For Windows and macOS, along with accessing Google Drive through a browser and uploading files there, you can also download the Backup and Sync tool which lets you sync your Google Drive locally, analogous to Dropbox, as well as upload files to the web from other commonly used folders.īecause apps like Docs, Sheets and Slides are accessed online, it makes sense to use the browser version of Google Drive, however some users will still like to sync files to their computer’s file management system to keep things in check. In the mobile apps for Android and iOS, files can be instantly accessed with an interface design that very closely mirrors that on the web, with no need to swap between different mindsets as you change devices. The view we particularly like is ‘Recent,’ which is essentially just a list of files in reverse chronological order, and works well enough in most cases. Google indicates that Drive has AI processing that brings documents and shares you're likely to want next up to the top of the file list, but we found this somewhat hit and miss overall, but it's easy enough to sort through the folders you've created or search more specifically. Users working off a computer or laptop will be disappointed when they find out that an Internet connection is needed to access all their information. On the go, there are smartphone and tablet apps for Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as offline access tools in the Google Drive app. On that note, there aren’t many drawbacks to the Google Suite as a whole, but those wanting to have dedicated offline access will be disappointed.
We find it very straightforward, once you get past that everything is working inside a browser instead of a more conventional file system. You can make use of a thumbnail view, or a more conventional list view on the main web interface, and files can be shifted around via drag-and-drop just as if you were using a regular desktop app. Google Drive applies its Optical Character Recognition (OCR) automatically to PDFs and images, which allows you to search through the text they contain as if they were any other document.įiles can be easily copied, moved, starred, and arranged as you like. What the Google Drive interface lacks in sophistication it more than makes up for with intuitiveness and speed as finding files is quick and simple, whether you're searching for keywords and file types from the top search bar, or browsing through folders and shares from the navigation bar on the left. (Image credit: Google) Google Drive interfaceĮvery Google app has a familiar interface with lots of white space, a dash of color, and bold graphics.
0 kommentar(er)
