Later this month, you will be able to create shortcuts to files and folders in Google Drive. These “pointers” will help you reference and organize items in My Drive and Shared Drives from more than one location. 

Shortcuts will replace the “Add to My Drive” feature that allows users to easily access shared items from My Drive. Later this year, Google will use shortcuts to replace files that exist in multiple folders using the “shift+z” command.

To create a shortcut from Drive:

• Select a folder or file.
• Right click and choose Add Shortcut to Drive.
• Choose My Drive or the Shared Drive location for the shortcut.

A shortcut is identified by a unique icon. The illustration below shows the new shortcut icon (left) for the file called Report. 

 

 

 

You can view information about that shortcut, such as the original file and owner, by clicking View Details in Drive. A shortcut will be visible to individuals who have access to the folder or drive containing the shortcut, but will only be accessible by individuals who have permissions to the original item. 

Note: Adding a shortcut does not:

• create a copy of the file or folder
• change sharing access to the file or folder 

For additional information on Shortcuts in Drive, see Google Drive at NC State: Organizing My Drive and Shared Drives. 

If you have any questions regarding these updates, contact the NC State Help Desk via the NC State IT Service Portal or at 919.515.4357 (HELP).