While Google Drive is your go-to storage tool, you don’t spend much time decluttering and organizing it. The result? Messed up docs, lost files, and 80% of your time spent on file search.
If the scenario reads familiar, it’s time to organize your Google Drive so you can find what you need on time.
This blog will provide you with the best ways to organize Google Drive. Make a note and start organizing your files today!
Why does Google Drive Require Organization in the First Place?
Several Reddit threads suggest that most users do not put much effort into organizing their Google Drive. They dump their files—from legal documents to media assets—making it difficult to retrieve specific files when required.
Organizing Google Drive is a slow task. It requires effort to categorize the files and add them to appropriate folders. However, you must do it anyway because of the following reasons:
- Improve productivity: An organized drive makes it easy to access files, boosting your overall efficiency
- Find things easily: Using and navigating an organized Google Drive is easy. Structuring it helps find things faster
- Easy file sharing: A structured Google Drive simplifies file sharing and real-time collaboration
But what is the best way to organize Google? Let’s discuss a few Google Drive organizing tips in the next section.
10 Ways To Organize Your Google Drive
Luckily, there are Google Drive best practices to ensure you don’t lose files in the drive. Here are the top ten:
1. Create folders and subfolders
A well-planned structure with folders and subfolders is the key to organizing your Google Drive. For instance, create master folders like ‘Social Media Marketing’ and categorize posts based on social channels using subfolders— ‘Facebook’, ‘LinkedIn’, ‘Instagram’, and ‘X’.
This way, you know where to find the campaigns or posts you need. This will make accessing files easier and help you get the most out of Google Drive.
2. Add descriptions
A lesser-known Google Drive organization tip is to use the description option. This feature allows you to add details about your files and folders so that you can easily find them within the drive.
Select a specific file or folder and click the ‘i’ information button on the top right-hand to add descriptions. Using keywords in this section will help you locate files faster.
3. Use the shortcut feature
Google Drive’s shortcut feature is perfect for cutting down the time spent searching for files. Instead of checking all folders, create a shortcut to get to your file faster. For instance, if you access a specific folder daily, create a shortcut to the folder at the top for easy access.
To create a shortcut, click on the file or folder and then click the three dots on the side. Then, choose Organize > Add shortcut from the drop-down menu.
4. Color-code your folders
One of the most underrated Google Drive organization tips is to color code folders to save precious seconds. With this feature, you can add unique colors to each folder to recognize them quickly. For instance, use gray for legal documents, blue for marketing, green for drafts, and more. To apply color code, click on the folder and choose organize > folder color from the menu.
5. Leverage the Star for priority files
Ever been in a situation where you couldn’t find the most important files on time? That’s why starring the critical files is essential.
Google Drive’s star feature lets you gather your important or priority files in one place so you can easily locate them when needed.
Use the same process to star your files and folders—click on the three dots > Organize > Add to starred.
You can find these files under the Starred option on the left bar.
6. Use standard names and optimize them
The good old habit of using consistent file names is valid in organizing Google Drive. This practice will structure your drive better and make it easier to navigate. Here’s how you can implement a standard naming practice:
- Use shorter names
- Number the files to put them in order
- Insert keywords and dates for easy searching
Here’s an example of consistent file naming for your ad campaigns:
- Campaign Launch 15.09.24
- Campaign Leads 1.10.24
- Campaign Conversions 5.10.24
7. Leverage the ‘Priority’ feature
Google Workspace users can leverage the super-useful Priority feature to organize the most critical or priority files. The priority feature will help you create a custom home page for your drive to view your recently edited or commented files. You can also find files for your upcoming meetings in the priority section.
To use this feature, follow these steps:
- Access Priority from the left side panel
- Under Workspaces, click on Create Workspace
- Enter a name and click create
- Then, choose the files you want to add to the workspace
8. Take help from the Activity bar
An often-missed Google Drive feature is the activity sidebar, which shows your recent work related to a specific folder. For example, if you worked on a social media post and now want to make some edits, you can click on the Social Media folder and open the Activity pane to access the recent activities associated with the specific folder.
To use this Google Drive search-within-folder feature, click on the ‘view information’ option in the right top corner. Switch from Details to Activity.
9. Make use of the Recent option
The ‘Recent’ option in the sidebar resembles the Activity feature. However, it gives you quick access to your recent files (not associated with specific folders). You can use this feature to find the files you recently worked on.
Suppose you receive a few blog posts and ad copies for a campaign. You proofread them today and keep your editing task for tomorrow. Using the recent option, you can access these files quickly regardless of which folder they belong.
10. Try Advanced Search
While Google Drive’s search function is good enough to find files, try its ‘Advanced Search’ feature to run a deeper search into your folders and subfolders. Here’s an example:
Let’s say you’re looking for an employee details spreadsheet created in 2022. With the basic search function, you can type the file name and look through every search result to find your file. But with advanced search, you can quickly fine-tune your process and locate the exact file. It lets you choose the file type, owner, creation date, approval status, etc.
This feature appears as a slider icon on the right side of the Google Drive search bar.
Why is Integrating Findr with Google Drive a Better Idea?
Sure, Google Drive has a basic plus advanced search tool to help you find your files. But, an enterprise search system like Findr is more effective for locating your files within split seconds. Why? Because Findr is specifically designed to search and retrieve files and any information you need from your Google Drive folders.
Findr’s workplace search has advanced capabilities that understand search context (not just keywords) and user needs and offer personalized recommendations. Let’s say you’re looking for an ‘annual campaign budget report.’ Using Findr’s universal search and AI assistant, you can retrieve the report in seconds and receive suggestions based on your search history.
The best part is that to use Findr’s lightning-fast search, you simply need to follow a few steps to integrate Findr with your Google Drive:
- Log into your Findr account with the credentials
- Go to Findr’s ‘Integrations Library’
- Select Google Drive
- Click on ‘Connect’
- Fill in your email and other details to link a specific page or workspace
Want to find out more about Findr’s search features?
