What Is Google Drive and How Do I Use It?

Chris Holmes Staff Writer

Updated 13 December 2023

In this Guide

What is Google Drive?
How Much Space Does Google Drive Give You?
How Do I Use Google Drive?
Issues with Google Drive
What Are Some Google Drive Alternatives?

Article Summary

Google Drive is a cloud storage service available to anyone with a Google account
Google Drive gives users 15GB for free; you can more than this by paying a monthly fee
Google Drive is not without its complications for those with multiple Google accounts
There are a number of great file sharing alternatives if you decide Drive is not for you

Google Drive is one of the most popular file sharing platforms out there, if for no other reason than the fact that everyone with a Google account (i.e. Gmail, Google photos, etc.) has access to it. We've written a quick rundown of Google Drive below: what it is, how to use it, how much space you get, and other worthy cloud-based alternatives.

What Is Google Drive?

Google Drive is a cloud-based storage service that anyone with a Google account is entitled to. With it, you can share documents, pictures, videos or anything else across multiple devices, via a virtual cloud managed by Google. The "cloud" is simply an online server that you can upload this stuff to without taking up space on your hard drive. So yes, Google Drive is the same thing as "the cloud" (or, a cloud), that mysterious place that has puzzled users for years.

With Google Drive, you get a dedicated folder, and uploading files to it is known as "syncing." You can control who has access to the folder, or the files within it.

How Much Space Does Google Drive Give You?

Google gives you 15GB of free data on Google Drive, though it's important to note that this space is shared with Google Photos and Gmail. That's plenty of space for the average user, but those who demand more storage can pay to get extra with the Google One storage option.

Monthly:
- 100GB - $1.99/month
- 200GB - $2.99/month
- 2TB - $9.99/month
Annual:
- 100GB - $19.99/year
- 200GB - $29.99/year
- 2TB - $99.99/year

Google One includes additional perks with these plans like Google Play credits, special hotel pricing, Google Photos features, and on-demand experts.

How Do I Use Google Drive?

To access Google Drive from your computer, you'll need to be connected to the internet. Simply type in "drive.google.com" and you'll be greeted by a dashboard that looks like this:

From here, you can see what's in your drive already by clicking on "My Drive." By clicking on "New" you can upload files or folders, or create a new Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide (Google's versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, respectively).

On the left-hand side, you can see how much storage you've used; referencing the above screenshot, you can see I've used 2 of 30 available GBs in my drive. Clicking on "upgrade storage" below this will take you to the paid options.

Sharing and Tagging

There are a couple of ways to share a document or file within Google Drive. The first is by clicking on the "+" icon from your main Drive dashboard after highlighting the file you want to share. From here you can type in the name or email address of the person you want to share it with, and add an optional note. The other way is by clicking into the actual document and using the share button. You can also generate a shareable link if you prefer.

Issues with Google Drive

One of the things that can get confusing with Google Drive is figuring out which drive a particular file is located in. If you have multiple Gmail accounts—and by extension, multiple Google accounts—it can be frustrating trying to get logged into the proper account and tracking it down. This is an issue you're less likely to encounter with services like Dropbox or Sync.com, where you presumably have just one account.

What Are Some Google Drive Alternatives?

Google Drive is one of the most ubiquitous file-sharing services in the world, simply by virtue of the number of Google users there are out there. If you find it a bit complicated and clumsy to use, however, there are several others to consider.

Dropbox.com

Dropbox was the first cloud sharing service to market (2007) and is still one of the most popular. Dropbox gives you 5GB for free, while $11.99/month will get you 2TB of storage, and $22/month will get you 3TB of storage. Pay annually and get a slight discount on each plan.

Sync.com

Sync.com is one of the better-known cloud-sharing services, with plans that start at $8/month for 2TB and go up to $20/month for 6TB (both cheaper than Dropbox). The free version of sync gives you 5GB of storage, compared to 2GB on Dropbox Basic.

Microsoft OneDrive

Microsoft's OneDrive was launched in 2007, the same year Dropbox went live. Now part of Microsoft's 365 suite, you can get 5GB of storage with OneDrive's free version, 100GB for $1.99/month or $19.99/year, 1TB for $6.99/month or $69.99/year, or 6TB for $9.99/month or $99.99/year.

pCloud

pCloud has emerged as an easy-to-use and well-secured file storage solution. Allowing users to store high-definition videos, set up end-to-end encrypted folders, and share links befitted with passwords and expiry dates, the service has its share of fans. A free pCloud account gives you 10GB of storage, while 500GB is $4.99/month, and 2TB is $9.99. You can also annual and purchase lifetime memberships for these paid tiers.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cloud-based file sharing services; there are plenty of others to choose from, like MediaFire, Box, SpiderOak, Tresorit and Amazon Drive, to name just a few.

Chris Holmes

Staff Writer

Chris Holmes is a Contributing Writer for WhistleOut, where he covers the cell phone and internet industries. His work has been cited in publications like The Verge, The New York Times, and WIRED.

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