
Microsoft OneDrive allows you to use 15 gigabytes of information for any registered user, and if he also owns a PC with Windows 8 installed, then the size increases by another 10 gigabytes.
Mega gives out 50 gigabytes to newcomers free space for any files. Although this is not much, you don’t need to carry out any additional fraud, unlike many other competitor services.
Copy.com is another cloud service with a referral program. Initially, it gives out 15 gigabytes of free space, but for each attracted user, not 1 pathetic gigabyte is charged, but as much as 5 gigabytes. If you want to remove all the restrictions inherent in the free version, and get from 250 gigabytes to 1 terabyte of free space, you will have to subscribe, paying $ 5 per month.
Apple iCloud - unlike many other Apple services, the storage can also be used by holders of PCs, as well as mobile devices from other manufacturers. Free iCloud is 5 gigabytes of free space. An extension of 20 gigabytes will cost 39 Russian rubles per month, 200 GB - 140 rubles per month. You can get a maximum of 1 terabyte and it will cost 749 rubles a month.

Security and Privacy

Many people do not want to use cloud services because they are afraid of identity theft or fear that information will be lost for some reason. Let's see what the creators of the services in question have done in terms of preventing such situations.

Dropbox uses state-of-the-art data protection practices: SSL and 256-bit AES, which guarantees the secure transmission and storage of any files uploaded to the server. All applications and extensions of the service are checked for vulnerabilities and updated periodically. It is possible to connect two-step authentication.
Google Drive has no competitors in terms of manufacturability. All data is securely encrypted, there is almost no risk of losing it. Of course, this does not negate the need to adhere to certain security rules - set up privacy in the settings, log out of your account when you finish working from a public computer.

Any files uploaded to the Mail.ru cloud are checked by the Kaspersky utility for viruses and other malicious code. When the databases of the utility are updated, the check is repeated. Files, like in other services, are encrypted. As for the shortcomings, it is worth noting the terms of the license agreement of the service, which remove all responsibility of Mail.ru for any negative situations related to unauthorized access, technical problems.
Microsoft OneDrive creates multiple copies of your files at once by hosting them on different servers. If one of them fails, you will not lose the stored information. Protection against gaining access by third parties is also presented at a decent level - two-step verification, account recovery using additional data. There is an operational technical support service.
Yandex Disk. Encrypted connection prevents hackers from intercepting your personal data, and the ability to set a strong password - penetration into the account of third parties. If suddenly your device (from which you access the storage) is lost, access from it can be blocked using a special option.
MediaFire has two-step authentication and an encrypted connection. For those who do not plan to store really important information in the cloud, this is more than enough.
Mega - all files that you upload to Mega servers, are automatically encrypted on your device, and an already encrypted version gets into the storage, which even the administration of this service cannot access. Frankly, with the last statement, we are probably being deceived, but additional confidence in security appears.
Copy.com not only protects the user's files from malicious in, but also from his own negligence. During a certain period of time, you can roll back files to previous versions and restore accidentally deleted ones.
Apple iCloud - any data that is uploaded to Apple iCloud, are encrypted using AES technology with 128-bit keys. Protection concerns not only the server itself, where the files are stored - the process of uploading files to the server is also protected. If desired, you can enable two-step verification, which allows you to identify the storage user by the device from which he connects. On the other hand, everyone remembers the recent scandal with a huge amount of candid celebrity photos stolen from their iCloud. The vulnerability was quickly fixed, but was it the only one?

Functionality and additional features

The ability to save files on the server is far from the only thing that modern cloud storage services are capable of. Almost any such service has additional features that may be useful to users.

Dropbox works great both through the browser interface, and through the installed application. All tools for creating and editing files are fully supported. Remarkably, modified files load very quickly. This effect is achieved by partial editing (only the modified part of the edited file, pre-compressed, is copied to the server).
Google Drive is characterized by a user-friendly and functional interface which is intuitive even for novice users. Loading, sorting and editing files is done in a couple of keystrokes. There are built-in tools for viewing and editing text documents and images of various formats. Work with mobile devices is supported and there are additional functions designed specifically for them.

Cloud Mail.ru - many complain about the inconvenience of working with storage through a browser, intermittent errors and stuff like that. The problem is solved by installing software to work with the service. Otherwise, nothing special - there is a mobile client, mail integration and other standard features.
Microsoft OneDrive - OneDrive has a lot of useful innovations. The most significant of them is the ability to create and edit Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, etc.) directly in the repository and send files via Hotmail.
Yandex Disk boasts advanced functionality and a wide coverage of supported systems, among which even mobile Windows Phone and Linux were noted. Yandex Disk is integrated with a number of other Yandex services, which greatly simplifies the work.
MediaFire, in addition to its basic function of storing files, allows you to share them on the Internet. More than 200 file formats are supported.
Mega performed well on both iOS and Android devices, and also relatively recently acquired an official client application (previously, work was carried out exclusively through a browser).
Copy.com is very similar in functionality to Dropbox discussed above., although it compares favorably with its beautiful and intuitive interface, as well as wide cross-platform.
Only owners of devices from Apple can fully appreciate the functionality of Apple iCloud. Automatic synchronization with the cloud greatly facilitates the storage of data (photos, contacts, documents, etc.), and there is no need to install additional software. Windows owners who want to use iCloud will have to install iTunes, which is a bit inconvenient.

Let's summarize. What to choose?

Which of the following services can be called the best? It's pretty hard to decide. Each storage has its own advantages and disadvantages. But if you choose the optimal (average) option that will appeal to the majority, then the choice will fall on Google Drive.

Hello! Google Drive is free cloud storage plus an office suite. What are the benefits of accessing these features and how to use Google Drive?

Among many similar products, Google Drive cloud storage stands out with a significant advantage, namely, tight integration with Google services.

What does this mean? The Android operating system belongs to Google and more than 80% of all mobile devices run on this platform. The Google Chrome browser has reached the undisputed leadership among the best Internet browsers today. Google Corporation is the de facto global Internet search monopolist with colossal resources for advanced development - Google's innovative developments appear earlier than those of competing organizations.

To make it easier and more convenient to deal with Google Drive how to use , it is advisable to start from the very beginning and go through all the main steps.

Getting started with Google Drive

If you do not have Google Chrome browser installed on your computer yet, then you need to make up for the omission, since it is with the help of this browser that it is most convenient to master Google Drive cloud storage and get the most direct access to all the endless possibilities of Google services.

In the next step, you will be prompted to download and install Google Drive on your computer.

A little warning is needed here. If you do not have a particularly powerful computer, it is better to use Google Drive using the web interface in the browser, since the Google Drive application consumes quite a lot of hardware resource and the system will slow down during the synchronization process.

Since Google Drive cloud storage allows you to use all the files stored on the server from any device, do not forget to install Google Drive on all your smartphones, tablets, laptops and all-in-ones at the same time.

Don't worry, Google Drive apps are designed for all platforms, both mobile and desktop.

Features of using Google Drive

• Work on text documents, spreadsheets and presentations, slide shows from any computer.
• Collaborate on documents remotely. To do this, you need to find Access in the Settings and specify who and to what extent is allowed to read, edit or comment on documents.
• You can publish any file on the Internet for free access to all users. This can be useful, for example, when you don't want to spend internet traffic on sending large video files to other users. Google Disk allows you to simply send a link to download a file by mail - and let the recipient pay for the Internet.

It should be mentioned that after the upgrade, the two services Google Drive and Google Docs have been merged and now it does not matter which application you run - the possibilities will be the same. From any application, you can instantly switch to any other.

Features of Google Drive Sync

After connecting and installing Google Drive on a desktop computer, some changes will occur in the system.

• A Drive folder will appear in Windows Explorer. Any files you put there will be automatically synced to your cloud storage. Using the context menu, you can send any file from other folders on your hard drive to the cloud.
• New shortcuts to office applications included in the Google Docs package and an Application Launcher shortcut will appear on the Desktop. Using these shortcuts, you can launch a text editor or other programs directly from the Desktop and start working right away.

A Google Drive icon will appear in the system tray, clicking on it will give you access to the Settings Menu. In particular, from there you can adjust the synchronization order. Specify which files to sync and which do not. Set the number of simultaneously downloaded files and upload speed.

In general, there is absolutely no need to worry about how to synchronize Google Drive with a computer. , because all these processes are automated and come by default. Alternatively, with a slow computer, in order not to wait for a long time to synchronize files from the Disk folder, you can upload documents and videos, photos through a browser.

If you're going to use Google Drive as a network drive on your smartphone or tablet, you'll need to install the mobile app and sign in with your Google account. If you want to work with texts, then you need to download and install the Google Docs mobile application. The difference with desktops here is that each application for working with texts, tables, presentations on tablets needs to be installed separately. This is done to save local memory, which is limited on mobile devices.

You can connect Google Drive in the mobile File Manager and to upload to the cloud, you just need to copy the selected files to the Google Drive folder.

Another question is how to access Google Drive from someone else's computer? To do this, in the browser, type the address drive.google.com and log in with your Gmail address and password. On a mobile device, you won't be able to access Disk online - every time you will be redirected to the application download page. You will have to install mobile Google Drive or one of the office applications.

That's all for me. See you soon!

Sincerely, Evgeny Kuzmenko.

Hello friends! Cloud storage is very popular right now. Their main purpose is to store and access information from any device at any time, as well as the ability to share this information (documents, photos, and other files) with other people. In addition, popular cloud services provide a number of useful features for users - creating and working with documents online, sharing, and more.

On my blog, I have already laid out instructions for two large cloud services - and. And today's article I dedicate to another one - Google Drive (Google Drive). Until recently, I did not use it so actively - I mainly relied on Yandex.Disk. But, in connection with the recent ones, I thought about fallback options.

I propose to understand the interface and basic functions of Google Drive. Let's talk about how to use it - upload and share files and folders, perform other actions on files, work with documents and applications online.

If you prefer the video format, then you can view my detailed tutorial below:

How to login to Google Drive?

The disk is tied to your Google account, and to get inside the cloud, you need to log in to your account - enter your login (gmail) and password from it.

You can access Drive from this page www.google.com/intl/en/drive/

Or go from the mail by clicking on the "Google Apps" icon at the top right.

How much disk space?

15 GB is provided free of charge. This place is divided into files on the disk itself, files and letters in Gmail, as well as Google Photos. By the way, the images that you upload to posts on the Google Plus social network are automatically included in the latter. You can remove them from Google Photos so that they do not take up space, while they remain in posts.

If you need more space, then it can be purchased for money. There are several tariff plans with monthly or annual payment up to 30 TB of memory.

Also, you can have several Google accounts and each will have its own disk with free space.

Cloud storage interface

Let's go over the main sections, buttons and settings of Google Drive.

Through the "Create" button in the upper left corner you can upload files and folders to your drive from your computer. And also create folders and documents directly in the cloud. You can create text documents, spreadsheets, presentations with slides, Google Forms (for surveys, questionnaires, records for Skype consultations), drawings, maps and websites.

Below this button is panel with the main sections of the Disk.

In "My Drive" contains all files and folders uploaded to the cloud, as well as documents and folders that you have created in the cloud.

By selecting a particular file / folder with the mouse, you can perform various actions on them, I will talk about this later. To select multiple files at once, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on the desired files.

The display of files on the Disk can be sorted by name, by date of modification, by date of viewing.

In the section "Available to me" files from Google Drives of other users to which you have access are displayed - for example, you followed a link to this file, or you were sent an invitation with access. To open a file, double-click on it.

In the "Recent" section- displays files that you have recently worked with (opened, downloaded, edited, etc.).

Google Photos section- Images you have uploaded to the Google Photos app appear here. Also, pictures uploaded to posts in Google Plus are automatically saved here. You can get into the application itself by clicking on the Google application icon from the disk, mail, Google Chrome browser start page.

In the application settings, you can put a useful checkmark so that photos and videos do not take up extra storage space.

To do this, go to Google Photos, click on the three vertical bars at the top left, go to settings.

And check the relevant box:

Section "Tagged"- files and folders that you mark as important for yourself get here. Marking is very simple - select the file, right-click, select "Add mark" in the list that opens. To remove a file from the "Marked" - right-click again and select "Unmark".

Basket- it contains files that you delete from your Google Drive. The Recycle Bin can be emptied, then the files are permanently deleted. You can also restore any file from the trash by selecting it with the mouse and clicking "Restore from trash".

There are some more useful icons in the top right corner of Google Drive.

You can set the display of files in the cloud in the form of a list or a grid. By clicking on the letter "i" in a circle, you can view the history of your actions on the disk, as well as the properties of any file by selecting it with the mouse. Clicking on the gear will open an additional list of tabs.

In the "Settings" tab:

You can change the interface language.
Enable offline access (saving Google Docs to your computer to work with them without an Internet connection). On this subject, you can refer to the separate instruction.
Disable automatic upload of photos from Google Photos to a folder on your drive.
Choose the interface option - spacious, regular or compact.

There are also alert settings.

And the ability to connect different Google applications to your drive.

Clicking on the tab "Install disk on computer", you can download the application for PC, as well as for smartphones on Android or Iphone. Here, keep in mind that the PC application is synchronized with the cloud online and all the files are on your computer, taking up space. Since this doesn't work for me, I prefer to use only the web interface. The only plus from synchronization is the ability to quickly send a large file to the cloud or save all the files from the cloud to your computer at once, and then turn off synchronization.

Actions on files and folders in Google Drive

To upload files and folders from your computer to the cloud the "Create" button is used. You click on it and select the appropriate menu item - a window for selecting files on your computer will open. To select multiple files at once, hold down the Ctrl key.

When the file is selected, click on the "Open" button, it will start uploading to Disk. Information about the process will appear in the lower right corner.

An alternative download option is to minimize the Google Drive tab to a smaller window and drag files from your computer to the My Drive section with the mouse.

You can perform a number of actions on files, folders, and documents on a disk. To do this, select the desired file (or several) with the mouse and right-click. A list of available actions will appear. The same actions are duplicated on the panel above.

The contents of the file can be viewed by clicking Preview. If you want to edit the document, then select "Open With". The drive will offer you an application through which you can open the file.

To open the contents of a folder- click on it 2 times. All the same actions can be performed on files and documents in a folder.

You can give access to any file, folder or document on the disk to another person. To set up sharing, click on the corresponding menu item.

In the window that opens, you need to enter the gmail-mail of the person to whom you want to open access. Click on the pencil icon to specify the type of access. It can be - commenting, viewing and editing.

If you have granted comment or view access, the user can be prevented from downloading, copying, and printing the file. Just tick the boxes you need. Don't forget to save your changes.

Then click Submit. The user will receive an email stating that you have granted him access to the files. On his disk in the "Available to me" section, he will see this file.

To block access, you again need to right-click on this file, select "Sharing". In the window that opens, click on the username.

Access denied, the user will see the following message:

You can also configure access settings. The default is view. Also, by clicking on the link, the user will be able to download the file or save it to his disk. You can also allow commenting or editing.

If you click "More", we will see other settings. For example, you can enable access for absolutely any user on the Internet, that is, the file will be available through the search. Or disable access by link and send an invitation to share access to a specific user by email (we discussed this process above).

The next item of actions on files - "Move". With it, files can be moved into folders. This is useful if you have a lot of files and want to organize them. You can also move files by dragging them with the mouse.

Creating folders on disk is easy. Click on the button "Create" - "New Folder".

By the way, you can change the color of folders.

Paragraph "Add note" useful if you want to add your favorite files to the Starred section for quick access to them.

Paragraph "Rename" will allow you to change the name of a file or folder.

Paragraph "Show Properties"– to view the properties of a file and the history of actions taken on it.

Paragraph "Versions"- it is available for those files that you upload to the Disk.

Let's say you downloaded an archive with materials from your computer and shared a link to it with subscribers. Then you needed to make changes to this archive, you downloaded it to your computer again and edited it. Then it was re-uploaded to the Disk with the same name so that the link to the archive would not change. By the way, when re-downloading, you can choose how to save this file - separately (the link to it will change), or as a new version that will replace the previous one.

However, the previous version will not be deleted immediately (by default, it remains on disk for another 30 days). But, you can remove it manually or check the box so that previous versions are not removed. This is done, just through this item "Versions".

The remaining actions on the files: create a copy, download to your computer and delete to the trash. By the way, to delete the file in the trash, you can drag the mouse to this section on Google Drive.

So, we figured out the main points of the Google Drive web interface. Now a few words how to download to your computer or save to disk a file that was shared with you via a link from another Google Drive.

If you have followed the link and are authorized in your Google account, then you will see the Google Drive icon on top, by clicking on which you can save this file to your disk. Nearby is an arrow to download the file to your computer.

Well, I hope my guide to Google Drive will help you navigate the settings and functionality of this cloud service. Well, if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them in the comments.

Wish you luck!

Sincerely, Victoria Karpova