G O O G L E T O O L SFEBRUARY 7-8 , 2017

Based on presentations created by GCFlearnfree.org

WHAT IS GOOGLE DRIVE?Google Drive is a free service from Google that allows you to store files online and access them

anywhere using the cloud. Google Drive also gives you access to free web-based applications forcreating documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. Watch this video from Google to

learn more about how Google Drive works.

Click on the TV set above to watch a short video on Google Drive.https://youtu.be/wKJ9KzGQq0whttps://youtu.be/wKJ9KzGQq0w

Google Drive is one of the most popular cloud storage services available today, offering 15gigabytes (15GB) of free storage space. If you've never used a cloud-based storage service like

Google Drive before, take a moment to consider the advantages of keeping your files online.Because files can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection, Drive eliminates

the need to email or save a file to a USB drive. And because Drive allows you to share files,working with others becomes much easier.

ACCESSING GOOGLE DRIVEOnce you've set up your Google account, you can access Google Drive by going to

http://drive.google.com in your web browser.

You can also navigate to Google Drive from any Google page (such as Gmail or Google search)by selecting the grid icon near the top-right corner, then clicking Drive.

THE GOOGLE DRIVE INTERFACEClick on the image below to learn more about the Google Drive interface

CREATING FILES ON GOOGLE DRIVEGoogle Drive doesn't just store your files; it also allows you to create, share, and manage

documents with its own productivity apps. If you've ever used a suite like Microsoft Office, somethings about Google Drive's apps might seem familiar. For instance, the types of files you can

work with are similar to files that can be created with various Microsoft Office programs.

Below are the types of files you can create and share on Google Drive:

Documents: For composing letters, flyers, essays, and other text-based files

(similar to Microsoft Word documents)

Spreadsheets: For storing and organizing information (similar to Microsoft Excel

workbooks)

Presentations: For creating slideshows (similar to Microsoft PowerPoint

presentations)

Forms: For collecting and organizing data

TO CREATE A NEW FILE:From Google Drive, locate and selectthe New button, then choose the typeof file you want to create. In ourexample, we'll select Google Docs tocreate a new document.

1 2Your new file will appear in a new tabon your browser. Locate and selectUntitled document in the upper-leftcorner.

TO CREATE A NEW FILE:The Rename dialog box will appear.Type a name for your file, then clickOK.

3 4Your file will be renamed. You canaccess the file at any time from yourGoogle Drive, where it will be savedautomatically. Simply double-click toopen the file again.

You may noticethat there is no Save button

for your files. This is becauseGoogle Drive uses autosave,

which automaticallyand immediately saves your

files as you edit them.

UPLOADING AND SYNCING FILES

Google Drive makes it easy to store and access your files online in the cloud, allowing you to accessthem 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.

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

1) Files you can edit, like Microsoft Office files, PDFs, and other text-based files2) 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 thatfile 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 GOOGLEDRIVE FORMATS

If you are uploading files you plan to edit online, you will need to convert them to Google Drive format. Convertingallows 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.

Conversion changes aren't always justcosmetic—you may even lose

information from the original file. Youshould always review a file that's been

converted before sharing it withothers. Remember, you always havethe option to store your files in theiroriginal file format if you'd prefer not

to edit files online.

UPLOADING FILES AND FOLDERSIt'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.

From Google Drive, locate and select theNew button, then select File upload.1 2 Locate and select the file(s) you want to

upload, then click Open.

UPLOADING FILES AND FOLDERS

The file(s) will be uploaded to yourGoogle Drive.3

TO UPLOAD A FOLDERNote: This feature is only available if you're accessing Google Drive through Google Chrome.

Click the New button, then select Folderupload.1 Locate and select the folder you want to

upload, then click OK.2

TO UPLOAD A FOLDERNote: This feature is only available if you're accessing Google Drive through Google Chrome.

The folder and the files within it will beuploaded to your Google Drive.3

CONVERTING FILES TO GOOGLEDOCS FORMAT

Locate and double-click the file you wantto edit.1

CONVERTING FILES TO GOOGLEDOCS FORMAT

A preview of the file will appear. SelectOpen at the top of the screen.2

3 The file will be converted to a Googledocument and appear in a new tab.

CONVERTING FILES TO GOOGLEDOCS FORMAT

If you go back to your Google Drive, you'llsee that there are now two copies of thefile: the original file and the new versionin Google Docs format.

4 You can set Google Drive to convert your filesautomatically when you upload them. Clickthe gear icon, select Settings, then check thebox next to Convert uploads.

ORGANIZING YOUR FILESOnce 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 folderson your computer.

TO CREATE A FOLDER:From Google Drive, click the Newbutton, then select Folder fromthe drop-down menu.1 2

A dialog box will appear. Enter aname for your folder, then clickCreate.

ORGANIZING YOUR FILESTO CREATE A FOLDER:

Your folder will appear on the leftbelow My Drive. You may need toclick the drop-down arrow to seeyour folders.

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ORGANIZING YOUR FILESTO MOVE FILES INTO FOLDERS:

Click and drag the file to thedesired folder.1 The file will appear in the selected

folder.2

ORGANIZING YOUR FILESTO DELETE A FILE:

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

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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.

ORGANIZING YOUR FILESTO PREVIEW A FILE:

Select the file you want to preview, thenclick the Preview button.1

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

ORGANIZING YOUR FILESRIGHT-CLICKING

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

great shortcut.

CHALLENGE!

Open up your Google Drive.

Create a folder titled "Practice Documents."

Create a new document titled "Sample Doc."

Move the document to the "Practice Documents" folder.

Open the folder and preview the document.

Delete the document.

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SHARING AND COLLABORATINGON FILES

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

features.

Click on the TV set above to watch a short video on Google Drive. Youmay also copy and paste the following URL into your Internet browser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7TrFgIfcA8

TO SHARE A FILE:Locate and select the file you want to share, then click the Share button.

If you already have the document open, the share button appears in the top right-hand corner.

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TO SHARE A FILE:A dialog box will appear. In the People box,type the email addresses of the people you'dlike to share the file with. If you want, you canadd a message that will be emailed to thepeople you share the file with.

Click Send. Your file will be shared.

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For more control over your files, youcan click the drop-down arrow todecide whether people can edit,comment on, or simply view the file.

FILES SHARED WITH YOUPeople 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 withoutswitching 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.

You may also select the desired file, then click this button near the top of the page:

DOWNLOADING AND PRINTING 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.1

2 The file will be downloaded to your computer.

DOWNLOADING AND PRINTING TO CHOOSE A FILE FORMAT:

By default, Google Drive will choose the most common file format whenever you download afile. For example, if you download a Google Doc, it will automatically be saved as a .docx file,which is used by Microsoft Word. However, there may be times when you want to choose a

different format, such as PDF.

1 Double-click the desired file to open it.

DOWNLOADING AND PRINTING TO CHOOSE A FILE FORMAT:

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3The file will be downloaded to yourcomputer in the desired file type.

The file will appear in a new tab.Select File, then Download as, thenchoose the desired file type. In thisexample, we'll choose PDFDocument (.pdf).

To print, clickprint within thissame menu.

CHALLENGE! (PT 1) Create a new document.

Change the title of the document to your first name.

Share the document with me! staples@noblenet.org

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CHALLENGE! (PT 2) Upload a file to your Drive. (Click "New" and then "File Upload")

I've saved this presentation to each of your laptops. You can find it under "Desktop."

It's titled "Google Tools."

You should now see this in your Drive. Move the presentation to our

Practice Documents folder.

THERE'S SO MUCH MORE YOU CAN LEARN!I HIGHLY recommend taking a look at GCFlearnfree.org.

They have tutorials for Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Maps, BasicGmail, and other tips & tricks to make your day-to-day much easier.

Please don't hesitate to call or email us at the library!sal@noblenet.org or (978) 744-0860

For an email including this presentation, please feel free to fill out our survey.