Use this page as a day-to-day reference. Each section covers a common task with the exact steps to complete it.
Create a new file
Document
Spreadsheet
Presentation
Open Google Drive
Go to your Drive home screen or press G then H from anywhere in Google Product.
Click + New
Select + New in the left sidebar, then choose Google Docs → Blank document.Alternatively, type docs.new in your browser address bar to open a new document instantly. Name the document
Click Untitled document at the top of the page and type your document name. The name saves automatically.
Use + New → Google Docs → From a template to start from a pre-built layout, such as a resume, project proposal, or meeting notes template.
Open Google Drive
Go to your Drive home screen.
Click + New
Select + New → Google Sheets → Blank spreadsheet.Or type sheets.new in your browser to open a new spreadsheet directly. Name the spreadsheet
Click Untitled spreadsheet at the top of the page and type a name.
Press Ctrl+/ (or Cmd+/ on Mac) inside a spreadsheet to search all available keyboard shortcuts and menu options.
Open Google Drive
Go to your Drive home screen.
Click + New
Select + New → Google Slides → Blank presentation.Or type slides.new in your browser. Choose a theme
In the Themes panel on the right, select a visual style for your presentation. You can change the theme at any time from Slide → Change theme.
Name the presentation
Click Untitled presentation at the top of the page and type a name.
Move and organise files
Open Google Drive
Navigate to the file or folder you want to move.
Move a file
Right-click the file and select Move to. In the dialog that appears, navigate to the destination folder, then click Move.You can also drag and drop files between folders in the Drive file list.
Rename a file
Right-click the file and select Rename. Type the new name and press Enter.
Delete a file
Right-click the file and select Move to trash. Files in the trash are permanently deleted after 30 days. To restore a file before that, open the Trash folder, right-click the file, and select Restore.
Moving a shared file does not change who has access to it. Sharing permissions travel with the file, not the folder.
Search for content
Use the Drive search bar
Click the search bar at the top of Google Drive (or press / to focus it). Type keywords from the file name or file content. Google Product searches both file names and the text inside your documents.
Filter your search
After entering a search term, click Search options (the filter icon on the right side of the search bar). You can filter by:
- Type — documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, etc.
- Owner — files owned by you, shared by a specific person, or shared with you
- Last modified — today, this week, this month, a custom range
- Location — a specific folder
Search inside a document
While a document is open, press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F) to find text within that file. Use Ctrl+H (Cmd+H) to find and replace text.
Use search operators in the Drive search bar for precise results. For example, type owner:me type:spreadsheet to find spreadsheets you own, or before:2026-01-01 to find files last modified before a specific date.
Add a comment
Select the text, cell, or slide element you want to comment on. Then:
- In a document or presentation: click the comment icon that appears in the right margin, or press
Ctrl+Alt+M (Cmd+Option+M on Mac).
- In a spreadsheet: right-click the cell and choose Insert comment.
Type your comment and click Comment to save it. Mention a person in a comment
Type @ followed by their name or email address in the comment text. They receive an email notification and their access is upgraded if needed.
Reply to a comment
Click the comment in the right panel and type your reply in the Reply field. Press Ctrl+Enter to submit.
Resolve a comment
Click the checkmark icon at the top-right of a comment thread to mark it as resolved. Resolved comments are hidden by default but remain accessible via Comments → Resolved in the toolbar.
Assign an action item
In your comment text, mention someone with @ and then tick the Assign to [name] checkbox that appears below the comment field. They receive a notification with the task clearly attributed to them.
Download and export files
Document (Docs)
Spreadsheet (Sheets)
Presentation (Slides)
Open your document, then go to File → Download and choose a format:| Format | Use case |
|---|
| Microsoft Word (.docx) | Share with users who work in Word |
| PDF (.pdf) | Read-only, print-ready distribution |
| Plain text (.txt) | Strip formatting for plain content |
| Rich text (.rtf) | Compatibility with older word processors |
| Web page (.html) | Embed or publish on a website |
| EPUB (.epub) | E-reader distribution |
Open your spreadsheet, then go to File → Download and choose a format:| Format | Use case |
|---|
| Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) | Share with Excel users |
| PDF (.pdf) | Read-only snapshot of the sheet |
| CSV (.csv) | Import data into other tools |
| TSV (.tsv) | Tab-separated data export |
| Web page (.html) | Publish data as a table |
When exporting a multi-sheet spreadsheet to CSV, only the currently active sheet is exported. Export each sheet separately if you need them all as CSVs.
Open your presentation, then go to File → Download and choose a format:| Format | Use case |
|---|
| Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) | Share with PowerPoint users |
| PDF (.pdf) | Read-only slide deck for distribution |
| Plain text (.txt) | Extract speaker notes and slide text |
| JPEG / PNG | Individual slides as image files |
| Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg) | High-quality images for design use |
Share files
Open the Share dialog
Click the Share button in the top-right corner of the file. The sharing dialog opens.
Add people
In the Add people and groups field, type names or email addresses. You can add multiple people at once.
Set permissions
Use the permission dropdown next to each person’s name:
- Viewer — read-only access
- Commenter — can add and reply to comments
- Editor — can make changes to the file
Optionally add a message, then click Send. Tick Notify people to send an email with a direct link. Untick it if you plan to share the link manually.
Open the Share dialog
Click the Share button in the top-right corner of the file.
Change link access
Under General access, click the dropdown (which defaults to Restricted) and choose:
- Anyone with the link — anyone who has the URL can access the file
Set link permissions
Choose whether link recipients can view, comment, or edit the file.
Copy and share the link
Click Copy link, then share it via email, chat, or wherever you need.
Setting a file to “Anyone with the link can edit” means anyone who obtains the URL — including forwarded recipients — can modify the file. Use this setting with care for sensitive content.
