Drive, Docs & Sheets: Working With Online Files
✓ CompletedGoogle Drive is where many clients keep their files. Google Docs and Google Sheets are the documents and spreadsheets inside it. You don't need to master Docs or Sheets here. You need to find the right file, open it, make a change, and know where your change went.
Finding a File in Drive
The list on the left side of Drive is where you look:
- My Drive: files and folders that you own or added.
- Shared with me: files other people have shared with you. This is the first place to look for a client's file. Shared files don't show up in My Drive unless you add a shortcut to them.
- Recent: files you opened or changed lately.
- Trash: files you deleted. They're kept for 30 days.
The Search in Drive box at the top finds files by name, and also by words inside Docs and Sheets.
Still can't find it? Check your account first (Lesson 1). A file shared with ana@harborhill.co won't appear in the Drive of ana.cruz.va@gmail.com.
Folders and Uploading
Click New at the top-left of Drive to make a folder, upload a file or a whole folder, or start a new Doc or Sheet. You can also drag files from your computer into the Drive window.
To move a file, right-click it and choose Organize › Move (some versions just say Move), or drag it onto a folder. Name files and folders the way you learned in Computer & Laptop Basics, Lesson 3.
A file you upload into a shared folder can be seen by everyone who has access to that folder.
Docs and Sheets Save Themselves
Open a Doc or a Sheet and look next to the file name at the top:
There's no Save button. Every change is saved as you type, and the status changes from "Saving…" to "Saved to Drive". If your internet drops, wait until it says "Saved to Drive" again before you close the tab.
To rename the file, click its name at the top and type a new one.
In Sheets, columns have letters and rows have numbers. A cell is named by both: C4 is column C, row 4. When a client says "update C4", that's where to look.
Two commands in the File menu are worth knowing now:
- Make a copy creates a separate file you can change without touching the original. Use it when a client gives you a template.
- Download saves a copy on your computer as a Word file (.docx), an Excel file (.xlsx), a PDF, and other types.
The Online File and Your Downloaded Copy
When you download a file, you get a separate copy on your computer. Editing that copy does not change the file in Drive. Anyone looking at Drive still sees the old version.
If the work belongs in Drive, edit it in Drive. If you had to work on a downloaded copy, upload your version back into the right folder and make sure no one keeps working on the old one.
Kapag nag-download ka ng file para i-edit, tandaan: ibang kopya na 'yan. Hindi makikita ng client ang binago mo hangga't hindi mo ina-upload ulit. For more practice with documents and spreadsheets themselves, try the optional Document Basics and Spreadsheet Basics modules.
Word and Excel Files in Drive
Drive also holds Word and Excel files. Open one and it opens in Docs or Sheets, with a small .DOCX or .XLSX label next to the name. You can edit it, and it stays a Word or Excel file. Most things work the same, but a few features only work in a Google file.
File › Save as Google Docs (or Google Sheets) makes a separate Google version. Then there are two files with almost the same name, so make sure everyone works in the same one.
Working With Online Files
You're signed in as ana@harborhill.co.
Grace writes: "I shared the Supplier Contacts sheet with you yesterday." You open Shared with me. Click the file she means.
You downloaded Price List April from Drive, changed five prices in Excel on your laptop, and saved. Grace says the file in Drive still shows the old prices. What happened?
You're typing in a Google Doc and can't find the Save button. What do you do?
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product | Size | Price (₱) |
| 2 | Mug — Sand | 350 ml | 450 |
| 3 | Mug — Blue | 350 ml | 450 |
| 4 | Bowl — Sand | Medium | 620 |
| 5 | Plate — Blue | Large | 780 |
Grace writes: "Please change C4 to 650." Which price are you changing?
Grace shares a Weekly Report Template Doc and asks you to fill in this week's numbers. The template has to stay blank for next week. What do you do first?
Grace's accountant asks for the April sales Sheet "as an Excel file." What do you do?
Grace uploaded this contract to Drive, and you open it. What kind of file are you working in?
Try It in Your Own Drive
Do these in your own Google Drive. Tick each one when you've done it. Your ticks are saved in this browser.
- Look for a client's file in Shared with me, Recent or Search in Drive, in the right account.
- Docs and Sheets save as you type. Watch for "Saved to Drive".
- Make a copy of a template before filling it in. Use File › Download when someone needs a Word, Excel or PDF file.
- A downloaded copy is separate. Changing it doesn't change the file in Drive.