How To Upload From Imove To Google Drive

Our Verdict

Easy to apply and with plenty of storage available, Google Drive is a very solid cloud storage provider, and a particularly expert pick for users of Google's integrated office apps.

For

Very easy to work with
Slap-up part apps integrated

Confronting

No stop-to-end encryption
Security could be tighter

Tom's Guide Verdict

Like shooting fish in a barrel to use and with plenty of storage available, Google Bulldoze is a very solid cloud storage provider, and a specially good option for users of Google's integrated function apps.

Pros

+
Very easy to work with
+
Great office apps integrated

Cons

-
No end-to-cease encryption
-
Security could exist tighter

As well as being a search engine and email provider, Google offers one of the best cloud storage solutions bachelor. Google Drive is a comprehensive service that allows you to shop your files online and access them across your devices.

But how does it stack up against its competitors? In this Google Drive review, we assess its pricing, features, interface, security, and support to help you decide whether information technology'due south the cloud storage provider for you.

Google Drive: Plans and pricing

Google Drive's pricing plans — Google Drive offers diverse plans and pricing options (Image credit: Google)

With a free Google account, you get 15GB of deject storage. This is spread across all the Google apps—not just Google Drive, simply Gmail and Google Photos, likewise.

If you need actress infinite, you lot tin can sign up for a Google I personal programme. There are a few dissimilar options: you can access 100GB of storage for $1.99 a month or $nineteen.99 a yr, 200GB for $two.99 a month or $29.99 a year, or 2TB for $9.99 a calendar month or $99.99 a yr.

For businesses, Google Workspace plans give yous all Google apps plus features tailored to business users, such as custom business email addresses and back-end infrastructure for team direction. These toll $6 per user a month for 30GB of storage each, $12 per user a month for 2TB each, or $xviii per user a month for 5TB each.

Google Drive: Features

A new Google Docs document opened — Google Docs is well integrated into Drive (Image credit: Google)

Google Drive has a number of file-sharing options, all of which are very simple to use. Y'all can share files with other users or groups, or you tin can get shareable links. Yous tin too decide whether users can edit a file or just view information technology. Each file'southward info tab has a useful summary of users who currently take access to information technology, and you can see who terminal edited it.

Google's word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation apps—Docs, Sheets, and Slides—are well integrated into Google Bulldoze. Y'all can easily create and open files from the Drive interface. They're all slick, polished apps, able to compete with Microsoft's manufacture-leading equivalents.

Alternatively, you lot tin upload files created in Microsoft software, and either convert them easily into Google documents, or edit them using Google'due south apps while retaining the file blazon.

Google Drive keeps track of each version of the files you upload, including PDFs and images. It's easy to access the version history from inside the Drive interface, and to download or restore any previous iterations of files.

A search bar at the acme of the Drive interface allows you to instantly pinpoint the particular file y'all're looking for. You can search by file name, file blazon, keywords, and words contained inside a file. This fifty-fifty includes text inside PDFs and images, using Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

Google Drive: Interface and in use

A screenshot of Google Drive's folder structure in a web browser — Information technology'southward piece of cake to navigate Google Drive's folder structure (Paradigm credit: Google)

There are 3 ways to admission your Google Drive files—through a web browser, a mobile app, or a desktop tool chosen Backup and Sync, which allows yous to integrate your Drive binder construction into Windows File Explorer or Finder on a Mac.

The web browser interface is very well designed, with a articulate and easily navigable folder construction and distinctive icons that enable you to find the tools yous need without much trouble. Yous tin add files by dragging and dropping, or past going through the elementary menu options. It'due south like shooting fish in a barrel to organize, copy, and create favorite files, and to access tools such equally sharing controls.

The mobile app has a similar but scaled-downwards design, which makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to switch between devices and not lose track of your documents.

After a cursory setup process, the synchronization betwixt devices is automated and quick. It means you can salve a file directly into a Google Bulldoze folder on your desktop, and admission it near immediately on your mobile device.

Google Drive: Support

Google Drive's help center online — Google has a comprehensive Assist Center (Image credit: Google)

At that place's a comprehensive Help Center bachelor on Google's website, which offers answers to most of the technical problems you could encounter with Google Drive. There's also an active and helpful community forum.

Getting in touch with tech support isn't an option if you're on the free plan, but for paying subscribers, Google'southward experts are available 24/7 via alive conversation, e-mail, or phone. The service is generally efficient, taking around ten minutes to be linked with an agent.

Google Drive: Security

Google Drive's webpage discussing its security features — Google claims to have industry-leading security (Image credit: Google)

Google offers multiple options for keeping your documents secure, including various levels of two-factor authentication. For business organization users, admins take a comprehensive fix of tools for monitoring who has access to what files and setting alerts for attempts at unauthorized access.

Your files and folders are stored and transferred in an encrypted format, merely the catch is that it's not end-to-end encryption. This ways that Google technicians can decrypt files if compelled to exercise so past law enforcement, and that leaves the organisation potentially vulnerable to hackers.

Alternatives to Google Bulldoze

The most popular competitor is Dropbox. Similar Google Bulldoze, this is a very slick service, with useful browser and mobile interfaces and desktop integration. However, Dropbox simply offers users 2GB of storage on the free plan, a steep drib from Google Drive's 15GB. Its paid plans are also pricier, starting at $eleven.99 a month for 2TB. Read our Dropbox review to learn more about what nosotros made of it.

Another competitor is iCloud. This offers 5GB on its free plan, and the paid plans start at a very low $0.99 for 50GB, going upward to $9.99 a month for 2TB. Its features aren't as in-depth, merely its seamless integration with Apple devices brand information technology a good choice for Mac and iPhone users. You tin can detect out more than in our Apple tree iCloud review.

Google Drive: Final verdict

Google Bulldoze's shine, efficient interfaces make information technology easy to upload and edit files, and to keep your files synchronized across your devices. It besides has a wealth of useful features, such as file sharing, versioning, and advanced search.

We would similar to encounter Google tighten its security and add full end-to-cease encryption. Still, this shouldn't be a major problem for almost users. With various plans available at affordable prices, Google Drive is one of the all-time cloud storage solutions on the market.

Farther reading on cloud storage

Learn more than nearly Google Drive in comparison to other cloud storage providers in our comparison features pitting Google Bulldoze vs Dropbox and Google Drive vs OneDrive.

Kieron Moore is a freelance writer based in Manchester, England. He contributes to Hereafter sites including TechRadar and Creative Bloq, focusing on subjects including creative software, video editing, and streaming services. This work draws on his feel as an independent filmmaker and an independent TV watcher. He can be institute on Twitter at @KieronMoore, commonly when he'south meant to be writing.