Google Drive does a great job of searching your files. I am updating this post since one of the great things about Google Drive is it is always improving. The magnifying glass has been upgraded to a search bar at the top. This search bar is persistent across all the Google Drive pages and is not limited to only the Recent tab.
Recent Files is a Filter
One of my first things I do when I utilize Google Drive is to click on “Recent” on the left hand side. This helps me to quickly pick up where I left off last.
You may find the Recent section of Google Drive frustrating since you can’t seem to organize it how you like. This is because Recent is actually a filter and not a folder. You can create folders or utilize the “Workspaces” board.
Original Blog Post
Here is a workflow I use with Google Drive all the time.
Click on “Recent” on the left hand side.
Click on the file that I was using recently.
Click on the magnifying glass in the toolbar to jump me to that folder.
3 thoughts on “Google Drive: Recent->Click->Magnifying Glass”
Hi Alice–This is an interesting one. I’m not sure I quite understand a couple of things. First–the magnifying glass usually implies a search function, doesn’t it? (I realize you didn’t choose this icon!). Second–what exactly do you use this function for? It is sort of like the ‘Open containing folder’ function in OS?
You are searching for the folder that file is in. It shows me the folder that file is in. I usually have other files in that folder I want to use. It is an efficient workflow for me.
Alice, definitely a useful tip. Rdoughpat, the thing with Google drive is that the search is so powerful it finds documents from all over the place. Being able to get to the location where it is stored is gold. In this instance, “Recent” is like any other search. It calls up files that match a criteria – “recent”. And these files can come from anywhere. Knowing where they come from can be important.