Making Fast Work of Uploading Files to Drive

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated December 5, 2013)

Want a quick way to upload files to Drive and convert them for use by programs such as Docs and Sheets? While you can use the on-screen tools for uploading, the fastest approach is to simply drag and drop files onto the Drive screen. It doesn't really matter where on the screen you drop the file—when you do so, Drive assumes you want to upload the file and starts doing so. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Uploading a file to Drive.

When the upload is complete, you are notified. Close the upload box and you'll note that your file is now safely stored in Drive for your later use.

Normally, uploading by using drag-and-drop will do just that—upload the file. If you want Drive to also convert the uploaded file to a format that can be understood by one of the Drive applications (Docs, Sheets, etc.), then you can modify a setting to make this occur. Follow these steps:

  1. Log into Google Drive (drive.google.com).
  2. Click the Settings tool. (It is near the upper-right corner of the screen; it has an icon of a gear on it.) Drive displays a few options.
  3. Hover the mouse pointer over the Upload Settings option. Drive displays a few more options.
  4. Select one of the upload options. (I suggest choosing Convert Uploaded Files to Google Docs Format. Even though it only mentions Docs, this is one ambiguous case where it also means other Drive application formats, as well.)

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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