Guy Hart-Davis - Teach Yourself VISUALLY Google Workspace

Click Move.

Google Drive moves the files.

A pop-up message appears for a few seconds, confirming the details of the move.

You can click Undoto undo the move.

Move a File or Folder Using Drag and Drop

In the sidebar, expand the destination location until you can see the destination folder.

For example, you might expand the Shared Drives location and a folder it contains.

Navigate to the location or folder that contains the file or folder you want to move.

Drag the file or folder to the destination folder.

A pop-up message appears for a few seconds, summarizing the Move operation.

You can click Undoto undo the move.

TIP

Is there another way to perform a Move operation?

Yes — you can start a Move operation from the contextual menu. Right-click the file or folder you want to move, or right-click the files or folders you have already selected, and then click Move to( ) on the contextual menu.

When you do this, the Move To pop-up window at first shows the folder that currently contains the item or items rather than showing Google Drive as a whole. So if you want to move the item or items to a nearby folder, starting from the contextual menu may be more convenient than starting from the More Actions menu.

Copy a File

Most file managers make it easy to copy a file or a folder from one location to another, which is useful when you need to share a file or folder with other people or keep a copy of the file or folder safe from harm. By contrast, Google Drive discourages you from copying files within Google Drive itself, although it does enable you to duplicate a file or to download a file or folder. You can also create a shortcut to a file or folder, as explained in the following section.

Duplicate a File

When you need to duplicate a file, use the Make a Copy command. Right-click the file, and then click Make a copy( ) on the contextual menu; you can also select the file, click More actions( ), and then click Make a copy( ). Google Drive creates a copy of the file in the same folder, assigning it the name Copy of and the original name. For example, the copy of a file named Business Process Manual receives the name Copy of Business Process Manual .

Once you have created the duplicate, you can move it to another folder, as explained in the previous section. You can also rename the duplicate file. Keep in mind that if you want the copy to have the same name as the original file, as would happen with a standard copy operation to a different location, you must first move the copy: You cannot give the copy the original file’s name while both are in the same folder.

Download a File or Folder

Another way of copying a file is to download it to your computer. Downloading works for folders as well, so it can be a handy way to keep spare copies of files or folders.

To download a file or folder, navigate to the location or folder that contains it, and then click to select the file or folder. You can also select multiple files or folders. Click More actions( ) to open the More Actions menu, and then click Download( ); you can also right-click a file or folder, or right-click selected files or folders, and then click Download( ) on the contextual menu.

Your browser places the downloaded item or items in the Downloads folder specified in its settings. You can then move the item or items to a different location, as needed.

Create a Shortcut to a File or Folder

Google Drive enables you to create shortcuts to files or folders. Creating shortcuts provides a quick way to access files and folders that you need to use frequently or ones that are deeply buried within subfolders.

The formal way to create a shortcut is to use the Add Shortcut to Drive command, which you can find on the More Actions menu and the contextual menu. The informal way is to hold down while you drag a file to the folder in which you want to create the shortcut. On the Mac, hold down while you drag.

Create a Shortcut to a File or Folder

In Google Drive, navigate to the folder that contains the file or folder to which you want to create a shortcut.

Select the item for which you want to create the shortcut.

Click More actions( ).