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3.1 Creating documents and folders

3.2 Opening documents and folders

3.3 Renaming documents and folders

3.4 Removing and restoring documents and folders

3.5 Organizing documents and folders

3.6 Sorting documents and folders

3.7 Uploading documents and folders

3.8 Searching for documents and folders

3.1 Creating documents and folders

To create new items in Google Drive, you can use keyboard shortcuts, or you can use the New menu. New folders and files are added within the view that you've selected in the navigation pane.

The following keyboard shortcuts create new items in Google Drive:

  • Shift + T: New text document. A blank document, named Untitled document, opens in a new tab.
  • Shift + P: New presentation. A blank presentation, named Untitled presentation, opens in a new tab.
  • Shift + S: New spreadsheet. A blank spreadsheet, named Untitled spreadsheet, opens in a new tab.
  • Shift + D: New drawing. A blank drawing, named Untitled drawing, opens in a new tab.
  • Shift + O: New form. A blank form, named Untitled form. opens in a new tab.
  • Shift + F: New folder. The Name folder dialog opens, and your cursor is in the text box. If you decide you don't want to create a new folder, press Escape to dismiss the dialog. Otherwise, type a new name for your folder, then press Enter. Your focus returns to the Google Drive list view, with the new folder selected.

As an alternative to the keyboard shortcuts above, press C to open the New menu. Use the down arrow to navigate through the menu, then press Enter to select one of the options.

3.2 Opening documents and folders

To open a document or folder from your Google Drive list, follow these steps:

  1. Use the up and down arrows to navigate through the list. (If you've switched to grid view, you can also use the right and left arrows.)
  2. To open a document, press O or Enter.

If you've uploaded files in other formats to Google Drive, you can open them using Google Docs, Google Sheets, or other apps. To open a file in another format, follow these steps:

  1. Select the file that you want to open.
  2. Press a to open the Actions menu.
  3. Press the down arrow to navigate to the Open with command.
  4. Press the right arrow to open the Open with sub-menu.
  5. Use the down or up arrow to select the Google application to open your file. Press Enter.
  6. Your file opens in the Google application that you selected. In your files and folders list in Google Drive, there are now two versions of the file: the original version that you uploaded and the converted version.

3.3 Renaming documents and folders

To change the name of a file or folder, follow these steps:

  1. In a files and folders list, select the item you want to rename.
  2. Press n to open the Rename dialog.
  3. Type a new name for your item.
  4. Press Enter or navigate to the OK button and press Enter. If you decide you don't want to rename the item, navigate to the Cancel button and press Enter. You can also dismiss the dialog by pressing Escape.

3.4 Removing and restoring documents and folders

Follow the steps below to remove one or more items from your Google Drive. If you select an item that you own, it's moved to the trash. If you select an item that you don't own, it's removed from your Drive but not from anyone else's Drive.

  1. In a files and folders list, select one or more items to remove.
  2. Press a to open the Actions menu.
  3. Use the down or up arrow to navigate to the Remove command and press Enter.

To restore an item that you've put in the trash, follow these steps:

  1. Press G then N to focus on the views navigation panel.
  2. Use the down or up arrow to navigate to Trash and press Enter.
  3. Press the down or up arrow to navigate to the item that you want to restore.
  4. Press a to open the Actions menu.
  5. Press the down arrow to navigate to the Restore command, then press Enter.

3.5 Organizing documents and folders

Follow the steps below to move files into folders, or move folders into other folders.

  1. Press G then L to focus on the list of items.
  2. Select one or more items to move. Use the arrow keys to change your selection, or hold Shift and use the arrow keys to select multiple items.
  3. Press Z to open the Move to dialog.
  4. Press the down or up arrow to navigate through the My Drive folders list.
  5. If a folder contains sub-folders, press the right arrow or Enter to navigate to the sub-folders. Then press the down or up arrow to scan through the list.
  6. When you've located the folder where you want to move the selected item, press Tab to navigate to the Move button, then press Enter. If you decide you don't want to move the file, press Escape to dismiss the dialog.

To move files or folders into a new folder that you create, follow these steps:

  1. In a files and folders list, select one or more files to move.
  2. Press Z to open the Move to dialog.
  3. Press Tab to the Create folder button, then press Enter.
  4. Type the name of the new folder.
  5. Press Tab to the Create button, then press Enter.
  6. Press Enter again to move the files to the newly created folder.

3.6 Sorting documents and folders

To change how files are sorted, follow these steps:

  1. Press R to open to the Sort menu.

  2. Use the down or up arrow to move through the menu. To determine how files are sorted, listen for "checked" or "not checked" as you navigate through the following options:

    • Last modified
    • Last edited by me
    • Last opened by me
    • Name

  3. Press Enter to select an option from the list. Your focus returns to the files and folders list.

3.7 Uploading documents and folders

To upload files or folders in Google Drive, follow these steps:

  1. Press C to open the New menu.
  2. Press the down arrow to navigate to "Upload files" or "Upload folder," then press Enter.
  3. Select the file or folder that you'd like to upload, then press Enter.
  4. You'll hear a confirmation after your file or folder has finished uploading. By default, the newly uploaded file or folder is in “My Drive”.

Your file upload settings determine whether Google Drive converts uploaded files into Google Docs format. To view or change this setting, follow these steps:

  1. Press T to open the Settings menu.
  2. Press the down arrow to navigate to Settings, then press Enter.
  3. The Settings dialog opens, and your focus is in the General tab.
  4. Press Tab to enter the General tab. You'll hear "Convert uploads," followed by either "checkbox checked" or "checkbox not checked." If the checkbox is checked, uploaded files are converted into Google Docs format. Check or uncheck the box to change this setting.
  5. To exit the dialog, press Tab to select Done, then press Enter.

3.8 Searching for documents and folders

Use the Search box to find a specific item in Google Drive. To perform a basic text search, follow these steps:

  1. Press / (forward slash) to go to the Search box.
  2. Type your search terms and press Enter.
  3. The focus is now on the list of files and folders that match your search terms. Use the arrow keys to browse through the list.

You can also constrain your search by file type or ownership. For example, search only among spreadsheets owned by you. To perform a search with constraints, follow these steps:

  1. Press / (forward slash) to go to the Search box.
  2. If you want to search for a specific word, type your search term. This step is optional, because you can simply perform a search for any item that meets the constraints that you specify in the next step.
  3. Press Tab to go to the Search options menu, then press Enter to expand the menu.

  4. Press Tab to explore the dialog. The dialog contains the following menus:

    • File type: Choose the type of file you'd like to search for.
    • Opens with: Choose the app with which you expect the file to open.
    • Ownership: Choose "Owned by anyone," "Owned by me," or "Not owned by me."

  5. Use the up and down arrows to explore the options in the menus, and press Enter to select an option.

  6. Press Tab to the Search button, then press Enter.
  7. The focus is now on the list of files and folders that match your search. Use the arrow keys to browse through the list.

After you perform a search with constraints, the search box continues to list the constraints that you selected. For example, if you searched for documents owned by you in the steps above, the search box would then display owner:me type:document. If you want to further constrain your search, you can repeat the steps above to add to or change the constraints, including typing specific text to search.

Next Module 4: Collaborating with Others