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Quick Answer

Go to drive.google.com, click the + New button in the top left, and select File upload. To share a file, right-click it, select Share, and type your coworker's email address.

How to Use Google Drive: The Basics ​

Applies to: Google Drive, Google Workspace
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-07-10

Summary ​

Google Drive is the central filing cabinet for your entire company. It replaces the old "S: Drive" or "Network Share" you might have used at previous jobs. Because it is cloud-based, you can access your files from your laptop, your phone, or a web browser anywhere in the world. This guide explains how to upload files and the critical difference between "My Drive" and "Shared Drives."

Prerequisites ​

  • You must be signed into your company Google account.

Instructions ​

1. The Big Difference: My Drive vs. Shared Drives ​

When you open Google Drive (drive.google.com), look at the left sidebar. You will see two main areas:

  • My Drive: This is your personal workspace. You own the files here. If you create a draft for a presentation, put it here. Warning: If you leave the company and your account is deleted, everything in My Drive is deleted too.
  • Shared Drives: This is the company's workspace. Files here are owned by the Team, not by you. If you create the final version of the Q3 Marketing Plan, it belongs here. If you leave the company, the files remain for the rest of the team.

2. Uploading Files to Drive ​

You can store any type of file in Google Drive, including Microsoft Word docs, PDFs, and massive video files.

  1. Open drive.google.com.
  2. Navigate to the folder where you want to put the file (e.g., Shared Drives > Marketing Team).
  3. Click the large + New button in the top-left corner.
  4. Select File upload (for a single file) or Folder upload (to upload an entire folder from your computer).
  5. Select the file from your computer and click Open. A small progress bar will appear in the bottom right.

Pro Tip: You can also click and drag a file from your computer's desktop directly into the web browser window.

3. Sharing a File (The Right Way) ​

The biggest mistake new users make is sending a file as an email attachment. In Google Workspace, you should always send a link to the file instead.

  1. Right-click the file in Google Drive.
  2. Click Share.
  3. Option A (Specific People): Type a coworker's email address, select their permission level (Viewer, Commenter, Editor), and click Send. They will get an email link.
  4. Option B (Copy Link): At the bottom of the Share box, click Copy Link. You can now paste that link into a Slack message or an email.
  5. Check Access: If you paste a link into Slack, ensure the "General Access" setting (at the bottom of the Share box) is set to [Your Company Name] so your coworkers actually have permission to open it.

4. Finding Lost Files (Advanced Search) ​

If you have 10,000 files in your Drive, clicking through folders will take too long.

  1. Click the search bar at the very top of the screen.
  2. Click the Search options icon (it looks like three horizontal slider bars on the far right of the search box).
  3. This opens Advanced Search. You can search by:
    • Type: (e.g., Only show me PDFs)
    • Owner: (e.g., Only show me files created by Sarah)
    • Date Modified: (e.g., Only show me files edited in the last 7 days)

Troubleshooting ​

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
"You need permission" when clicking a linkIncorrect sharing settingsThe person who sent you the link did not grant your specific email address permission to view it. Click the "Request Access" button
Storage is completely fullVideo/Photo filesGo to drive.google.com/quota to see a list of all your files sorted by size. Delete massive files you no longer need
I deleted a file by accidentTrash binCheck the Trash folder in the left sidebar. Files stay there for 30 days before being permanently deleted