Once you learn how to add files to Google Drive, you basically learn how to carry around your documents wherever you go. You can add a file to Google Drive and then access it on any other device no matter where you are. All you need is the credentials to log in to the same Google account and your Drive files and folders are instantly mobile! Let’s learn how to add files to Google Drive from iPhones, how to add files to a Google Drive link, and how to add files to a folder in Google Drive whether it’s private, shared by you, or shared with you.
Google Drive Basics
Google Drive is a cloud storage service that’s part of the G Suite family of cloud services and applications. Formerly known as Google for Business, G Suite offers several divergent apps but a common repository for all files generated by these apps. That’s Google Drive. Although Drive can only open or view certain types of files, you can add any external file to it from any device where you’re signed in to your Google account. This option is available to both individuals and businesses.
Below, we’ve listed several ways to add files to Google Drive based on where you’re adding them and from what device you’re adding them.
How to Add Files to Google Drive Inside a Specific Folder
Method 1: How to Add a Document to a Folder in Google Drive on Desktop
This is the simplest way to understand how to add a file to a folder in Google Drive:
1. Launch a browser window on your PC, Mac, Linux, or a computer running any other desktop OS.
2. Log in to your Google account - the one you use for Gmail and other Google apps.
3. Near the top-right corner of the web page, click the grid icon with the nine dots in a 3x3 layout. From the drop-down menu, select Drive to launch it in a new tab.
4. You will now be in the default My Drive folder. You can double-click into it and create another folder by right-clicking on a blank space and selecting New Folder. You can name it before it is created and saved in My Drive.
5. Now double-click to go into this new folder and you’re ready to add files to Google Drive.
6. To add a file, you can drag it from your file manager directly into the Drive tab and drop it there. It will be uploaded to whatever folder you are currently in. You can also use the right-click method shown in Step 4 above and choose Upload Files or Upload Folder.
Note: Only the Chrome browser allows multiple file uploads. In other browsers, you may be taken to a different file upload tool. Chrome is the best option for using Google apps since a lot of functions are cross-integrated.
Method 2: How to Add Files to Google Drive Shared Folders (Yours and Shared with You)
What is a Google Drive Shared Folder?
Now, let’s say you create a folder in My Drive and you share it with someone using the Share settings (by right-clicking on the folder name, choosing Share, and then sending a generic link or an email invite to specific people.) This is now called a Shared folder. If someone else does the same thing on their Drive account and has shared a folder with you, this will be visible in the Shared With Me section under My Drive in the left-side panel.
Can I Add Files to Any Shared Folder in Google Drive?
The ability to add files to Google Drive shared folders depends on your permission level. As an Owner, you can do anything in that folder. If someone else has shared a folder with you, you will either have View, Comment, or Edit access. In such cases, you can only upload files to that folder if you have Edit privileges. If not, you can only view the files inside or view and comment.
How Do I Add My Files to Google Drive Shared Folders?
If you have received a share link to the folder, click it and it will open in a new tab. If you have the Shared folder visible in Shared With Me, double-click to go into it. Once you are inside, follow these steps:
1. The first option is to right-click on an empty white space in the file list and select Upload Files or Upload Folder.
2. The other option is to simply drag and drop the file from the File Explorer or Finder window.
Method 3: How to Add Files to Google Drive from iPhones (and Android)
For this, you need to have the Drive app installed on your iOS or Android device. The steps are shown below:
1. In the Drive app, tap the + symbol at the bottom, which will cause a pop-up menu to appear.
2. In the menu, select Upload to trigger your file manager app.
3. Navigate to the location where your file is stored and select it, then tap Upload to import the file to Drive. If you want the file to be saved in a specific folder, make sure you’re inside the folder in the Drive app before you initiate this process. You can also move the file later on but it’s easier to do it directly.
Now that we’ve seen various methods for how to add files to Google Drive shared and non-shared folders, what can you do with them?
Actions to Perform After You Add a Document to a File in Google Drive
Google Drive allows you to handle an uploaded file in many ways:
- Open or Preview - If the file is compatible with a Google app, you can use the Open with… option; if not, you can see a preview of the contents.
- Share - A file can be shared just like a folder using the process shown in the first section of Method 2 above.
- Download, Delete, Rename, or Make a Copy - You can perform all these actions on a file. For folders, you can’t make copies, and downloading a folder will create a zip file.
- Other Options - You can also make a file available online, publish it to the web with an embed code or link, use add-ons for various purposes, and even translate editable documents.
Next, let’s look at another cloud storage service for PDF files that also comes with a full-fledged electronic signature feature.
Excellent Google Drive Alternative - Wondershare PDFelement Cloud
Official business documents are usually distributed in PDF format because the content is displayed in a consistent manner across all device types and screen aspect ratios. It is also easier to have multiple types of content in the file without having to worry about alignment problems, font support, etc. Wondershare PDFelement Cloud is an excellent way to make these files accessible to all authorized personnel no matter where they are located. Additionally, they will have access to a robust electronic signature platform where they can create e-signatures, e-sign documents, prepare files for signature collection, send a PDF to others for signing, and even track their progress from sending to signing and submission.
Adding Files to Wondershare Cloud: The Process
1. Once you go to the URL for Wondershare PDFelement Cloud and sign in (or sign up), you’ll be taken to the main Home tab.
2. Here, you can click the Upload Files button on the right side above the Recent Document Activity list.
3. Navigate to your PDF files, select them, and click OK or Open.
4. Once your files are in the cloud, you’ll see them listed in the Recent Document Activity section or below the Document tab.
Actions to Perform After You Add a Document to Wondershare Cloud
Cloud files can be managed easily with any of the following options when you click the … icon against the corresponding file.
● View - Open and see the contents of a PDF file.
● Download - Download it to your desktop or any other device.
● Delete - Remove the file from your cloud account.
● Rename - Modify the name of your file.
● Send for Signatures - There are two options available for this feature:
○ Request Signatures - Sends a file for multiple people to sign on.
○ Bulk Send - Sends multiple copies of a file for individual signature collection from multiple people.
What is PDFelement Pro DC?
Wondershare PDFelement Pro DC
Simplify your Workflow with the PDFelement Cloud.
You may have used older versions of Wondershare’s PDF editor for Mac and Windows called PDFelement. The new PDFelement Pro DC for Windows comes with PDFelement Cloud integration. That means you can work offline on a PDF file and then use various cloud features to store and manage the file on the cloud. Here’s what you can do:
● Upload an open file to Wondershare PDFelement Cloud - Use the Share button and select the Wondershare Cloud option as your destination. This will trigger your browser and log you into your Cloud account using your PDFelement credentials, and the file will be uploaded. Before using this feature, be sure to save any changes you might have made to the file.
● Download and open a PDF from Wondershare Cloud - Using the File → Open menu option, you can choose From Wondershare Cloud to access your files on the cloud. Select the file in your browser and it will automatically open for editing on your desktop.
● Initiate the document signing process from your desktop - You can use the Electronic Signature button in the Protect tab to take you to the Sign tab in Wondershare PDFelement Cloud, from where you can initiate one of the two available signing processes.
In addition to these cloud-based functions, you can perform the following offline actions in PDFelement Pro DC:
● Edit a PDF file
● Create a PDF from a blank page or convert from over 300+ supported file types to PDF
● Convert a PDF file to another format for editing in a native application like MS Word, an HTML editor, an eBook editor, or an image editor
● Annotate PDFs with comments, text callouts, sticky notes, shapes, highlighting, underlining, and several other markup tools
● Protect PDF documents with strong password encryption
● Organize and manage PDF files and pages with ease - split, merge, reorder, remove, add, etc.
● Reduce file size with the PDF Optimizer feature
● Perform advanced optical character recognition or OCR on scanned files to make them editable or search-friendly
● Process files in bulk with the Batch Process feature
You can do all this and much more, such as printing, sharing, reading, etc. PDFelement Pro DC for Windows brings the best of cloud and the best of PDF management right to your desktop.
Productivity in the Age of Digital Transformation
We’ll leave you with some parting thoughts about how the world has transformed over the course of 2023 and how it will continue to evolve through 2023 and beyond. With most of us now working from home, a cloud service is absolutely essential to any workflow involving documents. While Google Drive gives you the flexibility to store any file in the cloud and access it or share it with someone else on the other side of the world, a tool like Wondershare PDFelement Cloud can do the same for PDF workflows.
Since most businesses use PDF for most if not all their official documentation, it makes sense to have a cloud storage service that comes integrated with an electronic signature utility. Moreover, PDFelement Pro DC rounds out the capabilities of Wondershare PDFelement Cloud, bringing the power of the cloud to your PC. Through the digital transformation that these tools offer, there will be a tremendous boost to your personal productivity and the overall efficiency of your organization.
