Open, save, or delete files and downloads on Pixel Slate

You can open and save many types of files on your Pixel Slate, like documents, PDFs, images, and media. Learn which types of files are supported on your Pixel Slate.

Your Pixel Slate's hard drive has limited space, so it will sometimes delete downloaded files to free up space. Learn how to store your downloads.

Pixel Slate | How to Find and Manage Your Files

Find and open a file

In laptop mode: In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher Up arrow .
In tablet mode: Go to your home screen. To get there, tap the Launcher in the corner of your screen.
Open Files .
On the left, choose the place where your file is saved.
Find your file and select to open.

If you're opening a file on an external storage device, remove the device safely when you're done by selecting Eject . For more information on storage devices, see Related articles.

Save a file

To save the page, image, or document you're viewing:

On a keyboard, press Ctrl + s.
On a touchscreen, save an image by long-pressing on the image and choosing Save image as.
At the bottom, enter a name for your file.
Optional: To the left of the file name, change the file type.
In the left column, choose where you'd like to save your file, such as Google Drive My Drive.
Select Save.

Note: If you are using your device at school or work, you can also save files in your Team Drive folder under Google Drive.

Rename a file

You can rename files, folders, or external devices.

In laptop mode: In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher Up arrow .
In tablet mode: Go to your home screen. To get there, tap the Launcher in the corner of your screen.
Open Files .
Select the name of the file or folder.
On a keyboard, press Ctrl + Enter.
On a touchscreen, tap and hold the file to select it. In the top right corner of the window, select More Rename.
Type in a new name, then press Enter.

Move files to another cloud file system

You device works with cloud file systems, like Google Drive, Box, or SMB. To connect to a system that isn't Google Drive:

In laptop mode: In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher Up arrow .
In tablet mode: Go to your home screen. To get there, tap the Launcher in the corner of your screen.
Open Files .
In the top right, select More
Select Install new service.
Follow the steps on the screen.
After installing, move files into your new cloud file system by selecting and dragging them.

Delete a file

In laptop mode: In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher Up arrow .
In tablet mode: Go to your home screen. To get there, tap the Launcher in the corner of your screen.
Open Files .
Select the file or folder you want to delete. Note: You can delete files in the Downloads folder, but deleting a file from your Downloads folder is permanent.
Select Delete Delete.

Note: Files in the Recent, Images, Videos, and Audio folders are viewable only and can't be deleted directly in those folders.

Find a file from an Android app

In the top left of your Files , you will have quick access to your Recent, Images, Videos, and Audio files. If your file is not available in one of these folders, it may be in your Play files folder:

In laptop mode: In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher Up arrow .
In tablet mode: Go to your home screen. To get there, tap the Launcher in the corner of your screen.
Open Files .
On the left, select My files Play files
To see additional file folders, in the top right, select More Show all Play folders.
Choose the folder with your file.

Zip a file

To bundle files or folders together into a single file, you can zip them.

In laptop mode: In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher Up arrow .
In tablet mode: Go to your home screen. To get there, tap the Launcher in the corner of your screen.
Open Files
On the left, select the folder or files you want to zip.
To select all the files you'd like to zip:
On a keyboard, press Ctrl and select each file one at a time.
On a touchscreen, tap the 3-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the window Select all.
To zip the files you selected:
On a keyboard, right-click your selected files or folder, then select Zip selection.
On a touchscreen, go to the top corner of the window and select More Zip selection.

Unzip a file

You can view each of the individual files in your zip file.

In laptop mode: In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher Up arrow .
In tablet mode: Go to your home screen. To get there, tap the Launcher in the corner of your screen.
Open Files .
Select the zipped file. On the left, you'll see the zip file.
To open an individual file on a keyboard, double-click it.
To open an individual file on a touchscreen, tap it.
Optional: To remove the zip file from the list of folders on the left, select Eject .

Fix problems opening files

Choose the error message you see:

"Unknown file type"

Check if your device supports this file type. Learn which file types are supported.
Try saving the file to Google Drive, then opening it in your browser.

For more information on storage devices, see Related articles.

"Google Drive can't be reached at this time"

Make sure your device is connected to the internet. For more information on connecting to Wi-Fi, see Related articles.

"Sorry, your external storage device is not supported at this time"

Your device might not work with the storage device you're trying to use.
Make sure your device is using the newest software.

For more information on supported storage devices and updating your operating system, see Related articles.

You can also use Google Drive to view the files on your storage device:

Plug your storage device into another computer.
Open Google Drive. If you haven't signed in, make sure to sign in using the same Google Account you have on your device.
Upload the files from the storage device. Learn how to upload files to Google Drive.
Open your device and sign in.
In laptop mode: In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher Up arrow .
In tablet mode: Go to your home screen. To get there, tap the Launcher in the corner of your screen.
Open Google Drive.

"Sorry, your device was not recognized" or "Sorry, at least one partition on your device could not be mounted"

You'll need to reformat your external storage device:

Back up your files somewhere else before erasing. The following steps will erase all files on the storage device.
In laptop mode: In the corner of your screen, select the Launcher Up arrow .
In tablet mode: Go to your home screen. To get there, tap the Launcher in the corner of your screen.
Open Files .
On a keyboard, right-click the storage device shown on the left side.
On a touchscreen, tap and hold the storage device shown on the left side.
Select Format device.

Let your apps access external drives

You can allow apps from Google Play to read and write files on external storage devices. Files and folders created on the device are visible to anyone who uses the external drive.

At the bottom right, select the time.
Select Settings .
Select Storage management External storage preference.
Turn storage device on or off to allow access.

Do more with your files

For more information on editing photos and playing music, see Related articles.

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