Working with Google Drive on Mac

If Google Drive is installed on the computer, it will have a folder in the Finder. Everything in this folder is also saved online once the computer is connected to the Internet. The folder works the same as any other folder in the Finder. Open the folder as follows:

• In the menu bar at the top, click the Google Drive icon .
• In the drop-down window, click on a folder icon with a sort of triangle on it .

The Finder will open and display the contents of the “Google Drive” folder. In the Finder, the folder is also under Favorites.

The Google Drive cloud service allows the user to store and view all kinds of files. Open a file like this:

• Open the Google Drive folder.
• The Google Drive Finder window opens. Double click on a file to open it.

Folders are useful for organizing files. Create a new folder like this:

• Open the Google Drive folder.
• Click in the menu bar on Archive.
• click on New map.
• Type the name of the folder and press the Enter key.
• The folder has been created. Double click on the folder to open it.

To save a file to Google Drive online, simply place the file (or a copy of it) in the Google Drive folder in the Finder. Copy a file or folder from the Finder as follows:

• Open the Finder.
• Click the file or folder you want to copy.
• Click in the menu bar on Change.
• click on Copy ‘XXX’. Where XXX stands for the name of the file or folder.
• In the Finder on the left, click Google Drive.
• Click in the menu bar on Change > Paste part.

The file or folder is now also in Google Drive.

Move files to a (different) folder in Google Drive like this:

• Open the Google Drive folder.
• Click in the menu bar on Archive > New tab.
• An additional tab opens in the Finder. Both tabs allow you to browse folders in the Finder. In the second tab, navigate to the desired file.
• Click on the file you want to move (hold down the mouse button).
• Drag the file to the Google Drive folder.
• The tab lights up and opens. Place the file in the folder and release the mouse button.

The file is now in the chosen folder and no longer in its original location.

Delete files you don’t want to keep from Google Drive. This frees up space for other files.

• Open the Google Drive folder.
• Right click on the file to be deleted.
• Click in the menu on Archive > Move to Trash.

The file is deleted everywhere, including online. The deleted file will still be in your Mac’s Trash and online in the Trash folder.

Do you still want to keep a deleted file? Then restore the file as follows:

• In the Dock, click the Trash icon .
• Click on the file.
• Click in the menu bar on Archive.
• click on put back.

The file is now back in the Google Drive folder.

In Google Drive, you can share a file with someone else. This is not possible from the folder on the computer, but it can be done via the Google Drive website. Read how it works in the article ‘Working with Google Drive over the Internet’.