What is Google Drive? + How Google Drive Works
By Corbin HartwickUpdated on November 21, 2017
In our current Age of Information, being able to reliably preserve your computer files — and share them with others quickly and conveniently — is rapidly becoming a necessity. An Internet-based storage system has many advantages over other traditional ways of storing your files, such as on U.S.B. sticks or your computer's hard drive. What happens if you lose track of your U.S.B. stick, or if your computer crashes? Google Drive solves many file loss pitfalls like these.
Google Drive is an Internet-based computer file storage system that acts as a companion to your computer's hard drive. You can also use Google Drive to create new office documents, share your files with other users of your choosing, and access your files remotely from other Internet-capable computers or mobile devices.
How Google Drive works: 4 ways to use Google Drive
1. Sign up for a free account
It costs you no money to sign up for an account on Google Drive. Plus, if you have an account with another Google-owned service — such as Gmail or YouTube — you can use that account for Google Drive! No need to create a separate account!
2. Upload your computer files for safe keeping
Once you have a Google Drive account, you can move files from your computer to Google Drive for safekeeping on Google's servers. This not only means that your files will be safe if something happens to your computer, but also that you can access or download your files from anywhere that you can log into Google Drive!
3. Invite your friends and family to collaborate on your files
By using the "Share" options, you can invite other people to access your files on Google Drive. There, they can view your files, download them, or copy them to their own Google Drive. You can even allow them to comment on or edit your files, which is really handy if you're editing business documents as part of a team!
4. Create your own office documents on Google Drive through Google Docs
Google Drive isn't just a place for storing files that are already on your computer. You can also use Google Docs to create word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, and more without leaving Google Drive! Then you can store your newly-created documents on Google Drive, where they are automatically saved so that you never have to worry about losing your work!
Those are just a few things that you can do with Google Drive! In our Google Drive course, we’ll examine how its pricing works, how to upload files, how to create Google Docs in Google Drive, and much more. Get on your way to making Google Drive your engine of choice for storing and sharing your computer files safely, quickly, and conveniently!