If you use Google Drive for work or school, your main directory is likely cluttered with hundreds of files and folders. Searching for the same three documents you are currently working on every day is incredibly inefficient. By learning how to use Workspaces in Google Drive, you can create a clean, dedicated dashboard for your active projects without moving any files around.
Workspaces act as a virtual pinboard. They allow you to group shortcuts to related files (such as a budget spreadsheet, a slide deck, and a project brief) into one highly visible location on your Google Drive home page.
How to Create a Workspace in Google Drive
The Workspace feature is accessible directly from your Google Drive priority homepage on your computer.
- Open Google Drive in your web browser.
- In the left-hand navigation menu, click on Priority or Home (depending on your specific Google Workspace layout).
- Scroll down until you see the Workspaces section.
- Click the Create Workspace button.
- A dialog box will appear. Type a descriptive name for your new workspace (e.g., “Q3 Marketing Campaign”) and click Create.
How to Add Files to Your Workspace
Once your workspace is created, Google Drive will often intelligently suggest files to add based on your recent activity. You can also manually add exactly what you need.
- Inside your newly created workspace, click Add files.
- A side panel will open displaying your recent files, starred items, and your entire drive hierarchy.
- Select all the documents, spreadsheets, and presentations relevant to this project by checking their respective boxes.
- Click Insert at the bottom of the panel.
Adding Files While Browsing
You can also add files to a workspace on the fly while browsing your standard folders. Simply right-click any file, hover over Add to workspace, and select the appropriate workspace name from the list.
Managing and Hiding Workspaces
The beauty of this system is that it is temporary. When a project concludes, you do not need to delete the original files. You can simply hide or remove the workspace.
- To hide a workspace: Click the three vertical dots next to the workspace name and select Hide. This moves it to the bottom of the page out of your daily view.
- To remove a workspace: Click the three dots and select Remove. This deletes the workspace grouping entirely, but does not delete the actual files from your Google Drive.
Utilising Workspaces drastically reduces the time you spend navigating through endless folders. By pinning your most critical, active files front and centre, you can jump straight into your workflow the moment you open Google Drive.
