How to search Google Drive directly from your Windows or Mac Desktop!

Google Drive is a great place to save and share your files, but if you don't have any structure to how you organise your stored data finding a file later on, can be tricky. Usually, you'd go to Google Drive on the web and run a search there to find the file you're after - however, you don't need to do this. It is possible to search Google Drive from your desktop!

To search Google Drive from your desktop on Windows or Mac, you need to download, install and set up Drive for Desktop. This program allows you to access your files through Windows File Explorer or Finder on a Mac, but it also bundles a handy search facility with a keyboard shortcut that will enable you to search Google Drive.

All you need to do on Windows is press Ctrl + Alt + G; on Mac, press ⌘ + ⌥ + G, and a Google Drive search box will appear on your desktop. Google Drive search will show you four cards listing your last accessed files. If the file you want is not one of those shown, start typing, and the search will list all files that match your search term. Once you have found the file, click or use the arrow keys to select the file you want and hit enter for the file to open.