As you start using your Google Drive more and more often, you will inevitably come across a lot of files in Google Cloud Storage. This can make it difficult to find the specific file you want, especially since new files you create in Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides are often given very vague names by default. Fortunately, files in Google Drive can be renamed.
Properly naming the files on your computer is important when you create a large amount of data and you need to be able to easily identify those creations. You may already be familiar with changing file names in Windows, but if you are a Google Drive user, you may have found that it can be a problem there as well.
Luckily, you can rename files in Google Drive to make them easier to identify. The guide below shows you how to do this using a web browser on your desktop or laptop so you can better organize and identify your documents, sheets, Google slides, and any other files you might have uploaded to Drive.
How to rename a Google document
- Sign in to Google Drive.
- Right click on the Google Docs file.
- Select the Rename option.
- Enter a new name and press OK.
Our article continues below with more information on renaming a file in Google Drive, including images of these steps.
How to Rename a Google Drive File (Guide with Images)
The steps in this article were performed in the desktop version of the Google Chrome web browser, but will also work in other desktop browsers such as Firefox and Edge. There are two different methods for changing a file name in Google Drive, and we will show both of them below.
Method 1: Right-click to change the file name in Google Drive.
There are many ways to interact with your files and documents when using Google Drive or any of the Google Drive applications, and one of those methods includes some options that are available when you right-click something.
Step 1. Sign in to your Google Drive from https://drive.google.com .
Step 2: Find the file you want to rename.
Step 3: Right-click the file and select the Rename option.
Step 4: Delete the current name, enter a new name and press OK.
The steps in this section will discuss selecting a file in Google Drive and then using the menu that you can open after selecting a file.
Step 1. Log into Google Drive and select the file you want to rename.
Step 2. Click the “More Actions” button in the upper right corner of the window.
It’s a button with three vertical dots.
Step 3: Select the “Rename” option.
Step 4: Enter a new name and click OK.
Do you use Google Docs version history a lot but find it difficult to find the version you want? Learn how to rename versions of documents in Google Docs so that they are easier to identify in the future.
Can I rename a folder in Google Drive?
Now that you have several different options for changing the name of an individual file or document in Google Drive, you may be wondering about the folders that you created earlier.
Yes, you can change the name of a folder created in Google Drive in your Google account. The method for changing the folder name is the same as for changing the file name. You can simply right-click the folder and select the Rename option, or select the folder, click the More Actions button and select the Rename option from this menu.
More information on how to change the name of a file in Google Drive
While we’ve specifically focused on renaming Google Drive files in this article, you can also rename files in Google Apps directly from within those apps. Therefore, if you open files directly from links, or if you have bookmarks on your desktop, you might be wondering how to rename a Google Docs file, for example if that file is already open in Docs.
You can do this by clicking on the file name at the top of the window. This name will be highlighted in blue, allowing you to delete it. After removing the original filename, you can enter the new name you want to use.
These steps will only work for changing the name of one file. If you have multiple files selected in Google Drive, you will no longer see the Rename option in any of the menus we discussed in this article.
