Google Drive is the most popular cloud service among consumers. Although it can be done with Google Photos, some still prefer Google Drive for sending photos and videos. Next, let’s see how to share photos and videos with Google Drive desktop and mobile apps.
Due to its wide adoption, the recipient is more likely to have a Google / Gmail account. This makes sharing photos and videos via Google Drive quite feasible and convenient. Although Google Photos is the ideal option to do this, with Google Drive you have more control over how you share photos and videos with other people.
#1. Share photos through Google Drive from your cell phone
Since the Google Drive mobile apps for Android and iOS have similar user interfaces, you can follow the procedure below to submit your photos.
Upload photos and videos to Google Drive
Before you start sharing, you must first upload the photos and videos to the corresponding folder in the Google Drive application:
Open the Google Drive app on your iPhone or Android, tap the + icon at the bottom, and select Folder .
Give it a relevant name and hit the Create button .
Next, open the newly created folder , hit the + icon and select Upload .
Select Photos & Videos , give the appropriate permission to access all media files on your phone, and open the photo library menu .
Then select the photos or videos you want to share and press the Upload button at the top.
Google Drive will load the media in the original format without any compression. It may take some time, depending on the number of files, the size, and your internet speed.
Alternatively you can directly open the Photos application on the iPhone or Android. Select the photos and videos you want to send and use the share menu to upload them to the corresponding Google Drive folder.
When the uploading of the media files to the Google Drive folder is complete, you are ready to share with friends and family.
Share Google Drive folder
To share or send photos and videos or other files via a Google Drive folder, you can generate a link or add members directly . Let’s see how to do it:
Open the Google Drive app and find the folder that contains your photos and videos.
Then hit the three-dot menu and select Share .
Add the Google accounts of other users with whom you want to share the folder. Or you can select Copy Link to directly share a folder invitation via direct message to recipients.
When you want you can go to the option Manage people and links and delete people or change the link settings from ‘Restricted to anyone with the link’.
With the Restricted option, only the added people can access and view the media files in the folder. The option ‘Anyone with the link’ opens three more permissions:
- Viewer: Other people with the link can only see the contents of the folder.
- Commenter: Those with the Drive link can leave a comment on their comments.
- Editor– This gives anyone with the link complete freedom to make changes to the content. They can download, edit and even delete photos and videos from the folder. Be careful when using publisher permission.
If you want to share photos and videos from Google Drive on the web to a wide community, then Anyone with the link option will be appropriate for you. Instead, to share photos and videos with a specific group of people you must use the Restricted option.
#2. Upload and share photos from Google Drive on PC
Just like on your phone, you can also upload your photos and videos to Google Drive and share from your PC.
Go to Google Drive on the web and log in with your Google user credentials.
Click the New button on the left side and create a new folder to share.
Give it a relevant name and if you want, change the color of the folder. Then you are ready to upload photos and videos to it.
Now go to the newly created folder, navigate to the multimedia files stored on your computer. Select the photos and drag them to the Google Drive folder on the web.
When they are uploaded to the folder, you can return to the Google Drive home page.
Then select the folder you want to share and click the Get Link or Share button at the top.
The options for sending and sharing photos with Google Drive are similar to those we saw above for the Google Drive mobile application.
