How do I open a folder in Google Drive?

To organize your files in Drive, you can create folders to make files easier to find and share with others.

Note: If you organize a lot of files or folders at once, it might take time for you to see the changes.

This is available on multiple devices.

Create, move & copy files

Create a folder

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. On the left, click New
   Folder.
3. Enter a name for the folder.
4. Click Create.

Move items to a file or a folder

There are multiple ways to move items to a file or folder. You can do this while you view an item on:

• The main window
• The left panel
• Google Drive search results

Tip: If you move folders with a lot of files or subfolders, it takes time for you to find the changes.

Manually move to a folder

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Right-click the item you want to move.
3. Click Move to.
4. Select or create a folder.
5. Click Move.

Drag to a folder

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Drag the item you want to move.
3. Move the item over the folder and release it.

Tip: To move items into any folder in Google Drive, go to the left panel.

Use keyboard shortcuts to move to a folder

Important: This functionality is only available on Chrome.

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Select a file.
3. To cut the file, press Ctrl + x.
4. Go to the new location.
5. Select an option:
   • To paste the file into the new location, press Ctrl + v.
   • To create a shortcut of the file into the new location, press Ctrl + Shift + v.

Tip: Users can move across browser windows.

Create a shortcut for a file or folder

Shortcuts make it easier for you or your team to find and organize files and folders in multiple Google Drives. A shortcut is a link that references another file or folder. 

Create a shortcut

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Right-click the file or folder you want to make a shortcut for.
3. Click Add shortcut to Drive.
4. Choose where you want the shortcut to be.
5. Click Add shortcut.

Tip: You can create a copy of a shortcut in a Drive folder, but you can’t create a shortcut to another shortcut file.

Use keyboard shortcuts to create a shortcut

Important: This functionality is only available on Chrome.

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Select the file.
3. To copy the file to the clipboard, press Ctrl + c.
4. Go to the new location.
5. To paste the shortcut into the new location, press Ctrl + Shift + v.

Delete a shortcut

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Right-click the shortcut you want to remove.
3. Click Remove.

To permanently delete the shortcut, empty your trash.

Important: If you delete a shortcut, the original file is not deleted.

Create a link to a Drive file or folder in other applications

Important: This functionality is only available on Chrome.

With Google Drive, you can copy and paste the name of a file and/or folder in Google Editor documents and other applications.

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Select a file.
3. Select an option:
   • To copy the file or folder name to the clipboard as a link, press Ctrl + c. 
   • To copy the file or folder URL to the clipboard as a link, press Ctrl + Shift + c.
4. To paste the file or folder into a Google document or other applications, press Ctrl + v.

Make a copy of a file

Manually copy a file 

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Right-click a file.
3. Click Make a copy
   .

Use keyboard shortcuts to copy a file

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Select a file.
3. To copy the file to the clipboard, press Ctrl + c.
4. Go to the new location.
5. To make a copy of the file into the new location, press Ctrl + v.

Tip: Users can move across browser windows.

Important:

• This functionality is only available on Chrome.
• You can’t copy folders, only files. 
• To find a folder easier, you can create a shortcut to a folder.

Change the color of your folder

You can customize the color of folders and shortcuts to folders in your My Drive and shared drives. If you change any colors, it only applies to your view in Drive.

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
2. Right-click the folder you want to change.
3. Click Change color and choose the color you want.

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