Getting started with Google Drive & google Docs

• Your account will be created.

>> Just like with any online service, it's important to choose a strong password—in other words, one that's difficult for someone to guess. For more information, check out our Password Tips lesson.

Lesson 3: Creating Google Docs

Creating new files

Google Drive gives you access to a suite of tools that allows you to create and edit a variety of files, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. There are five types of files you can create on Google Drive:

To create a new file:

• From Google Drive, locate and select the New button, then choose the type of file you want to create. In our example, we'll select Google Docs to create a new document.

The process for creating new files is the same for all file types. Watch the video below to learn more.

Using templates

A template is a pre-designed file you can use to quickly create new documents. Templates often include custom formatting and designs, so they can save you a lot of time and effort when starting a new project. Most templates are designed to help you create specific types of files. For instance, you could use a template to quickly create a resume or newsletter.

You can find a wide selection of templates in the Google Drive Template Gallery. Unfortunately, we've found that many of these templates aren't very well designed, and it's often difficult to find specific templates within the gallery. For this reason, we recommend using templates made by Google, which tend to be of higher quality than user-submitted templates.

To use an official Google template:

• Navigate to the template gallery.

Lesson 4: Uploading Files to Google Drive

Uploading and syncing files

Google Drive makes it easy to store and access your files online in the cloud, allowing you to access them from any computer with an Internet connection. If you upload files from compatible programs like Microsoft Word or Excel, you can even edit them in Google Drive. Watch the video below to learn how to upload files to Google Drive.

Uploading files to Google Drive

Google Drive gives you 15 gigabytes (15GB) of free storage space to upload files from your computer and store them in the cloud. There are two main types of files you can store on your Google Drive:

• Files you can edit, like Microsoft Office files, PDFs, and other text-based files
• Files you cannot edit, like music, videos, compressed archives (.zip files), and most other files

Once you upload a file—no matter what type of file it is—you'll be able to manage, organize, share, and access it from anywhere. And because the files on Google Drive are synced across your devices, you'll always see the most recent version of a file.

You can also preview many different file types, even if you don't have the software required for that file on your computer. For example, you can use Google Drive to preview a Photoshop file, even if Photoshop is not installed on your current computer.

Converting files to Google Drive formats

If you are uploading files you plan to edit online, you will need to convert them to Google Drive format. Converting allows you to edit a file and collaborate with others easily. Only certain file types—like Microsoft Office files and PDF documents—can be converted to Google Drive formats.

Unfortunately, this conversion isn't always perfect. Depending on the level of formatting used in the original document, the converted document could turn out looking quite different, as shown in the example below.

Conversion changes aren't always just cosmetic—you may even lose information from the original file. You should always review a file that's been converted before sharing it with others. Remember, you always have the option to store your files in their original file format if you'd prefer not to edit files online.

Uploading files and folders

It's easy to upload files from your computer to Google Drive. If you're using the Google Chrome web browser, you can even upload entire folders.

To upload a file:

1. From Google Drive, locate and select the New button, then select File upload.

Converting files to Google Docs format

When you upload certain types of files—such as Microsoft Office files or PDF documents—you'll only be able to view those files. If you want to edit these types of files in Google Drive, you'll need to convert them to Google Docs format.

Challenge!

1. Open Google Drive and upload a Microsoft Office file. If you don't have an Office file on your computer, you can download a copy of our example.
2. Convert your file to a Google document.
3. If you used our example file, your screen should look something like this:

Lesson 5: Managing Your Files

Managing your files

After you've been using Google Drive for a while, you might find yourself having a difficult time keeping track of all of your files. Fortunately, Drive offers several features to help you manage and organize them. Watch the video below to learn more.

Searching for files

Searching lets you look for specific files using words contained within the file or file name. To do this, locate the search bar, then enter the word or file name you're looking for. A list of suggested searches and files will appear as you type. Simply click a file to open it directly from the search results. You can also press the Enter key to see a full list of search results.

Sorting files

By default, your files are already sorted from newest to oldest. However, you can apply other sorts to put your files in a different order. To sort by name, click the Name button just above the list of files. To sort by date, click the Last modified button, then choose the desired sort option.

To apply a filter:

Filters let you hide unimportant files and focus only on the ones you're interested in. For example, if you were looking for a presentation, you could use a filter to narrow down your visible files so you would only see presentations.

1. Locate and select the Search options arrow in the search bar.

Organizing your files

Once you start adding files to Google Drive, you can use folders to help organize and group them. Folders in Google Drive work just like the folders on your computer.

To delete a file:

Deleting a file from your Google Drive is similar to deleting a file from your computer. You will have to move the file to the Trash folder and then delete it permanently, just like you would delete a file from the Trash or Recycle Bin on your computer.

1. Select the file you want to delete, then click the Remove button to move the file to the Trash folder.

To preview a file:

Previewing files is a great way to make sure you're opening the right version of a file or to take a quick look at files without opening them.

• Select the file you want to preview, then click the Preview button.

Right-clicking

Right-clicking allows you to access the full list of actions for any file. Most of the actions listed here are accessible in other places on Google Drive, but it serves as a great shortcut.

Practice with a project

Ready for an additional challenge? The following resource from Google will help you practice organizing and sharing files:

Applied Digital Skills: Organize Files in Drive: In this lesson, you'll learn how to use Google Drive to store, access, and share files such as documents, presentations, forms, and photos in one central place. The lesson takes 45-90 minutes to complete.

Challenge!

1. Open our example file. Make sure you're signed in to Google, then click File > Make a copy. For now, do not rename the copy.
2. Open Google Drive, create a folder, and name it Practice Documents.
3. Locate our example file in your drive.
4. Add our example file to the folder you created in step 2.
5. Open the folder and preview the example file.
6. Close the preview.
7. When you're finished, your screen should look something like this:

Lesson 6: Sharing and Collaborating

Sharing and collaborating on files

Google Drive makes sharing your files simple. It also allows multiple people to edit the same file, allowing for real-time collaboration. Watch the video below to learn more about these features.

Sharing files

Whenever you share a file from your Google Drive, you can let others view and even edit that same file. While you can share any file stored on your Google Drive, it's important to note that you can only use the collaboration features for files created within your Drive.

Let's look at the example of Olenna, an art teacher who uses her Google Drive to organize letters, lesson plans, and more. Olenna's files include:

• Files she keeps private, like her spreadsheet with classroom expenses
• Files she lets others edit, like the lesson-planning documents she creates with her co-teacher
• Files she shares publicly and doesn't let others edit, like the newsletters and announcements she shares with her students and their parents
• Files others share with her, including ones she can edit, like her co-teacher's supply inventory; and ones she can't, like a schedule sent to her by the principal

As you can tell, no single sharing setting would be right for all of Olenna's files. The settings you choose for each of your shared files will probably depend on why you're sharing it in the first place.

When you share a file with a limited group of people, your collaborators must sign in with a Google account to view or edit the file. However, when you share with a larger group or make the file public, your collaborators will not need a Google account to access the file.

To share a file with a limited group of people:

• Locate and select the file you want to share, then click the Share button.

• A dialog box will appear. In the People box, type the email addresses of the people you'd like to share the file with. If you want, you can add a message that will be emailed to the people you share the file with.
• Click Send. Your file will be shared.

Sharing with a link

You can easily share a file with a larger group of people by providing a link to any file in your Google Drive. A link is basically a URL or web address for any file you want to share. This can be especially helpful for files that would be too large to send as an email attachment, like music or video files. You can also share a file by posting the link to a public webpage. Anyone who clicks the link will be redirected to the file.

To share a link:

1. Locate and select the file you want to share, then click the Share button.

Files shared with you

People can also choose to share files with you. These files will appear in your Shared with Me folder. However, if you'd prefer to access a file from your Google Drive without switching to this view, you can move it. To do this, navigate to your Shared with Me folder, hover the mouse over the desired file, then select Add to My Drive.

Collaboration tools

Whenever you share a file in a Google Drive format, you'll have the option to allow your co-editors to change and edit the file. Google Drive offers several tools that enhance collaboration by making it easier to communicate with your co-editors and to see which changes have been made and by whom.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about the collaboration features in Google Drive.

Suggesting mode

Google Drive also has a feature called Suggesting mode, which is similar to the Track Changes feature in Microsoft Office. This allows each collaborator to make changes, while giving the other collaborators a chance to review the changes before making them permanent. This page has more information about how to make suggested edits and accept or reject other people's changes.

Challenge!

1. Open our example file. Make sure you're signed in to Google, then click File > Make a copy.
2. Change to suggesting mode.
3. Select the first three lines of the letter and center align them.
4. Select the name Melissa Vaughn and add a comment that says Double check the spelling.
5. When you're finished, your document should look something like this:
6. Optional: Try sharing your document with someone.

Lesson 7: Converting and Printing Docs

Downloading and printing files from Google Drive

Once you've created a file, it will be accessible whenever you sign in to Google Drive. However, there may be times when you want to download or print a file for offline access.

To download a file:

• Locate and right-click the file you want to download, then select Download.

• The file will be downloaded to your computer.

To choose a file format:

By default, Google Drive will choose the most common file format whenever you download a file. For example, if you download a Google Document, it will automatically be saved as a .docx file, which is used by Microsoft Word and most other word processors. However, there may be times when you want to choose a different format, such as PDF.

• Double-click the desired file to open it.

Note that these options will vary depending on the type of file you're printing. For example, you'll have different options for printing a spreadsheet than you would for printing a presentation.

Challenge!

1. Open our example file. Make sure you're signed in to Google, then click File > Make a copy.
2. Download the file as a PDF.
3. If your device is connected to a printer, try printing the file.

Lesson 8: Locked Out of Your Google Account?

Locked out of your Google account?

There may be times when you go to log in to Gmail, Google Docs, or any other Google site and can't seem to remember the email address or password you used when creating your account. Luckily, Google makes it easy to recover your account information.

However, you will need some information to recover your account, whether it's your email address, the date you created your account, or your phone number.

To recover your user name:

If you don't use your email address often or if you never wrote it down, you might one day find that you've forgotten it. Google makes it easy to recover your user name.

• Select either Enter your recovery email address or Enter your recovery phone number, then type your name and check off the box next to I'm not a robot. Click Submit.
• Google will send you an email or text message containing your user name.

To recover your password: