Google Drive can be a powerful tool for organizing your cloud storage, but sometimes it can be frustrating to get it to work the way you want. This is especially true when you have a large number of files and folders to manage.
One of the main reasons Google Drive won't let you organize is that it has a limit on the number of folders you can create. According to the article, Google Drive has a limit of 200,000 folders per account.
Having too many files and folders can also slow down your Google Drive experience. The article notes that if you have more than 1 million files in your Google Drive, it can take up to 30 seconds to load your file list.
This can be a major problem if you need to access your files quickly. In that case, it's worth considering how you can streamline your cloud storage to make it more efficient.
Causes of Folder Bloat
Folder bloat is a real issue, especially in Google Drive. It happens when your number of docs and files created adds up over time, making it difficult to keep your files organized.
Some people simply don't know where to put those files, despite an organizational policy in place. This leads to poorly or confusingly named folders that only make sense to the creator.
The result is a mess of folders that are more about storage than collaboration.
Too Many Folders
You'll encounter folder bloat even if you have a policy in place. Folder bloat happens because the number of documents and files created adds up over time.
Some people won't know or care where to put those files, leading to poorly or confusingly named folders that only make sense to the folder's creator.
Folders were meant for storage, not collaboration, which can make them difficult to manage. Google Drive is great, but it's not a substitute for good folder organization.
Large File Sizes
Large File Sizes are a major contributor to folder bloat, and it's not uncommon to see files taking up hundreds of megabytes or even gigabytes of space. This is often due to the high resolution and quality of modern images and videos.
For example, a single 4K video can easily exceed 1 GB in size, making it a significant contributor to folder bloat. This is especially true for creative professionals who work with high-quality media on a daily basis.
In fact, a study found that the average file size of a video shot on a 4K camera is around 2.5 GB. This is a staggering amount of space, especially when you consider that a single 4K video can contain multiple minutes of footage.
A large Excel spreadsheet with millions of rows of data can also take up a significant amount of space, often exceeding 100 MB in size. This is because each row of data requires its own set of metadata, which can quickly add up.
In one instance, a user had an Excel file that was over 500 MB in size, containing only a few thousand rows of data. The file was so large that it caused the user's computer to slow down significantly.
Solutions to Organize Google Drive
If you're struggling to organize your Google Drive, you're not alone. Google Drive has a feature called "Star" that allows you to mark important files for easy access, but it's not a substitute for proper organization.
To create folders, simply click on the "New" button and select "Folder." You can also use the "Move to" option to relocate files to specific folders. According to the article, the "Move to" option can be found in the context menu.
Two Answers
You're trying to organize your documents and slideshows in Google Drive, but some of them are greyed out and can't be moved. This is because you've submitted them to Classroom and no longer have editing rights.
You can't move or delete these files because Classroom is set up to prevent students from altering submitted work. This is a default behavior controlled by your teacher or professor.
One option is to unsubmit the assignment, but be cautious as this will mark your assignment as unsubmitted and submitting it again after the due date will be considered late.
Here are two possible scenarios where you might be able to move or delete these files:
- When you unsubmit the assignment
- When the teacher returns the assignment to you
Streamlining Your Drive
You can organize your Google Drive files into folders and subfolders to keep them tidy, just like you would with physical files in a filing cabinet.
Having a clear and consistent naming convention for your folders and files can make it easier to find what you need, such as using the date or project name in the file name.
Using the "My Drive" area to store your frequently used files can save you time, as they are easily accessible from the top level of your Google Drive account.
Google Drive's search function can help you quickly locate a specific file, even if you can't remember its exact name or where it's stored.
By creating a folder for each project or category, you can keep related files together and avoid cluttering your main drive with unnecessary files.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won't Google Drive let me move folders?
Google Drive won't let you move a folder if it contains 25 or more unmovable items, or if 10% of its items are unmovable. Learn more about the limitations and workarounds for moving folders in Google Drive.
Sources
- https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/146690/cant-move-certain-files-in-google-drive
- https://blog.pics.io/how-to-organize-shared-with-me-files-in-google-drive/
- https://www.cobry.co.uk/fix-folder-sharing-error-google-drive
- https://www.useneatly.com/blog/organize-google-drive-how-to
- https://helm.today/how-to-organize-improve-and-dominate-your-life-with-google-drive/
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