Add-on Quick Training
Learn to use the FileDrop Add-on like a Pro
Here you can learn the basics of using FileDrop for Google Workspace. All our Docs articles are available in the help section.
Important note! Until the issue with using a Google add-on when signed in with multiple Google accounts is resolved, use FileDrop with only one signed-in Google account. You can also use it in the private mode tab or a single Chrome profile.
You can also take our FileDrop course: Mastering FileDrop.
Getting started
Please use Chrome when using FileDrop or other Google Workspace addons. Firefox is a good alternative, other browsers like Safari might cause issues.
Upload Files
Start Filedrop by clicking the Extensions menu-> click FileDrop-> Start FileDrop. If you don’t see it please refresh the document/page.
Select a cell in the Google Sheets and just drag and drop your file in the FileDrop upload area. Your file will be automatically uploaded to your Google Drive in the FileDrop folder.
If you want to share the files you upload with your colleagues or team select the correct permissions in the settings tab.
The FileDrop folder is created automatically when you install the add-on.
Your files will appear as “filename.ext” and it will be linked automatically to the file in Google Drive in the respective cells.
The second option is to click the Choose files button and the file explorer on your computer will open and you can search or select the files you want to upload.
Here is our intro video
New File Uploader
If you want to insert files in a certain order please use our new file uploader. This interface allows you to arrange the files in the order you want them to be inserted in the Sheet cells.
View the video to see how it works.
Please also read
How do I add files from Google Drive
Select and insert multiple files
Settings
The settings are set for every document where you are using FileDrop.
Save Folder
Here you can change where the files are saved* or rename* the folder. This is Business+ feature.
Enable AI and Settings
Enable the advanced functions and AI features.
Image Settings
Here you can change the way images are used in your Sheet.
1. Don’t add image – the image will be added to cell as a regular file with the name linked to the Drive file location.
2. Multiple links in cell – exactly what it says.
3. Image over cells – the image will be added over the cells of your Spreadsheet. Not available for multiple images.
4. Image in cell – the image will be added in the cell. Optionally you can set width and height of the cell.
OCR Text Settings
Depending on what you plan to do with the text you have two options, this is only in Sheets, not Docs.
- All text in one cell – all the text will be added in one cell.
- Line in a new cell – text will be added on multiple rows and columns.
File Access Settings
Here you can change who has access to the files you add to the Sheet.
Change the access settings to fit your use case.
Embed Images in cells
Export Sheet as PDF
Export Selected Area as PDF
Extract Text/OCR
*Available only for premium accounts.
Using the Drive Tab
To add or insert files from your Google Drive please open FileDrop and go to the Drive tab. Here you can browse through your entire Drive and folders and add files from there.
You can search for files or browse all your folders in your Google Drive.
To insert a file you already have all you need to to is click on the file and it will be added to your cell.
Optionally:
List or insert all files in a Google Drive folder
If you want to share the files you add with your colleagues or team select the correct permissions in the settings tab.
Learn how to upload files directly to your Google Drive.
This is a paid feature, please upgrade so you can use it.
If you want to add or insert files in bulk (over 25 at once) to your Google Sheets we have multiple options. Please make sure you upload the files in your Google Drive folder first if not uploaded already.
With the options below you can list hundreds or thousands of files with 1 click of a button.
First, upload your files in a Google Drive folder, and then use one of the options below:
1) Drive Tab
Use the Drive tab and the Insert All button: https://getfiledrop.com/help/
2) Select and insert
a. Use the Drive tab with select and insert: https://getfiledrop.com/help/
b. Insert files in alphabetical order: https://getfiledrop.com/help/getting-started/insert-multiple-files-alphabetically/
3) List with Folder Tools Sidebar
List all files with the Folder Tools Sidebar Share tool: https://getfiledrop.com/help/features/list-files-in-bulk-from-google-drive-folder/
4) Image Kit Sidebar
To list images, please use the Image Kit sidebar: https://getfiledrop.com/help/
For embedding images see here.
To use these tools, you must have any premium plan.
Don’t forget to set the permissions before adding the files if you are sharing them with others.
Insert images in cells
1. Go to settings
To insert images in cells to to the settings tab and select the Image in cell option. Enter one at a time the width and height of your cells.
2. Sharing with access permissions rules
If you want to share the sheet with other set the appropriate permissions.
You can share some files with one type of access and others with a different type of access.
The access setting must be set before you insert/add files to your Sheets. The default setting is PRIVATE.
The options from the most secure to the less secure:
PRIVATEÂ – Only people explicitly granted permission can access the files inserted with FileDrop.
DOMAIN WITH LINK – People in your domain who have the link can access. Not for users with @gmail.com.
DOMAIN – People in your domain (email@domain.com) can access. Not for users with @gmail.com.
ANYONE WITH LINK – Anyone who has the link can access. For any type of Google emails or Workspace accounts.
ANYONE – Anyone can access. For any type of Google emails or Workspace accounts.
3. Use the drag and drop interface or select
Go back to the upload tab and drag and drop your images. The image will upload in your Drive folder and it will display in the Sheet cell.
- Free users can add up to 4 images at once.
- Paid users can add up to 25 images based on your plan.
4. Bulk image insert
To insert images in bulk please use the Drive tab with the insert all button or select only the images you want.
An alternative is our dedicated Image Kit sidebar.
Image Kit Sidebar
Insert images in bulk using the Image Kit sidebar
The Image Kit Sidebar is a set of tools for managing images in Google Sheets. The functions here are available to Pro and Business+ users.
Please enable the paid features in the settings tab before using this feature.
The sidebar is available from the Extension menu->FileDrop->Image Kit or from the Tools menu in FileDrop
List Images
With the List Images tool you can list images from your Google Drive folders in your Google Sheet cells in bulk. Currently you can list up to 2000 files, more files might give errors.
To start please enter your Folder ID and click the List Images button. If you have different types of files in the folder it will only list images (jpeg, png, and gif). Depending on the number of images in your folder it might take a few seconds for the files to display.
In the Sheet you will see the image Name, Date added, URL of the image in your Drive and the Image.
The images are currently inserted with the IMAGE function and the option 1. You can resize the images by resizing the cells of the sheet.
You can use the Google Sheets filter function to sort the images in the Sheet.
Download Images from URL
Use this feature to download the images from any page online.
Add the url and the Drive folder IDÂ where you want the images to be saved.
Camera Modal
Access the computer camera in your Google Sheets and take photos that are saved in your Sheet and Google Drive folders.
Learn more here.
Embed Images in Cells
If you have inserted images with FileDrop via the IMAGE function this feature comes in handy when you want to embed the images in the cells and download the Google Sheet as a PDF or Excel XLSX file.
How it works?
On your Google Sheet where you have the images, just go to the Settings tab or use the Image Kit sidebar. Here, press the Embed Images button and the process will start.
Depending on the number of images in the Sheet it might take from a few minutes to 30 minutes. Sometimes, when there are many files, the process might time out and need to be restarted.
A confirmation email will be sent when the process has finished.
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The Folder Tools Sidebar
The Folder Tools sidebar offers several tools users can use for different tasks related to Google Drive actions.
Copy Files Organized in Sheets to New Folder
Share File or Folder
OCR Text Extraction
FileDrop has multiple ways to do OCR Text Extraction.
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The most common error
The multiple Google accounts login issue
The upload error can be caused when you are logged in with two or multiple google accounts. This is a known Google accounts bug that they won’t fix.
When you are logged in with multiple Google accounts add-ons cannot work properly.
To workaround this issue/limitation, you can add different profiles to your Chrome browser with the email address of your FileDrop license and switch to the profile to use the add-on only with that account.
Instructions
Please make sure you are logged in with only one Google account or switch the profile in your browser as above.
Step 1
Click on the profile icon and click the Sign out of all accounts.
Step 2
Now that you are logged out off all accounts login back only with the Google account where FileDrop is installed.