To upload to Google Drive on a computer, sign in at drive.google.com, open your destination folder, select New > File upload, and choose your files. For an entire folder, use New > Folder upload in current Chrome or Firefox. On Android, tap New > Upload in the Drive app; on iPhone or iPad, tap Add > File upload.
The short version
- Computer uploads: Use the Drive website to select files or entire folders.
- Phone uploads: Choose files through the Google Drive app on Android, iPhone, or iPad.
- Regular uploads: Add files to your Google Drive folder through Drive for desktop and let them synchronize.
- Mobile data: Check the relevant data setting when you need to upload without Wi-Fi.
| Method | Where to use it | What it handles |
|---|---|---|
| Website file upload | Desktop Drive website | Selected local files |
| Website folder upload | Current desktop Chrome or Firefox | Entire local folders |
| Website drag and drop | Current desktop Chrome or Firefox | Files and folders |
| Android Drive upload | Google Drive app on Android | Selected files |
| Files by Google backup | Files by Google on Android | One or more files |
| Android split screen | Supported Android devices and compatible apps | Files dragged from another app |
| iPhone or iPad Drive upload | Google Drive app on iPhone or iPad | Selected files |
| Apple Files transfer | iPhone or iPad with Drive enabled in Files | Files from another location |
| Samsung file manager transfer | Galaxy devices with Drive integration | Files and folders |
| Local Drive folder | Drive for desktop on supported Windows or Mac computers | Files and folders through synchronization |
| Computer folder synchronization | Drive for desktop where account policies allow it | Existing local folders |
| Chromebook download transfer | ChromeOS Files | Previously downloaded files |
| Chromebook direct save | Applications with compatible save dialogs | Files saved directly to Drive |
| Chromebook download destination | Chrome download settings on ChromeOS | Future downloads |
| Gmail attachment controls | Gmail website and mobile apps | Supported email attachments |
| Keep separate copies | Drive website when a matching name triggers a revision | Files you want to retain separately |
| Replacement version upload | Drive website with edit permission | Updated PDFs, images, and Office documents |
| Automatic document conversion | Drive settings on a computer | Compatible documents uploaded afterward |
Upload files and folders on a computer
Open Google Drive and sign in, then open the folder where you want the uploaded items to go. Click New > File upload, then select the files on your computer.
For an entire folder, use the Drive website in current Chrome or Firefox. Open the destination, click New > Folder upload, and choose the local folder.
You can also drag files and folders into Drive in Chrome or Firefox. Open the destination folder in Drive, then drag the local items from your computer into that browser folder.
Upload files on Android
Open the Google Drive app, tap New > Upload, then select the files you want to upload. To find them afterward, open My Drive, where Google places files uploaded through this route.
To upload from Files by Google, open the app and choose a category under Categories. Select one or more files, then tap More > Back up to Google Drive.
On Android N or later, you can drag files into Drive if your device supports split screen and both apps support the transfer. With a current Drive app that supports your device, place Drive beside the compatible source app in split screen. Touch and hold the source file, drag it into Drive, then release it.
Upload files on iPhone or iPad
In Google Drive, tap Add > File upload, then select your files. Tap Location to choose their destination. For a single file, you can also tap File Name to rename it. Tap Upload to start the upload.
To transfer files through Apple Files, first install and configure Google Drive. Open Files, tap Browse > More > Edit, turn on Google Drive, and tap Done.
Touch and hold the file you want to transfer, tap Move, and choose the destination folder in Google Drive. On iOS or iPadOS 26, tap Copy, then Done. On version 18 and earlier, tap Move again to complete the transfer.
Upload a folder from a Samsung Galaxy device
On a Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet with Drive integration, open My Files and locate the files or folders you want to transfer. Touch and hold them, then tap Copy or Move.
Select Google Drive, sign in if necessary, and open the destination folder. Tap Copy here or Move here to finish. Samsung says screens vary by software and carrier, so these steps apply to Galaxy devices with Drive integration.
Set up uploads through Drive for desktop
Get Drive for desktop from the Google Drive product page by selecting Download Drive for desktop. Install it on a supported Windows or Mac computer and sign in. Drive for desktop replaces the old Backup and Sync application.
Open Google Drive in File Explorer or Finder, then open My Drive and your destination folder. Drag files or folders into that location and allow synchronization to finish. This upload route works with both streaming and mirroring.
To synchronize an existing computer folder, add it as a new folder to sync in Drive for desktop. Google says folders you sync from your computer, listed under Folders from your computer, use mirroring. If you use a work or school account, your organization's policies can restrict local-folder synchronization.
Save Chromebook files to Drive
To transfer an existing download on a Chromebook, open Launcher > Files > Downloads. Drag the downloaded file to another folder, such as My Drive.
To save directly to Drive from an application that supports saving, press Ctrl + S and enter the filename. Select Google Drive in the location sidebar, then select My Drive. Click Save to save the file there.
For future downloads, open Chrome and select More > Settings > Downloads. Select Change and choose a Drive folder as the download destination. Alternatively, turn on Ask where to save each file before downloading to choose a location each time.
Save Gmail attachments directly to Drive
On the Gmail website, open the email containing the attachment. Hover over the attachment and click Add to Drive to save a supported attachment.
In Gmail on Android, open the message and tap Save to Drive. On iPhone or iPad, open the message, open the attachment, and tap Save to Drive at the upper right. For photo attachments on iPhone or iPad, you can also tap the Drive button at the bottom.
Choose how uploaded documents are stored
When you upload a file with a matching name and Drive would otherwise treat it as a revision, click Keep both files to retain separate copies. To deliberately replace an existing stored file, select it on the Drive website and click More > Manage versions > Upload new version. Choose the replacement file to upload.
The replacement-version method applies to stored files such as PDFs, images, and Office documents, and you need permission to edit the file. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides use a different version-history system.
To convert compatible documents during upload, open Drive settings on a computer. Check Convert uploads to Google Docs editor format, then upload the document through the normal upload controls.
Fix uploads waiting for data or permissions
When you need to upload over mobile data on an Android device with mobile-network capability, open Drive and tap Menu > Settings. Under Data usage, turn off Transfer files only over Wi-Fi.
On an iPhone, open Settings > Cellular, find Google Drive in the app list, and enable its cellular-data switch. On a cellular-capable iPad, the menu can be labeled Cellular Data. Labels vary by region and device.
If macOS permissions block Drive for desktop from synchronizing a folder or external storage, open System Settings > Privacy & Security. Grant Google Drive access to the folders or external storage you are synchronizing, then allow synchronization to finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you upload to Google Drive with keyboard shortcuts?
On the Drive website, press Alt + C, then U on Windows or ChromeOS, or Control + C, then U on macOS, to upload files. For folders, use the same opening combination followed by I instead of U. Select the local files or folder in the picker. Keyboard layout and language can affect these shortcuts.
Can you save a PDF from Chrome directly to Drive?
In desktop Chrome with the PDF viewer's Save to Drive feature, open the PDF, select Save to Drive, choose the Google Account, and select Save. Find the PDF under Saved from Chrome. This feature is unavailable in Incognito or Guest profiles.
Do Google Photos pictures automatically appear in Drive?
Google discontinued automatic synchronization between Google Photos and Google Drive, so you need to upload photo files to Drive separately. The former Drive for desktop Google Photos backup option also ended on August 10, 2026.
Will edits to an uploaded Word document synchronize automatically?
Your saved edits synchronize when the Office file is stored in the local Google Drive location on a supported Windows or Mac computer using Drive for desktop. Open the document in its Office application, make your changes, and save it. Drive synchronizes those saved changes.