Google Drive is a virtual file sharing service offered by Google. This service allows its users to upload, share and access files from anywhere, be it computers (PCs and Mac computers) or mobile devices. You can use the Google Drive website, the folders synced with your Google Drive account on your PC or Mac, or the mobile apps for Android devices and iPhones to upload files to your Google Drive storage space.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Uploading Files Via Google Drive Website
Step 1. Go to the Google Drive website
Go to drive.google.com and sign in with your Google account. After that, you'll be taken to a page that contains the files in Drive.
Step 2. Click the “NEW” button
It's in the top-left corner of the screen.
Step 3. Select "File Upload" or "Folder Upload"
With this button, you can upload a single file or an entire folder to Google Drive.
Step 4. Select the file or folder you want to upload
You can upload any file (virtually of course) to Google Drive with a size (maximum) of 5 TB. The number of files that can be uploaded will depend on the available storage space in your Google Drive account. All accounts come with 15 GB of free storage space.
Step 5. Wait for the file or folder to finish uploading
You can look at the progress bar in the lower right corner of the screen to see how far the upload process has progressed. The upload time will depend on the size and number of files uploaded, as well as the speed of your internet connection.
Upload speeds are almost always lower than download speeds
Step 6. Manage your files
Once the file is uploaded, it will be displayed on the " My Drive " page. However, the files will be displayed eventfully in this folder, and any uploaded folders will be displayed with their original structure. You can drag and drop files on the “My Drive” page, just as if they were still in your computer's folders.
Method 2 of 3: Creating a Synced Folder with Google Drive on Computer
Step 1. Go to the Google Drive website
Go to drive.google.com on the computer you want to add the synced folder to. After that, sign in using your Google account.
Step 2. Click the "Get Drive for PC/Mac" option in the lower left corner of the screen
After that, a new page will load and you can download the Google Drive sync folder installation file.
Step 3. Click "Download for PC/Mac"
After that, the appropriate installation files for your computer's operating system will be downloaded.
Step 4. Click "Accept and Install"
The file download process only takes a few moments.
Step 5. Run the downloaded installation file
You can view the installation file at the bottom of your browser window, or find it in your computer's built-in downloads folder (“Downloads”). After that, the advanced download and installation process will begin.
Step 6. Sign in using a Google account
During the installation process, you will be asked to sign in to your Google account. Make sure you're signed in using a Google account with access to the appropriate Google Drive.
Step 7. Wait for the files to sync
Google Drive will create a special folder on your computer. Later, the files on Google Drive will be synced to that folder. The file synchronization process may take a while, especially if you have a lot of files. In addition, the Google Drive icon displayed in the system tray will move during the synchronization process.
You can click the Google Drive icon to see the progress of the sync process in progress
Step 8. Open the Google Drive folder on the computer
You can see the Google Drive folder in the left pane of Windows Explorer or Finder. Apart from that, you can also see the shortcuts on the desktop. The folder itself is usually in the “Users” folder.
When the folder is opened, you can see all the content in your Google Drive account. Files and folders that are already synced with your Google Drive account will be marked with a green check mark. If content is removed from a folder, the same content will also be removed from the Google Drive storage space
Step 9. Drag files and folders to the Google Drive folder to upload them
You can move files to the Google Drive folder, just as you would any other file or folder on your computer. The file will sync with the Google Drive storage space once added to the folder.
You can observe the progress of the process by clicking on the Google Drive icon in the System Tray
Method 3 of 3: Uploading Files Using Google Drive App
Step 1. Download Google Drive app and sign in using Google account
You can download the app from your device's app store. Once downloaded, you will be asked to sign in to your Google account when the app is run for the first time. You may be automatically signed in if you use other Google apps on your device.
Step 2. Connect the device to a wireless network if you want to upload a larger file
If you need to upload a larger file size, or want to upload a lot of files, you may need to connect your device to a wireless network so that you don't use up too much of the quota from your monthly data plan. Usually, uploads over wireless networks are also faster than cellular services.
Step 3. Touch the "+" button in the lower right corner of the screen
After that, a new menu will be displayed.
Step 4. Touch "Upload"
You can choose what you want to upload to Google Drive. Available upload options may differ between Android and iOS devices.
Step 5. Find the file you want to upload
The process may vary slightly depending on the operating system of the device you are using (eg Android or iOS). This difference is also due to the fact that iOS doesn't give access to system files (unlike Android which does) so you are more restricted in selecting files.
- Android – Navigate to the “Upload” menu to find the file you want to add to Google Drive. This menu on the left side of the screen allows you to select a different location or directory on your phone, such as a photo, video, and download directory. You can also use the “File Manager” option at the bottom of the screen to browse through all the files and folders on the device.
- iOS - Select " Photos and Videos " or " iCloud Drive " to view existing content. Touch the "More" option to see other apps that can connect to Google Drive. If you select " Photos and Videos ", you will be asked to allow Google Drive to access photos and videos on the device. After that, you can select any photo or video stored in the “camera roll” folder.
Step 6. Select multiple files
You can press and hold a file, then touch other files to select them all at once. With this step, you can upload multiple files in one command.
You can touch a file to directly upload
Step 7. Touch the " Upload " or " Open " button after you finish selecting files
The selected files will be uploaded to Google Drive. You can monitor the upload process through the Drive app.
