Streamlining Collaboration: A Quick Guide to Sharing Files on Google Sheets

Effective collaboration is crucial in today’s interconnected work environment. Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides provide a seamless platform for teams to work together on various projects.

To further optimize productivity, the FileDrop add-on allows users to upload files to a shared folder, ensuring that all collaborators can easily access necessary resources.

This article offers a step-by-step guide on using FileDrop to enable collaboration on Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides and set up a shared folder for file uploads.

Requirements

Before proceeding, ensure the following requirements are met:

1. FileDrop Google Docs Add-on: FileDrop is a versatile file manager add-on compatible with Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides. It enables users to drag and drop files into spreadsheet cells, insert different file types, add files from Google Drive, PC, or web links, and even convert PDFs and images to text using OCR.
2. Active Business+ FileDrop accounts for all users who will have access to the shared folder.
3. Users must have permission to access the folder where files will be uploaded.

Step 1: Sharing the Folder

The initial step to enable collaboration is to share the desired folder with the users who will have access. Follow these instructions to grant folder access to collaborators:

a. Visit https://drive.google.com and log in to your Google account.

b. Locate and right-click the folder you want to share from your Google Drive.

c. From the context menu, select “Share.”

d. In the sharing settings, type in the email addresses of the users you want to collaborate with.

e. Set their permission level to “Editor” to enable them to modify the folder’s contents.

f. Finally, click “Send” to invite the selected users to access the shared folder.

Step 2: Setting the Upload Folder

With the shared folder created, all users must now set the upload folder to the newly shared folder. Here’s how to do this using FileDrop:

1. Open Google Sheets, Docs, or Slides and navigate to the FileDrop add-on.
2. Access the FileDrop settings tab.
3. Set the shared folder as the default location for saving uploaded files.

Click to folder icon to open the folder selector modal.

From this point on, every time a user uploads files via FileDrop, the files will automatically be uploaded to the designated shared folder. This setup simplifies file organization and improves team efficiency.

Note: If, at any point, you no longer want to upload files to the shared folder, simply change the upload folder in the FileDrop settings to any folder you prefer.

Conclusion

The FileDrop add-on for Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides significantly enhances the collaboration experience for teams working on various projects.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, users can easily set up a shared folder for file uploads, ensuring all collaborators have access to the necessary resources. With FileDrop, your team’s productivity is bound to soar.