To organise your files in Drive, you can create folders to make files easier to find and share with others.
Note: If you organise a lot of files or folders at once, it might take time for the changes to appear.
There is no correct way to organise your files in Drive. However, below are some general suggestions for how to keep your files in order.
- Use a naming convention: Keep file names short, simple and meaningful. You can also add a date or use hashtags or numbers.
- Colour-code folders: Use colours to label folders so that you can easily identify the type of file.
- Create folders and subfolders: Folders help you to keep track of files and find them quickly.
- Drag and drop files: You can drag and drop files into folders.
- Add descriptions: You can add descriptions to files and folders. To do this, right-click the file or folder
click File information
. Scroll to the bottom of the side panel and add your description.
- Use the star feature: Star important files and folders to access them quickly. To do this, right-click the file or folder
.
click File information 
Tips to organise your files:
- Use folders inside folders: Start with a simple structure and adjust it as required. You could have folders for each project ('Project_1', 'Project_2', 'Project_3'), then smaller folders inside for different topics or assignments.
- Use clear names: Use easy-to-understand names for your files and folders. Use dates (like 'YYYY-MM_DD_Project_notes'), project names ('Book report_The Forest') or keywords ('Maths_homework_Chapter 5') to keep track of everything.
- Colour-code your folders: Use colours to label folders. You can use the same colour for similar projects (like using green for projects related to gardening) and so on.
- Star your favourites: Put a star on files that you need to find quickly. You can find all your starred files in one place.
Remember, the goal is to make your Google Drive easy to use and navigate. A simple, organised structure helps you to find what you need quickly and efficiently.
Tip: If you organise a lot of files or folders at once, it might take time for the changes to appear.
Create, move and copy files
Create a folder
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Drive app.
- At the bottom right, tap Add
.
- Tap Folder.
- Name the folder.
- Tap Create.
.Important: To move a file, you must have permission to move the file from the source to the destination, otherwise the file won't be moved. A shortcut is created in the destination folder instead.
You can move an item from anywhere in Google Drive: the main window, the left panel or search results.
Note: If you move folders with a lot of files or subfolders, it might take some time for the changes to appear.
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Drive app.
- Next to the file that you want to copy, click More
Move.
- Choose the folder, then tap Move here.
- To create a new folder, tap new folder
.
- To create a new folder, tap new folder
Move.
.You can also move items between side-by-side screens open in the Drive app.
Important: Both instances of Drive must be logged into the same account.
- On your Android device, open two instances of the Drive app side by side.
- From your primary Drive account, long press on the file or folder that you want to move.
- Drag your selected file or folder into its new location.
To make a copy of a file, go to drive.google.com on a computer.
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Drive app.
- Next to the file that you want to copy, click More
.
- Tap Remove.
If you accidentally put an item in the bin, you can restore your item.
You can customise the colour of folders and shortcuts to folders in your My Drive and shared drives. If you change any colours, it will only apply to your version of Drive.
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Drive app.
- Next to the folder that you want to change, tap More
- Choose the colour that you want.
- Touch and hold the item.
- Drag the item into another app.
- Lift your finger to drop the item.
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Drive app.
- Select an option:
- Sort files by name and ensure that you're in the list view. This can help you to spot duplicate files with similar names.
- Use the search bar to look for specific file types or names that you suspect might have duplicates.
