Google Drive

 

What is Google Drive?

Google Drive is an online storage space that includes a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor help create, store, edit and share documents.

 

Merits

Limitations

Google Drive allows you to create documents, as well as upload documents for editing and storage online. Your files remain online and remain accessible each time you login to your Google (IWU) account. Google Drive includes an interface to share documents for collaborative work with others.  Detailed version history tracks changes automatically and allows you to restore a document to any previous version.

There is a 1GB quota for files that are not in the Google format. (When uploading files, you may choose to convert documents to the corresponding Google format so it does not count toward the quota.) Due to this file size limit Google Drive is not recommended for photo or music back up. An Internet connection is required for Google Drive. Google Docs frequently saves changes. If your Internet connection fails, there is risk of losing information since the last automatic save.

 

How do you create documents?

Click the "create" button on the home screen and select the type of document you wish to create. 

To change the name of the document you will need to click on default "Untitled Document", and change it.

 

 

How do you upload files?

Click on the upload icon next to the “create” button. Select either a File or a Folder to upload.

A file browser will open. Navigate to the files (or folder) to upload.

You may choose to convert files to a Google Drive format that will allow you to edit them. If you do not convert the files, they will count towards your 1 G storage quota.

How do you edit files?

Google Drive formatted files can be edited directly in Google Drive. Click to select a document. A new tab will open. Edit.

 

How do you save files?

Google Drive automatically saves documents for you. You can use a keyboard shortcut by pressing Ctrl + S (Windows) or Cmd + S (Mac) to manually save changes.

 

How do you share?

Collaboration is a key component of Google Docs. To share a document, click on the “share” button at the top right corner, or right click on a document and select Share... > Share...

This will load the Sharing settings for this document (or folder). Type in the e-mail address of those with whom you wish to share. Choose the level of interaction by clicking the drop down and make the appropriate selection (Can Edit is the default).

There are also global sharing settings that control how your page can be accessed. By default, each document is private, which restricts access to the users you have chosen. You can change this and make your document more public by clicking "Change..."

What are the requirements?

Google Drive is available to those with IWU email accounts (and to those with Gmail accounts). An Internet connection is required. Google Drive is compatible with the following browsers: Internet Explorer 6 or greater, Safari 3.1 or higher, Firefox Version 1.7 or higher (but no 3), and Google Chrome. Cookies and JavaScript should be enabled. If you are experiencing difficulties please refer to Google's help page for more information.

 

What can go wrong?

There is a 1GB quota for Google Drive users. You can check your quota by clicking on the upload button. It will display the amount of space you are using.

An Internet connection is required for using Google Docs. Google Docs constantly saves your work however if the Internet connection fails you do risk losing information additions or changes since the last automatic save.

 

Google Docs is only compatible with the following formats:

Comma Separated Value files (.csv)

Hypertext markup language (HTML) files

Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel files (.doc, .ppt or .pps, and .xls, respectively)

OpenDocument Text and Spreadsheet formats (.odt and .ods, respectively)

Rich text format (.rtf)

StarOffice documents (.sxw)

Text files (.txt)