Google Drive: What It Is, How It Works, Features and Characteristics

We explain what Google Drive is, how it works and what are the main features of this famous service created by Google.

What is Google Drive?

Google Drive is a data storage service that is stored in the cloud (an online platform that can be accessed from any device with an Internet connection ). The Google Drive storage service offers 15 GB of capacity at no cost for each Gmail user. In addition, it offers payment plans that have more space in the cloud, among other benefits.

Google Drive allows you to copy files from your computer to be saved in the cloud. In case the user wants to edit these documents, he must download them to his computer. Also, it allows you to create documents and folders directly from the platform through Google Docs documents that present very similar functions to the programs in the Microsoft Office package.

The main advantages of files created from the cloud through Google Docs are that the user can:

• Edit online, that is, without having to download the file to your computer.
• Share documents with other users so they can also comment and edit in real time. This optimizes teamwork simultaneously.

How does Google Drive work?

Since Google Drive is one of the products created by the Google company , it is required to have a Gmail email box to access the storage service.

As part of the free Gmail email service, Google offers the suite of applications that Google Drive is in, among other applications such as calendar, photo viewer, translator, and conferencing application.

The user can manage, from any device, their documents and data stored in the cloud through Google Drive by entering their mailbox where they can view the Google application package.

Google Drive features

The Google Drive service is characterized by:

• Offer a free version that has up to 15 GB of storage.
• Offer subscription options that have more storage space, between 25 GB and 100 GB.
• Be compatible with Android, Linux , Mac and Windows operating systems .
• Store any type of file, such as photos, videos, presentation files, spreadsheets, among others.
• Keep all files in private mode, unless the user designates them as public or visible to certain contacts.
• Share work documents so that other users can view or edit them in real time.
• Offer a secure storage service for files, preventing them from being affected by a possible damage to the user's computer.

Work offline

Google Drive has the option of working without an Internet connection and it is a differential advantage of the service , especially for times when it is not possible to access the Internet. For example, during a plane trip or if you go to work somewhere without Internet access.

To activate this option, it is necessary to enter the Google Drive service with a device connected to the Internet and that has the Chrome browser . The user must have a Gmail account to later install and activate the Chrome extension called “Google documents offline”.

Once the user is inside the Google Drive application, they must select the file they want to work on later in “offline” mode. The document will be stored on the device and synced with Google Drive when the computer has access to the Internet again, so that any changes made in the “offline” mode will be updated.

Chromebook storage

Chromebooks are a line of computers that use the Chrome OS operating system (instead of Windows, OS, and Linux). The difference between Chromebooks and other personal computers is that they offer advantages to work permanently from the cloud, in addition to being able to work in "offline" mode.

Chromebooks have limited hardware or footprint. They have a free Google Drive service with greater cloud storage , compared to a Gmail user. They are fast-performing teams because they do not accumulate data on their internal storage disks, but rather read and work the information directly from the cloud.

The above content published at Collaborative Research Group is for informational and educational purposes only and has been developed by referring reliable sources and recommendations from technology experts. We do not have any contact with official entities nor do we intend to replace the information that they emit.