CT GAFE - Google Drive #3 - Organizing your Files

Organizing Files on Google Drive

A file storage system is only as good as how you organize it. The goal is to always be able to find the file that you need when you need it. This is a page that is designed to help you maximize and efficiently organize your Google Drive!

Always Name your Items

When working with Microsoft Office, you always had to save. The first time that you saved a file, you also had to name it. With Google Drive, you don’t have to save. This is both a blessing and a curse. Google will save your file as “Untitled Document” unless you specify a title. Microsoft Office used to do this but would always number the files. Google Drive will not. You can have multiple files named “Untitled Document.” Good luck finding the assignment that you created that you forgot to name!

Naming an assignment is very easy. Simply click in the upper left-hand corner where it says “Untitled Document” and add your title. If you just click and do not type, it will use the first text on the page as the title of your document.

Going Further With Names

If you want to take names further, develop a coding system for your files. For example, if you teach 6, 7, and 8th-grade math, you can develop a system for naming your files, such as M6-Assignment #1 or M8-Assignment #3. Standardizing your naming conventions will ensure that you can always find the file that you need.

Using the Search Feature

Google began as a search engine known for indexing the web with a new, more efficient algorithm. They do the same thing to your Drive as well (don’t worry, it is not publically searchable). Use the search bar at the top to locate the file that you are looking for.

Creating Folders

One of the easiest ways to start organizing your Google Drive is to create a folder system. If you teach multiple classes, have different folders for each class can help (I would even still use a file naming system like above to help you manually sort the items). It is a very simple process to create a folder in Google Drive and you have multiple options. First, you can click the “New” button in the upper left-hand quadrant. The other way is with a “ctrl” click, a two-finger click (on a Chromebook), or a right-mouse click and select create “New folder…”

You will then name the folder and save it. To create within the folder, simply open the folder and create a new document. Remember, Google Classroom will also create folders of your students’ work, but will not create folders of the assignments that you assign.

One Step Further with Folders

Google will allow you to add color to your folders. This will allow you to select colors for different subjects, classes, or grade levels. This is also incredibly easy to do, just “ctrl” click, two-finger click (on a Chromebook), or right-mouse click the folder, and locate the option “Change Color” and select the new color.  

One More Step Further with Folders

If you are working on a document that is not yet in the proper folder or is in the wrong folder, you can move the file to the right folder without having to exit back to your drive. Simple locate the folder icon near the name of the document and then click “Move this item” in order to see your folders and place it in the correct folder. You can use the “File” menu and select “Move to…” to achieve the same thing.

Sorting your Files

Google Drive allows you to sort your files in a number of ways. While this is not automatically placing files in specific folders, it will provide you with a way to sort by the most recently edited or by the name. This can help you locate files that you are looking for based on when you last used them.

You can also use the star feature near the name of your document. Using this star feature will sort this document as one that you commonly use. Any document that you star will be available in the “Starred” area of your Google Drive. This is helpful for documents that you are working on right now or ones that you need frequent access to.

Finally, the final easy way to find files that may have been shared with you is to look in the Shared With Me section on the left-hand side of the screen. This is extremely helpful as you can leave shared files there, or you can move them to the relevant files that you are working on. To move the files, simply ctrl click, two-finger click (on a Chromebook), or right-mouse click to bring up the menu and then select “Add to my Drive.” You can also do this within the file if you are viewing it.

Concluding Thoughts

File organization is essential to maximizing efficiency. Take steps before and during the creation to assure that are organizing files in the appropriate way. Small steps now can save huge headaches later.