What Is Google One Drive and Its Key Features Explained

Google One Drive is a cloud storage service that allows you to store and access your files from anywhere, on any device with an internet connection. It's a convenient way to keep your files organized and backed up.

You can store up to 15GB of files for free, which is a great starting point for most users. This means you can store a decent amount of files, photos, and documents without having to pay a dime.

Google One Drive also offers a range of paid plans, starting at 100GB for $1.99 per month, which is a great option for those who need more storage space. With these plans, you can expand your storage capacity up to 2TB, giving you plenty of room for all your files.

Google One Drive is a cloud storage service that allows users to store and access their files from anywhere.

You can store files up to 5 TB in size, which is a significant amount of space.

For more insights, see: How to Copy One Google Drive to Another

Google One Drive offers automatic photo and video backup, so you don't have to worry about losing your memories.

It also has a built-in document editor, allowing you to edit Microsoft Office files directly in the cloud.

With Google One Drive, you can share files and folders with others, making collaboration a breeze.

You can also access your files from any device, whether it's your computer, phone, or tablet.

Google One Drive offers a range of plans to suit different needs, with prices varying depending on the location. In the US, the plans start at $1.99 per month for 100GB of storage.

You can share your storage with up to five family members, and access Google experts, special editing features in Google Photos, and a VPN service. The 100GB plan costs $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year in the US.

The 200GB plan is a good option for those who need more storage, and costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year in the US. This plan also includes 3 percent back on purchases from the Google Store.

Additional reading: Cost of Google Drive 100gb Storage

For those with larger storage needs, Google One Drive offers plans with up to 30TB of storage. The 10TB plan costs $49.99 per month, the 20TB plan costs $99.99 per month, and the 30TB plan costs $149.99 per month.

If you're already a heavy user of Google products, Google One Drive is a great service to consider. It offers a range of features and benefits, including access to Google Workspace premium and Google's Gemini Advanced AI chatbot.

Here are the main plans and their prices:

Google One Drive also offers a 17% discount for annual payments, making it a cost-effective option for those who need large amounts of storage.

Google Drive is great for storing backups of important files, and it's easy to use. You can save any kind of file, whether it's documents, images, videos, contacts, or email conversations.

With Google Drive, you can upload and download files and folders securely in the cloud. This means you can access your files from any device and location. You can also share files with others and collaborate on them in real-time.

Google Drive's user interface displays key features with icons, making it easy to navigate. You can filter your cloud storage to find specific files using Google Search. This is especially helpful when you have a large collection of files.

Google Drive works similarly to Dropbox, allowing you to save various file types, including documents, images, videos, contacts, and email conversations.

You can create a backup of your WhatsApp conversations and sync your Google Drive with desktop files.

Google Drive lets you access your files from any device and location, ensuring they're always up-to-date.

File sharing is a great feature, enabling collaboration on files regardless of location or device.

Google Drive is ideal for storing backups of important files, keeping them safe and easily accessible.

For more insights, see: How to Create a File on Google Drive

Collaboration and Co-Authoring is a key feature of both Google Drive and OneDrive. This feature allows team members to comment, markup, and/or edit documents in real-time.

Both tools enable team members to access shared files and folders within specific teams, making it easier to collaborate on projects. Google Drive's Team Share and OneDrive's Team Sites facilitate this process.

Team members can edit applicable documents with ease, but note that files need to be converted if they're in a format that can't be edited within the tool. For example, a Microsoft Word document will need to be converted into a Google Doc file.

Version histories are stored within both tools, allowing team leads and other users to easily revert documents as needed.

Suggestion: How to Create Documents on Google Docs

Google One Drive has a bit of a confusing past. Before it was launched in 2018, Google offered storage subscription plans through Google Drive, which gave users more storage not only in Drive but also in other Google services like Gmail and Google Photos.

Google Drive was already a storage service, making it easy to get confused about what these plans were for. In an attempt to simplify things, Google One was born.

Google One was launched with three tiers: 100GB for $1.99, 200GB for $2.99, and 2 terabytes for $9.99 per month, which was an upgrade from the previous 1 terabyte plan.

For more insights, see: Google Photo Storage Plans

Before Google One, the company offered storage subscription plans through Google Drive. These plans gave you more storage not only in Drive but in any other Google services as well, including Gmail and Google Photos.

Google Drive itself is a storage service, which was a bit confusing. Many people mistakenly assumed that the plans were only for getting more Google Drive storage.

In 2018, Google launched Google One to simplify their plans and make their purpose more clear. Google One was designed to provide more storage across all Google services.

At launch, Google upgraded Drive's 1 terabyte plan to 2 terabytes and kept the price at $9.99 per month.

Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive have distinct pricing schemes.

Before comparing the key features of both solutions, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive can be compared in terms of pricing.

Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive provide similar functionality across the board.

Google Drive's user interface is designed with simplicity and functionality in mind. Key features are displayed with icons, making it easy to navigate.

Uploading and downloading files and folders is a crucial aspect of Google Drive. You can do this securely in the cloud by right-clicking on a document and selecting the option to upload or download.

The left side menu provides a clear overview of your cloud storage. You can see computers synced with your Drive under "Computers" and documents shared by others under "Shared with me".

Google Search is also integrated into Google Drive, allowing you to filter your cloud storage and find specific files quickly. This feature is particularly useful when dealing with large amounts of data.

Related reading: Create Google Shared Drive

Both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive offer intuitive file and folder hierarchies and interfaces. This makes it easy to organize and navigate your files.

Google Drive also allows users to mark important files and categorize related documents. This can be done by creating shortcuts that link to specific files without duplicating them.

A recycle bin or trash folder is also available in both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. This allows users to recall files and documents that may have been deleted prematurely or erroneously.

Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive have some impressive security features. Both tools offer permissions and access controls, allowing you to control who can access, edit, store, and share files.

Device management is also a key feature of both tools, enabling you to define where, when, and on what devices certain data can be accessed. You can even remote wipe data from stolen or lost devices as needed.

Take a look at this: How Do I Access Google Cloud Storage

Audit logs are another important feature, allowing you to review all the ways a file has been accessed, edited, or otherwise manipulated. Automatic file retention and deletion is also available, enabling you to set files to be saved for a certain period of time, or archived/deleted on a certain date or time.

Some users report that OneDrive offers a bit more comfort and customization when it comes to security features, but this comes at the cost of complexity compared to Google Drive's default features.

Here are the key security features offered by both tools:

Both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive integrate with a variety of other tools to enhance functionality.

Google Drive integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, while Microsoft OneDrive integrates with Microsoft 365.

Google Drive users can download additional business apps through the Google Marketplace, offering a range of tools to choose from.

OneDrive users have access to Microsoft's Business Apps repository, providing a centralized location for finding and installing new apps.

Both tools support further integrations via Zapier, allowing teams to connect their cloud storage software with thousands of other digital tools.

Recommended read: Whatsapp Is Ending Complimentary Google Drive Storage for Android Users.

Document Security is a top priority for companies using cloud storage services. Both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive offer robust security features, but OneDrive's features are a bit more complex.

Permissions and Access Controls are crucial for controlling who can access, edit, store, and share files. This is a key feature provided by both tools.

Device Management allows you to define where, when, and on what devices certain data can be accessed. You can also remote wipe data from stolen or lost devices as needed.

Audit Logs are essential for reviewing all the ways a file has been accessed, edited, or otherwise manipulated. This helps you keep track of file activity.

Automatic File Retention and Deletion enable you to set files to be saved for a certain period of time, or archived/deleted on a specific date or time.

Compliance and Governance ensure that all data remains compliant with applicable regulations, such as HIPAA and GDPR.

E-Discovery provides access to specific data to legal entities while maintaining privacy around non-disclosed information.

Here are the key document security features provided by both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive: