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How to Add a New Folder in Google Drive

Whether stored locally or in the cloud, keeping files organized is an essential part of being productive. This guide will show you how to keep your Google Drive files in top form.

Google drive vs dropbox

Image: Getty Images

With working from home being the new normal, at least for the time being, knowing how to collaborate while out of the office is essential. Platforms like G Suite, Google's cloud-based office platform, make working with fellow social isolationists easy: Just upload and share essential files.

That doesn't mean you can just dump all of your work into a single Google Drive folder; doing so is an invitation to mistakes, lost files, and confusion.

If you're going to be productive while using Google Drive to store work documents, it's also important to organize by using these tips.

SEE: Top cloud providers in 2020: AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, hybrid, SaaS players (TechRepublic Premium)

How to create a new Google Drive folder

There's only a couple of clicks necessary to make a new folder in Google Drive. With Google Drive open in your web browser, look at the upper-left side of the screen for the button labeled New (Figure A).

Figure A

gdrive-create-folder-fig-a.jpg

The New button is located in the upper-left corner.

When you click New, the first option you'll see is Folder (Figure B).

Figure B

gdrive-create-folder-fig-b.jpg

Clicking the New button gives you a drop-down menu of options.

Click Folder, and a dialog window will open which prompts you to name the folder (Figure C).

Figure C

gdrive-create-folder-fig-c.jpg

Enter a name for your new folder in the New Folder dialog window.

Once the folder is created, it will appear In Google Drive in whichever directory you were in when you created it (Figure D).

Figure D

gdrive-create-folder-fig-d.jpg

The new folder now appears in the your Google Drive.

How to move files from one Google Drive folder to another

The simplest way to move files to another Google Drive folder is to drag and drop them, as in Figure E. It isn't always that simple, though: Dragging and dropping from one Google Drive folder to another is only possible if the file and target folder are both on screen at the same time (i.e., it's possible to move a file to a subfolder within its current directory, but not to another directory entirely).

Figure E

gdrive-create-folder-fig-e.jpg

Dragging and dropping a file is one option to move it to another folder.

To move a file to a location where it can't be drag-and-dropped, right-click the file, and select the Move To option (Figure F).

Figure F

gdrive-create-folder-fig-f.jpg

Right-click a file to get the Move To option.

A window will appear where you can browse to the location you want to move the folder. You can also create a new folder at the location to which you've browsed by clicking the folder icon with a plus (+) on it at the bottom of the drop-down menu, as displayed in Figure G.

Figure G

gdrive-create-folder-fig-g.jpg

Click the folder icon with a plus (+) on it to create a new folder in which to place your file.

Once you've found the right location, click Move Here, and the file will be relocated. This can be done with entire folders and multiple files/folders at the same time by selecting more than one item before the initial right-click to find the Move To option.

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Also see

  • Multicloud: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
  • Hybrid cloud: A guide for IT pros (TechRepublic download)
  • Serverless computing: A guide for IT leaders (TechRepublic Premium)
  • Top cloud providers in 2020: AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, hybrid, SaaS players (ZDNet)
  • Best cloud services for small businesses (CNET)
  • Microsoft Office vs Google Docs Suite vs LibreOffice (Download.com)
  • Cloud computing: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard

How to Add a New Folder in Google Drive

Source: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-create-folders-and-move-files-in-google-drive/