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Move and Add Content to New Locations

How to Move and Add Content to New Locations in Google Drive

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Move and Add Content to New Locations

You can move files and folders from one location in Google Drive to another, even if the destination location isn’t currently visible. Files and folders can be moved from the main window, the left panel, or from search results.

Move Files or Folders

  1. Select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to move.
  2. Click the More actions button.
  3. Select Move to. Move and Add Content to New Locations

    You can also right-click the selected item(s) and select Move to from the menu.

  4. Select the destination location.

    Click the Back arrow at the upper-left to move up one level in the folder structure. Click the New Folder button at the bottom-left to create a new folder in the selected location.

  5. Click Move. Move and Add Content to New Locations

    You can also drag and drop files or folders to a new location if the destination is visible from the current screen.

    If the source or destination is a shared folder, Google Drive will notify you that some people could lose or gain access. The files will inherit the sharing permissions of the new parent folder.

  6. Click OK, if needed. Move and Add Content to New Locations

The item(s) are moved to the selected folder.

Add Files to My Drive

When working in Google Drive, it’s important to understand the difference between My Drive and Shared with me. While they both display files and folders, there are some fundamental differences to be aware of.

In My Drive, you are free to organize files in any hierarchy of folders and subfolders you wish. These are files you own, both those you’ve created and those you’ve uploaded. If you use the Google Drive application to sync files to your local machine, these files will sync automatically.

This isn’t the case for files in Shared with me, as you are not the owner of these files. Shared with me only displays files and folders that are directly shared with you (files that are set to “Anyone with the link” or “Anyone in your organization” are not shown here). You are granted access to view, comment, and/or edit, but you do not gain ownership. Therefore, you are not able to organize these files into your own folder structure.

To organize files from Shared with me and/or have them sync to your local machine via the Google Drive app, you must first add them to My Drive.

  1. Select the file(s) you want to add to My Drive.
  2. Click the Add to My Drive button. Move and Add Content to New Locations

The path is displayed at the bottom of the screen to confirm the file was added to My Drive, where it can be easily organized.

Keep in mind, the file wasn’t moved or copied. It is simultaneously available from both places now.

You can also Add files to additional locations within My Drive by holding Ctrl while dragging a file to an additional destination. This will keep the original in the source location but also make it accessible from another location.
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