Updated: June 14, 2019.

Contents:

Overview of Google Drive How to Install G Drive on Mac Desktop and Sign In. Two Factor Authentication How to Create Files in G Drive on Desktop Computers. Steps to Upload File or Folder in G Drive on Desktop.

Every day we process different workloads and generate enormous data files ranging from regular documents to multimedia files like videos, music, photos, etc. There is always the need to store these files securely in order to prevent damage or loss. It is a free cloud-based storage service created by Google that allows you to securely store and backup files you create. With Google Drive, you can create, store, backup and share files online. One of the greatest advantages that Google Drive offers is that it gives you the opportunity to access your files from anywhere around the world via the internet. Google Drive offers users a 15 GB of free tier 1 data storage in the cloud.

Using Google Drive gives you access to other free web-based applications such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Form, and so on. With Google Drive, you don’t need to save your files to a USB drive, SSD, etc anymore. It offers a whole lot of advantages. Apart from the ability to store files online using your smartphones, you can also use it on desktop computers like Windows and Macbook. It also helps you to create, manage and share documents via its lightweight apps. In this article, we will learn how to install Google Drive on Macbook and Windows desktop. We will also review how you can use Drive to create, store, share documents, and collaborate with your friends and colleagues online.

How to Install Google Drive on Mac Desktop and Sign In

To install Google Drive on your Mac desktop, below are the steps to follow:

On your web browser, type google.com/drive/download/ and hit the Enter button. On the next page, select Download for Mac. Accept Google’s Terms of Service after reading the terms and then select Agree and Download. Google Drive will begin to download as a file marked installgoogledrive.dmg. The download file may appear in different screen locations depending on the browser you use. When the download is complete, select installgoogledrive.dmg file. A window will popup verifying the download. All you need to do is to drag the Google Drive icon to the Applications folder icon to continue downloading Google Drive to your desktop. The Applications window will open up and the Google Drive icon will be inside. Select the Google Drive icon. A popup window will appear asking if you want to open Google Drive. Tap on Open. Click on the Google Drive icon at the right-hand side of the menu bar and then select Sign In. Enter your Gmail email address or phone number and select Next. Input your Gmail password and select Sign In.

2-Factor Verification

If you had set two-factor authentication before now, follow the on-screen steps to log-in using your 2-Step verification process. Once you are logged in, a Welcome to G Drive window will open. Just follow the tutorial by selecting Next > to proceed to the next window. On the last tutorial window, select Done.

How to Create Files in Google Drive on Desktop Computers

Here are the steps that you can use to create files in Google Drive on desktop computers:

Sign into Google Drive at drive.google.com using your Gmail email address and password. Click on the “+ New” button. It is the red-blue button in the upper-left corner of the Google Drive homepage. A drop-down menu will appear. Choose the type of document you want to create. You will have the option of selecting either

Google Docs – (MS Word-like document), Sheets (MS Excel-like spreadsheet), Slides (MS PowerPoint-like document). To create Forms or Draw vector graphs, you need to tap “More” and then select Google Forms or Drawings. Give your document title. Just replace the “Untitled” text with whatever you want to name your document by clicking the “Untitled” text in the upper-left side of the page. All changes will automatically be saved in as much as there is an internet connection. Go ahead to create your document by entering your document’s text, images, and so on. Ensure that the phrase “All changes saved in Drive” is displayed at the top of the page. It is very important so that you don’t lose your work. When you are done, close the document’s tab and return to Google Drive. You will see your document saved on the Drive homepage.

Steps to Upload File or Folder in G Drive on Desktop

Click on the “+ NEW” button and a drop-down menu will appear. Tap “File upload” or “Folder upload” depending on what you want to do. This action will open a File Explorer if you are on Windows desktop or Finder for Mac desktop. Choose a File or Folder and then click on the file or folder that you want to upload. Click “Open” which is at the bottom-right corner of the File Explorer window. The files will begin uploading to Google Drive. How to Share Files in Google Drive on Desktop Choose a file that you want to share with another person Click on the file. Doing this will cause several icons to appear at the top of the page. Sharing documents or files is useful when the file in question is over 25MB in size. This is because most email service providers won’t allow you to send a document that is over 25MB as an email attachment. Tap the “Share” icon which is an image of a person with a “+” sign next to it. Clicking on it will open a new window. Click the “Edit” icon which is a pencil-shaped icon on the far-right side of the pop-up window. A drop-down menu will appear. You also select a “Share” option. This will give you options in a drop-down menu:

“Can edit” – allows the person with whom you share the document the ability to edit the document.

“Comment – Gives the person with whom you share the document the opportunity to leave comments about the document, but not edit the document.

“Can view” – This grants the person with whom you share the document the ability to view, but not edit or comment on the document. Input the email address of the person with whom you want to share the document. You can add multiple email addresses as you wish. Add a note to the file you want to share if you wish. Use “Add a note” text box for this. The note could be a set of instructions or a brief statement about the item which you are sharing. Then, click “Send” and that particular file will be sent to your selected recipient(s) via email.

Note that you can create and back up a number of files including photos, Docs, Sheets, etc. These files are stored in the cloud and you can retrieve them from anywhere on the planet.