How to integrate Google Drive with Microsoft Office so you can easily share files and collaborate across platforms
You can integrate Google Drive and Microsoft Office to share files online for real-time collaboration.
To easily open and save Office documents on Google Drive, install Google Drive for desktop.
You can also open Office documents in Google Drive apps, where multiple people can collaborate simultaneously.
While Microsoft makes it easy to use its OneDrive cloud service with Microsoft Office, you're not limited to that pairing - you can also integrate Google Drive with Microsoft Office. Not only does that allow you to use Google's online storage for your Office documents, but it improves collaboration as well. You can open Office documents in Google Docs, for example, where multiple people can edit files simultaneously. Here's everything you need to know about integrating Google Drive with Office.
How to integrate Google Drive with Microsoft Office
If you install Google Drive for desktop in Windows, you will be able to directly access your Google Drive online storage location within Microsoft Office apps. That means you can open and save files from Office directly to Google's cloud.
Any changes you make to your Office documents will be immediately available to anyone else sharing the files, and if other people make changes to the files - even in Google Docs - they'll be available to you in Office as well.
To get started, download and install Google Drive for desktop. When requested, log into your Google account.
After installing the app and logging in, you will find a new drive in Windows Explorer which corresponds to your online Google Drive. You can work with these files in the usual way on your desktop, or open them in Microsoft Office.
How to upload Office files to Google Drive
If you have Office documents stored locally on your computer, you can upload them to Google Drive for storage and online editing. There are a few ways to do this:
If you've already installed Google Drive for desktop (see the previous section), you can open the virtual Google Drive folder and the Office documents folders on the desktop and copy or move the files between the two locations.
You can also upload the files via a web browser. Open Google Drive in a browser window. Click "New" and then choose "File upload." Select one or more files from your computer and they'll be uploaded to your Google Drive.
Finally, you can drag and drop with a browser. Open Google Drive in a browser window. File the file or files you want to upload, and drag them to the Google Drive in your browser. Release them in the folder you want to store them in.
How to edit Office documents in Google Drive
You can open any Office document in Google Drive. Open a Word file in Google Docs, for example, and Google will automatically import the file, usually retaining all formatting. When you do this, multiple people can open and edit Office documents in Google Drive simultaneously, as if it were an ordinary Google Doc.
Moreover, if you later open that document in Office, it will retain all the edits and comments that were added in Google Drive.
If you prefer to convert the file to a Google Doc permanently (in case you no longer use Microsoft Office), open the file in a Google Drive app and then click "File." In the File menu dropdown, choose "Save As Google Docs" (or Google Sheets or Google Slides, depending upon which app you are using).
How to share a Google Doc with someone using Microsoft Office
If you are collaborating with someone who only uses Office, you can share a Google Doc with that person in Office format.
Open the file you want to share in a Google Drive app.
Click "File," and in the dropdown menu choose "Email this file."
In the email window, click the dropdown (it's set to "PDF" by default) and choose "Microsoft Word."
Address the email and click "Send."
How to share files on Google Drive in 3 different ways, and choose who can view, comment, or edit19 of the best Google Drive tips and tricks for getting the most out of the serviceHow to sync files and folders to OneDrive on a PC or Mac computerHow to drag and drop files into OneDrive so you can save and access them in Microsoft's cloud storage
Read the original article on Business Insider
