Google Drive facts for kids
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Logo used since October 26, 2020
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Type of site
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File hosting service |
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| Registration | Required |
| Users | 1 billion (July 2018) |
| Launched | April 24, 2012 |
Google Drive is a helpful online service from Google. It lets you store your files, like documents, photos, and videos, on the internet. This is called "cloud storage". Google Drive also helps you keep your files the same across all your devices, like your computer, phone, and tablet. You can also easily share files with friends or classmates.
Google Drive started on April 24, 2012. You can use it through a website on any computer. There are also apps for Windows and macOS computers, and for Android and iOS phones and tablets. These apps even let you work on files when you're not online!
Google Drive includes tools like Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. These are part of the Google Docs Editors family. They let you create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can even work on them with others at the same time! All the files you make with these tools are saved right in Google Drive.
Everyone gets 15 GB of free storage on Google Drive. This storage is shared with Gmail and Google Photos. If you need more space, you can buy extra storage through a service called Google One. You can get plans for 100 GB or 2 TB. Files you upload can be as big as 750 GB. You can choose who sees your files and folders. You can share them with specific people or make them public. On the Google Drive website, you can search for images by describing what's in them. You can also use normal language to find files, like "find my budget spreadsheet from last December."
Google Drive is a big part of Google Workspace. This is a special version of Google's services for businesses and schools. It used to be called G Suite. Google Workspace plans can offer unlimited storage and special tools for teams.
After Google Drive launched, some people talked about its privacy policy. Google has one set of rules for all its services. These rules say that Google can use your content to make its services better, like showing you personalized ads. However, the rules also confirm that your files still belong to you. Other people pointed out that Google needs these rights to make the service work. For example, it needs to move files around or create small preview images.
By July 2018, Google Drive had over one billion people using it regularly. In May 2017, there were more than two trillion files stored on the service!
Contents
Google Drive Apps and Devices
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Google Drive's Android app
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| Written in | Python (back-end), Objective-C (Mac Client), wxPython (Windows Client) | ||||
| Operating system | ChromeOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS | ||||
| License | Freeware | ||||
Google Drive first came out on April 24, 2012. It had apps for Windows and macOS computers, and for Android phones. There was also a website you could use. The app for iOS devices (iPhones and iPads) came out a bit later, in June 2012.
Computer Apps for Google Drive
You can use Google Drive on PCs running Windows 7 or newer. For Macs, you need OS X Catalina or newer. In 2017, Google released a new app called "Backup and Sync." This app combined the old Google Drive and Google Photos desktop apps into one. It lets you back up specific folders from your computer to Google Drive.
In July 2021, Google released an even newer app for Windows and Mac. This app is meant to replace "Backup and Sync" and "Drive File Stream."
Backup and Sync Explained
"Backup and Sync" was a special program you could download. It let you choose certain folders on your computer to always stay in sync with your Google Drive. This means if you change a file on your computer, it also changes in your Drive. The files you sync count towards your total storage space.
Mobile Apps for Google Drive
Google Drive is available for Android smartphones and tablets. Your Android device needs to be running Android 6.0 "Marshmallow" or newer. For iPhones and iPads, you need iOS 15 or newer.
In 2016, Google Drive stopped supporting very old Android versions. This is because Google usually updates its apps for the current and two previous Android versions. Even if your device is older, the app might still work, but it won't get new updates.
In May 2020, Google added a "Privacy Screen" feature to its iOS and iPadOS app. This means you need to use Face ID or Touch ID to open the app. This helps keep your files safe!
Google Drive Website
Google Drive has a website where you can see all your files. You can access it from any computer with internet, without needing to download an app.
The website got a new look in 2014. It became easier to use and worked faster. You could click once to see file activity or share. You could also drag and drop files into folders to organize them better. In 2016, the website got more updates. The logo changed, the search bar looked new, and the main color changed from red to blue. It also became easier to download large files.
Google Drive Storage Space
Your Personal Storage
Every Google user gets 15 GB of free storage. This storage is shared between Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. If you need more space, you can buy it. You can pay monthly or yearly. Yearly payments often give you a discount. Since May 2018, all storage plans are part of Google One.
Here are the storage plans Google offers today:
| Storage | Price (US$) |
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| 15 GB | Free |
| 100 GB | $1.99/month ($19.99/year) |
| 2 TB | $9.99/month ($99.99/year) |
| 2 TB w/ AI | $19.99/month (no annual subscription provided) |
Storage for Chromebook Users
If you buy a Chromebook, you might get 100 GB of free Google Drive storage for 12 months. You usually need to activate this offer within 180 days of buying your Chromebook. This offer can only be used once per device.
Storage for Google Workspace
Google Workspace is a special set of tools for businesses and schools. Google Workspace Starter customers get 30 GB of Drive storage. Businesses using Google Workspace for Business often get unlimited storage. For schools and universities, Google Workspace for Education provides 100 TB of storage.
How Storage Plans Have Changed
When Google Drive first launched in 2012, it offered 5 GB of free storage. Over time, Google changed its storage plans and prices. In May 2013, Google combined the free storage for Gmail, Google Drive, and Google+ Photos into one 15 GB pool. In March 2014, Google lowered the prices for its paid storage plans. This made them much cheaper than other services like Dropbox and OneDrive.
In 2018, the paid plans were renamed "Google One". This was to show that they offered more than just Google Drive storage. In November 2020, Google announced that some files, like Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, would start counting towards the 15 GB storage limit after June 1, 2021. Before this date, they did not count.
Cool Features of Google Drive
Sharing Your Files
Google Drive makes sharing files easy. The person who creates a file or folder is usually the owner. The owner can decide who sees the file. You can share files privately with specific people who have a Google account. You can also create a special link to share with anyone, even if they don't have a Google account. Or, you can make files "public on the web" so anyone can find them.
The owner can also set different access levels. People can have "can edit" access, "can comment" access, or "can view" access. If someone has "can edit" access, they can also invite others to edit.
Apps That Work with Google Drive
Many other online apps work with Google Drive. You can find them in the Chrome Web Store. Some of these are Google's own apps, like Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Other apps let you view, edit, or create different types of files. You can even edit images, manage projects, or create diagrams. Some of these apps also work offline.
All these third-party apps are free to install. However, some might charge money for extra features later. The first time you save data from one of these apps to Google Drive, you'll need to give it permission.
Viewing Different File Types
The Google Drive website can show you many different kinds of files. This means you often don't need to download special programs to open them. Here are some examples:
- Google's own files (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
- Image files like .JPEG, .PNG, .GIF
- Video files like .MP4, .MOV, .AVI
- Audio files like .MP3, .WAV
- Text files (.TXT)
- Microsoft Office files (.DOCX, .XLSX, .PPTX)
- Adobe PDF files (.PDF)
- Compressed files like .ZIP and .RAR
If you have a file type that Google Drive can't show, you can often use a third-party app from the Chrome Web Store to open it.
File Size Limits
There are some limits on file sizes in Google Drive.
- Files you upload (that are not converted to Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides) can be up to 5 TB in size.
- Google Docs files: Up to 1.02 million characters. If converted to .gdoc format, they can't be larger than 50 MB. Images inserted can't be larger than 50 MB.
- Google Sheets files: Up to 10 million cells.
- Google Slides files: If converted to .gslides format, they can't be larger than 100 MB. Images inserted can't be larger than 50 MB.
In April 2023, Google briefly had a limit of 5 million files per user. But they removed it quickly after people complained.
Quick Access Feature
"Quick Access" uses smart computer programs to guess which files you need. It tries to show you the right files before you even start typing! This feature first came to the Android app in 2016. Later, it was added to the iOS app and the website.
Smart Search
Google Drive's search is very powerful. You can search for files by type, who owns them, or which app opens them. You can even search for images by describing what's in them. For example, if you search for "mountain," it might show you photos of mountains and documents about mountains. It can even read text inside images and PDFs! In 2016, Google added "natural language processing" to search. This means you can ask questions like "find my budget spreadsheet from last December."
Backups Section
In 2016, Google added a "Backups" section to the Android app and website. This section shows you which Android devices and apps have data saved to your Drive. You can see the size and details of your backups, and even delete them if you want. In 2017, the "Backup and Sync" app made it easy to back up any folder from your computer.
Adding Details to Files
You can add a "Description" to your files and folders. This is like a note where you can write important details. Google Drive also searches through these descriptions when you look for files.
Easy for Everyone to Use
Google Drive is designed to be easy for everyone to use. In 2014, Google made updates to help people with visual impairments. This included better keyboard controls, support for zooming, and working well with screen readers.
Save to Google Drive Extension
There's a special extension for the Google Chrome browser called "Save to Google Drive." It lets you save web pages or parts of them directly to your Google Drive. You can save a screenshot of a page, or the page's text and images.
Mobile App Features
The main Google Drive mobile app used to let you edit documents. But in 2014, Google made separate apps for Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides for editing. The Google Drive app on Android lets you take a photo of a document. It can then use optical character recognition to turn the text in the photo into editable text.
Keeping Your Files Safe
Since 2013, Google has been working to keep your data safe. They started encrypting data stored on their servers. This means your files are scrambled so only you can read them. They also encrypt data as it travels between their data centers. Since 2021, Google Drive has offered a special "client-side encryption" feature for extra security.
Google Drive for Businesses and Schools
Google Drive Enterprise
Google Drive Enterprise is a special version for businesses. It's part of Google Workspace. It offers unlimited storage and advanced tools for businesses. For example, it has better ways to check who accessed files and more control for administrators. Businesses can upload very large files, up to 5 TB. Google also encrypts business data and offers 24/7 phone support.
In 2018, Google launched a new plan called Drive Enterprise. It's for businesses that don't need the full Google Workspace. It includes Docs, Sheets, and Slides for teamwork. It also lets you work with Microsoft Office files. You pay based on how much you use it.
Google Drive for Education
Google Drive for Education was launched in 2014. It's free for schools and universities that use Google Apps for Education. It gives them unlimited storage and supports very large files. All the data is also fully encrypted.
In 2016, Google introduced "Team Drives," which are now called "Shared Drives." These are great for teams in Google Workspace. Instead of files belonging to one person, they belong to the team. This makes it easier for everyone to work together. Shared Drives also offer unlimited storage.
Drive File Stream (now Google Drive for desktop)
In 2017, Google introduced Drive File Stream. This is a computer program for Windows and macOS. It makes your Google Drive files appear like a regular drive on your computer. You can access files easily without a web browser. Files are only downloaded when you need them, saving space on your computer. This program also works with Shared Drives. Google is now combining Drive File Stream and Backup and Sync into one new app called "Google Drive for desktop."
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides are free online tools from Google. They are built right into Google Drive. They let you create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online. You can also work on them with other people in real-time! These tools work as web applications, as apps that work offline in Chrome, and as mobile apps for Android and iOS. They can also open and edit Microsoft Office files.
Other tools in this group include Google Drawings, Google Forms, Google Sites, and Google Keep. All the files you create with these apps are saved by default to Google Drive.
Updates and Features
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides often get new features that use machine learning. For example, "Explore" can give you search results based on your document's content. In Sheets, you can ask questions in normal language and get answers. In Slides, it can suggest designs for your presentations. "Action items" let you assign tasks to others.
While some say Google Docs doesn't have all the features of Microsoft Office, many praise it for being simple, easy to use with others, and getting frequent updates.
To work on Docs, Sheets, or Slides files when you're offline, you need to use the Google Chrome web browser. A special Chrome extension called "Google Docs Offline" lets you do this.
Google also has a Chrome extension called "Office editing for Docs, Sheets and Slides." This lets you view and edit Microsoft Office documents right in your Chrome browser. You can open Office files from your computer or from the internet without downloading them.
How Google Drive Has Grown
Google Drive has grown a lot since it launched.
- In November 2013, Google announced it had 120 million active users.
- By June 2014, it had 190 million monthly active users. It was also being used by many large companies and universities.
- In October 2014, the number of monthly active users grew to 240 million.
- By September 2015, over one million businesses were paying to use Google Drive.
- In March 2017, Google Drive reached 800 million active users.
- In May 2017, a Google executive said there were over two trillion files stored on Google Drive.
Times Google Drive Was Down
Google tries to make sure Google Drive is always working. For businesses, they promise it will be working 99.9% of the time. However, sometimes Google Drive has had problems and stopped working for a short time. This has happened to both regular users and businesses. When there's a problem, Google updates its App Status Dashboard to let everyone know what's happening. Some notable times Google Drive was down were in March 2013, October 2014, January 2016, September 2017, January 2020, and December 2020.
After one outage in January 2016, Google said they know that problems can happen. They try their best to protect users from these problems. They apologized and said they would work to make their services even stronger.
In August 2013, all of Google's services were down for five minutes. During that time, internet traffic around the world dropped by 40%!
Spam Issues
Google Drive lets users share content with others without needing the person to approve it first. This has sometimes led to people getting unwanted "spam" from shared drives. Google is working on a way to fix this problem.
See also
In Spanish: Google Drive para niños
- Comparison of file hosting services
- Comparison of file synchronization software
- Comparison of online backup services
