Getting Started With Google Drive

Richard Byrne

FreeTech4Teachers.com

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1 - Account Creation and Google Drive settings.

Part 2 - Creating and Sharing Documents

Part 3 - Uploading and Sharing Files from Your Desktop

Part 4 - Creating and Sharing Folders

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Introduction

This guide is intended for new Google Drive users. There are thousands of things that you could do within Google Drive. This guide is intended just to get you started on the basics and therefore focuses on only the core elements of Google Drive.

The images in this guide were created by taking screenshots of a newly-created Google account that anyone can create with a free Gmail address. If you are using Google Drive with a school or work-issued account, you may find that some features shown in this guide have been disabled by your IT administrator.

Part I - Account Creation & Google Drive Settings

If you don’t already have a Google account, you will need to create a free Gmail account to get started.

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If you are new to Google Drive because your school or business is requiring you to use it, you have probably already been assigned an account that you can use to sign into Google Drive at drive.google.com Check with your IT administrator to see he/she has created an account for you.

Part I - Account Creation & Google Drive Settings

Create a new Google Account if you don’t already have one.

Create a new Google Account if you don’t already have one.

This is what you will see the first time you sign into your new account.

Choose between list view or grid view for files in your Google Drive dashboard.

Click the gear icon to open personalization options.

In the “General” settings you can choose to have Word, PPT, and Excel files that you add to Google Drive converted to the corresponding Google Drive format.

If you are the only user of your computer, you can make your documents, slides, and spreadsheets accessible to you even when you’re offline.

Adjust the display density for your Google Drive dashboard.

Change the notification options for your shared files.

Under “Manage Apps” you can see the tools that are available to you through Google Drive.

“Backup and Sync” is available for Windows and Mac computers.

Part II - Creating and Sharing Documents

In this section you’ll see the basic steps of creating and sharing a document within Google Drive. There are a couple of points to note before you begin: �

• Your document is automatically saved in your Google Drive. You don’t need to click save. Your work is automatically saved as you go. �
• This guide does not cover all of the possible formatting and editing options as there are hundreds of possibilities.

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Open the “New” menu and select “Google Doc”

Always choose a name for your document.

Select your font, font size, and text justification.

Yes, you can change the page’s orientation.

The spell check and word count is found in the “Tools” menu.

Voice Typing / Dictation is available in the “Tools” menu.

Sharing Your Document With Others - Option 1

Sharing Your Document With Others - Option 2, step 1

Sharing Your Document With Others - Option 2, step 2

Notes About Sharing Documents

• People using Google Drive within a school or business-issued account may see options to share “only with people within my domain.” Those options will restrict your document to only people who have the same email domain as you. For example, if your email address is “coolteacher@coolschool.org” you can specify that only people with @coolschool.org email addresses can access your shared document.

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• The “advanced” sharing options will let you prevent the people with whom you have shared a document from downloading, printing, or making copies of your document.

Part III - Uploading and Storing Desktop Files

You can use Google Drive to store just about any file that you have on your computer. You can also share access to those files from your Google Drive dashboard.�

• As mentioned earlier in this guide, you can upload Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files to your Google Drive and have them automatically converted into the corresponding Google Docs, Slides, or Sheets format. �
• You can upload pictures, videos, and audio recordings to store and share from your Google Drive account.

Step 1 - Open “New” menu and choose “file upload.”

Step 2 - Select files to upload.

Step 3 - Wait...

Step 4 - Open your uploaded file

Uploading Videos

Uploading Videos

Sharing Uploaded Videos

Part IV - Creating and Sharing Folders

After you have been using Google Drive for a little while you will want to make folders to organize your files. �

• You can make as many folders as you need and put as many files as you like within them. �
• You can share your folders with other people much like you can share your documents or other files stored in your Google Drive.

Step 1 - Open the “New” menu and select “Folder.”

Step 2 - Title your folder

Step 3 - Drag files into your folder.

Step 4 - Confirm that file was moved into folder.

Folder Sharing - Step 1

Folder Sharing - Step 2

Folder Sharing - Step 3

Important Notes About Folder Sharing

• When you share a folder everyone who has access to the folder will be able to see all current contents as well as anything that you add to it in the future. �
• You can revoke access to a folder at anytime. �
• If you have a folder open and then create a new document, the document will automatically have the same sharing setting as the folder.

Where can I learn more about Google Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Forms?

• My YouTube channel is full of short tutorial videos
• http://bitly.com/byrneyt �
• On PracticalEdTech.com I offer a complete, self-paced course on G Suite for Education.
• https://practicaledtech.com/g-suite-for-teachers/�
• The archives of FreeTech4Teachers.com contains dozens of tutorials.