Google Drive

Before You Begin

A few reminders:

• Pepperdine Google Drive is intended for University-related content only. Do not store personal files, media, and other data.
• You cannot store Restricted information within Google Workspace. Please review our Google Drive Policy and Standards listed above.
• Only store University data on University-approved services. You may not use a personal Google account to store University data or place University data on unauthorized, third-party services.

How to Access Pepperdine Google Drive

Access couldn't be easier!

1. Visit drive.pepperdine.edu.
2. Log in with your Pepperdine credentials.
3. That's it!

Learn How to Use It

Visit the following resources to learn more about Google Drive and get familiar with the basics:

• Add Files and Folders to Drive
• Share Files and Folders in Drive
• Manage and Organize your Files in Drive
• Find files in Google Drive
• File types and limits in Google Drive

 

What is it?

Google "Shared Drives" are shared spaces where teams can easily store, search, and access their files anywhere. Unlike files in your personal "My Drive," files in Shared Drives do not belong to an individual. Even if members leave the University, the files stay so your team can continue to share and work together. Overall, Shared Drives offer great cross-platform collaboration options, better search, version management features, and more.

Before You Begin

Remember, you cannot store Restricted information within Google Workspace, even in departmental Shared Drives. Please review our Google Drive Policy and Standards listed above.

Reasons to Use Shared Drives

Shared Drives are great for the following:

• Department and team document storage. If your team or department has used S: or U: Drives in the past, consider using Shared Drives to centrally store team handbooks, documentation, reports, and other work-related content. 
• Cross-departmental or special projects. Projects that span multiple areas of the University can collaborate together, share information, and centrally store materials.
• Research projects. Whether led by students or faculty, any University research projects can be centrally stored and continue with the University even when some participants may graduate or leave over time.

Learn How to Use It

• Get Started with Google Shared Drives
• Create and Manage Members in a Shared Drive
• Add and Manage Files and Folders in a Shared Drive

 

What is it?

Google "Drive for Desktop" is an application that you can install on your computer to access, manage, and sync documents between your computer and Google Drive. Available for Mac and PC, it can be helpful for storing content in the cloud and still accessing them quickly from your computer.

Before You Begin

Remember, you cannot store Restricted information within Google Workspace. Please review our Google Drive Policy and Standards listed above.

Benefits of Drive for Desktop

• Save Hard Drive Space: Running out of room on your computer's hard drive? Afraid of what might happen if your hard drive fails? Drive for Desktop allows you to store and access all of your University-related work files in Google Drive. When you need to work with a file, Drive for Desktop streams the content to your computer so you can work with it on demand. This way, you and your team can spend less time waiting for files to sync, experience fewer worries about running out of disk space, and be more productive.
• Offline Access: Worried about what happens when you don't have internet access? You can select which files or folders you want to access offline at any time by mirroring them (that is, keeping copies on the cloud and on your computer).
• Work with Any File: Drive for Desktop allows you to work with all the tools and apps that you're used to, like Microsoft Office Word or Adobe Photoshop. Drive for Desktop will stream the files to your computer. You'll use the app on your system to edit the content, and all changes and updates are streamed back to the cloud and saved automatically. 

 

Learn How to Use It

• Use Google Drive for Desktop
• Use Google Drive for Desktop on macOS
• Learn more about Streaming and Mirroring with Drive for Desktop

 

We all know that a good diet and regular exercise lead to a healthier lifestyle. The same applies to our digital lives and the data we store.

Email Habits

1. Delete spam and other unwanted messages ("Archive" does not delete or reduce storage; never forward suspicious messages)
2. Unsubscribe or opt out of unnecessary lists or services from legitimate senders (Stop the email from continuing to fill your inbox)
3. Never email Restricted information through Gmail (Review the Google Workspace Information Storage Policy and consider Secure Attachments if appropriate)
4. Check the sender and actual website before acting (Develop anti-phishing skills to protect yourself and University data)
5. Consider Drive Sharing over File Attachments (If you send an uploaded 10MB PDF file to 20 people at Pepperdine, you sent 20 copies of the same file (200MB); be efficient and link to Drive when appropriate (20MB vs. 200MB); consider whether Secure Attachments is a better option, too)

Drive Habits

1. Know the difference between My Drive and Shared Drives (Place personal work data in "My Drive" and store team- or project-based data in "Shared Drives")
2. Check your Drive Storage regularly (See "Check Your Google Drive Storage Usage" below)
3. Identify and delete duplicate files (Keep the definitive or final copy; delete unnecessary copies or versions)
4. Identify and delete outdated data (Keep current and relevant information; delete data that is no longer accurate or necessary)
5. Never store Restricted Information on Google Workspace (Review the Google Workspace Information Storage Policy)
6. Share content appropriately (Check sharing settings and update when team or group membership changes; any Confidential information must be restricted to specific people or groups only; refer to Google Workspace Information Security Standards)
7. Only Store University data on University-approved storage services. You may not use personal Google accounts or unauthorized third-party services to store University data.
8. Remove any personal, non-University related content (Pepperdine Google Drive is intended for University learning, teaching, work, and research; store your personal or non-University or non-job-related content on your own personal cloud storage solution)

Learn more about Data Privacy and Data Minimization.

1. Use consistent file naming conventions.
   • Avoid generic names. It can be difficult to find files if they are not named well. "Untitled" does not convey a file or folder's contents, and "Meeting Notes" doesn't help someone know which meeting and when. Be specific when possible.
   • For meeting notes, consider starting with the date (YYYY-MM-DD) as well as the meeting title so that file sorting is easier (e.g. "2025-07-19 Fall Planning Meeting"). Using numbers for dates is recommended since alphabetically sorting by month name (e.g. January, February, March, April) will produce jumbled results (e.g. April, February, January, March).
   • Keep search results in mind when you name files. Don't worry about repeating a project or product name, and don't rely on the folder structure to convey a file or subfolder's meaning. For example, if you manage several projects and have a folder named "Contracts" under each project, a search for "Contracts" will produce multiple results. A list of 15 results all named "Contracts" will not be helpful. However, 15 results named "Project X Contracts," "Project Y Contracts," etc. will be much easier to identify.
2. Organize your content using folders and subfolders.
   • Just like files, avoid generic folder names and repeat the name of the project as needed (don't rely on structure alone to convey meaning; name based on search results and ease of finding content).
   • Structure for the future. Consider using subfolders based on year or semester, for example. This can make navigating your content easier months or years down the road.
3. Add Descriptions.
   • In the "View Details" pane of a file or folder, you can enter a brief description of the object and its purpose. This can help colleagues understand the context of a document and help you years later remember what the file or folder contains.
4. Add Stars to important or frequently visited files.
   • You may "star" or favorite files and folders. You can then use the "Starred" left menu to quickly access the files and folders you use most.
5. Consider Folder Color.
   • Did you know that you can select colors for a folder icon? Colors may help you and your colleagues quickly locate folders, especially if there are many folders in one location.
   • Right-click the folder name, select Organize from the contextual menu, and choose a folder color from the submenu.
6. Use Shortcuts.
   • Keep one definitive file and add shortcuts in other locations (if necessary) to link to the main file.
7. Use the Recent and Advanced Search to find files quickly.
   • Did you work on a file yesterday and forget where it is? Use the Recent menu option to file recently accessed or edited items.
   • Need to find a video or image file but can't remember the name? Use Advanced Search (the toggle icon at the right of the search bar) to narrow your search to specific file types, date ranges, or other helpful filters.