Free productivity powerhouse: 5 reasons why you need to try Google Drive in 2024

When you open Word or Excel, those few precious seconds they take to load can feel a bit much just for making a few quick notes or back-of-the-envelope calculations. That's perhaps why a lighter, web browser-based alternative is increasingly popular - and it's free.

Step forward 'productivity' app Google Drive. And here's the best part: you can download Google Drive for free with a Google Account. If you have Gmail email or an account on YouTube, then you already have one.

Below, we've rounded up some of the smartest things Google Drive can do. You'll also find an overview of web-based rival Microsoft 365, which is free to use with a basic membership.

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Best Google Drive features

1. Edit Microsoft Office files

Why should you try it? Drive can open up .docx, .xslx, and .pptx files and edit them without converting them to Google formats.

Google has worked hard to make transitioning from Microsoft Office relatively seamless. Simply open up the relevant app, such as Docs (for Word documents), select Open file picker (the folder icon on the far right, underneath the template gallery), then Upload and Browse (or drag and drop your file onto the open window).

For the most part, it works great. However, if you're using any advanced Office functionality, you might want to double-check that everything still works after editing in Drive. For example, Docs and Office handles some features, such as tracked changes, slightly differently.

Similarly, if you want to use advanced functions on Google Drive, such as add-ons, then you'll need to convert your files to Google's format – which will make them incompatible with Office.

2. Collaborate on documents with friends and colleagues

Why should you try it? Drive's sharing feature is great for brainstorming together or having multiple people work on different parts of a document at the same time.

If you're working on a document with other people the old-fashioned way over email, it can quickly become very confusing.

Google makes life much easier. On Google Docs, Sheets or Slides, simply hit the Share button in the top-right of the screen, and it will display a box where you can grant friends and colleagues access to the same document.

The most secure way to do this is by typing in the email address associated with their own Google account. If they click into it, they will parachute into the document just as you see it, and will be able to either view, comment or edit the document directly, depending on what permissions you've given them. You can also create a General Access link, which generates a web address that anyone can click and view the document.

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3. Synchronise files with your PC

Why should you try it? You can set certain files or folders to be available offline. This is great for working on the train or anywhere else where connectivity might be patchy.

Creating and editing documents on the web is all well and good, but what if you want to import them into an app on your computer? Or what if you want to store a file of a different type on the web? Google makes this possible with a PC app called Google Drive Sync.

Google Drive Sync tricks your computer into thinking that your Google Drive folder is just another folder on your home network. This means you can browse, select and copy files to and from it just as you would any other folder on your computer. If you drop in a new file, it will quietly upload it to the cloud for safekeeping, and if you drag and drop a file from Drive to somewhere else on your computer, it seamlessly downloads the file and copies it over.

If you plug in a camera or SD memory card, Google will offer to automatically copy over all of the photos and upload them to the cloud for you. Or if you want to access your files offline, you can set preferences to 'mirror' rather than 'stream' your files – meaning that a local copy will be kept on your hard disk, with any changes synchronised later instead.

How to choose the best cloud storage service – Is it worth paying for cloud storage, or could you get away with a free service?

4. Easily collect data with a form

Why should you try it? If you need to collect responses, using Google Forms through Drive is easier than sending a bulk email and having dozens of responses bombard your inbox.

From Google Drive on desktop, select New and then Google Forms. Here, you can add questions in different formats, such as a free text box or a multiple-choice question. You can also choose which questions are required and which are optional.

Once you're done, choose Send. This can be done through email invitations to specific people or, like the sharing functions In other documents, by using a web link for you to post wherever you need it.

What makes Forms really powerful is just how easy it is to customise. Dig into the Settings tab at the top of the page and you can turn your form into a quiz that automatically grades respondents and tells them their score. And you can limit responses to one per Google Account.

Our favourite feature lives on the Responses tab, where you can press Link to Sheets to automatically import responses in a Google Spreadsheet, making it easier to sort through all of the responses at a glance.

5. Build a custom map for planning a trip

Why should you try it? The My Maps feature supports all of the same collaboration tools as other Drive apps, plus you can import lists of locations you've downloaded in other places.

If you're planning a holiday, sometimes the best way to figure out your schedule is to put pins into a map. From your Drive homepage, go to New > More > Google My Maps, and it will load up something that looks a little like Google Maps.

From this screen, there are tools to add pins, lines and plot routes, so you can just drag them to whatever attractions you're planning to visit. Or you can simply use the search box to type in a place and add a pin or customised note. Once you've made your custom map, you can view it in the Google Maps app on your phone.

Need a new phone? See our expert pick of the best phones

Alternatively, try Microsoft 365

Google Drive's web-based rival, Microsoft 365, is found at office.com – this includes a free version (you get 5GB of free storage thrown in, too). The downside is that, unlike Google, you'll have to pay a subscription fee to access most of the advanced features. This starts at £50 a year for individual users, or £80 a year for families.

If you're a Microsoft Office user, it instantly feels familiar, with web-based versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and so on, all aping their full-sized desktop counterparts. Microsoft 365 is fully baked into the brand's ecosystem, so if you use Microsoft OneDrive you can view and edit your Word docs and Excel spreadsheets from the web.

Office offers some features that Google users can only dream of, too. For example, Microsoft Designer, which you can access by going to Create and then clicking New Design, is an Al-driven graphic design tool. All you need to do is type in a summary of what you want and it will work its automated magic to present you with a range of different ideas. From here, you can choose a design and customise it.

How to get Microsoft Office for free – learn how to access all of your Office files at a glance, or see a feed that generates a history of your edits.

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Additional reporting by Tom Morgan