Tips to Organize Your Google Drive

Tips to Organizing your Google Drive

​Google Drive - is a cloud-based file storage system. Like any other storage system, it can easily become messy and disorganized, making it difficult to find the items you are looking for.
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1. Start with Decluttering: Trash or Treasure?
Removing old files is the best place to start. Don't waste time organizing things you will not use again or have multiple copies of.

• Going through your Drive storage first will give you a really good sense of what you have created and collected and what NEEDS to be organized.
• Make sure to go through "My Drive" and "Shared with me".
• It helps to have a pen and paper in hand to take notes of the types of folders you think you need.

To Delete Items

• Right-click (or control-click) on the item
• Select Remove

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2. Create Primary Folders & Subfolders
One of the best ways to organize documents is to create folders to group similar types of files together.

Create Primary Folders

• Start with big categories (similar to a file cabinet drawer).
• For example, create folders for courses, committees, or project you are working on.
• More folders does not equal better organization.
• Place all items related to that category into that folder.

Create a Subfolders

• Create subfolders within each primary folder (similar to files within the drawer).
• For example, create a folder for each committee you serve on. Nestle all of those committee folders into the primary Committee folder.

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3. Label Consistently

• Keep file names short and meaningful.
• Consistency is key.
• Think about how you will search for this item in the future.
• Avoid special characters.
• Document your file naming convention.
• Do what works for YOU!

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Organizing your Drive Visually:
It's All in the Right-Click (or Control-Click) Menu
There are so many features to support folder and file organization in Google Drive. Check out some of these
options by right-clicking (or control-clicking) on a folder to
get the pop-up menu to the right.

By default, Google Drive organizes folders in the following order:

• special characters
• images
• numerical order
• alphabetical order

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4. Color-Code Folders
Many of us are highly visual. Adding color to folders adds visual appeal and can help you quickly sort and identify the files you need faster. By default, folders are grey.

To Change the Color

• Right-click (or control-click) on the folder
• Go to the pallet & Change color
• Select from the 24 colors options

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5. Number Folders
Folders are organized alphabetically, meaning some of your most-used folders may end up at the bottom of the pile. Because numbers are recognized before letters, numbering folders is a great way to keep the most important ones at the top, regardless of the name.

To Add a Number

• Right-click (or control-click) on the folder
• Go to the pencil & Rename
• Add a # before the title

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6. Add an Icon or Emoji
To enhance the visual appeal even more and take your organization to the next level, add an Icon or Emoji to your Label.

Search to find the perfect emoji for your folder or other projects at one of these open source sites:

• Openmoji
• Emojipedia
• Pixabay (search "emoticons")

To Add an Icon or Emoji

• Find your favorite Icon or Emoji and copy it to your clipboard.
• Right-click (or control-click) on the folder
• Go to the pencil & Rename
• Paste the emoji where you want it in the title

Note - Google automatically adds the little person icon onto shared folders.

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7. Star Folders
No time to find an Emoji or Icon, yet you want to highlight an important folder? Try adding a star. Add a star to files you use most often, it is somewhat like bookmarking them. When searching, you can search specifically for starred items.

To Add a Star

• Right-click (or control-click) on the folder
• Go to the star & Add to Starred

Organization Takes Time, but it Enhances Productivity
As you create or save new files, move them immediately into the appropriate folder, or create a new folder if needed. Do what works best for you and your content, no one organizes content exactly the same and your organizational needs may change over time. Please don't hesitate to reach out to the CTLA if you would like more suggestions! Happy Organizing!!!

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Share Your Ideas
If you have other creative ways to organize Google Drive, please let us know at: [email protected]. For upcoming Tech Tuesdays, we will be calling on faculty to share experiences and examples. If you have an idea to share, please contact us at [email protected] and
[email protected] and we will follow up.

​Your Faculty Liaisons, Jen & Vanessa