Google Drive Keyboard Shortcuts Updated List

Google Drive, the popular cloud storage and collaboration platform, is rolling out an exciting update that will revolutionize how users navigate their files and folders. To enhance user productivity and streamline workflows, Google has recently updated its keyboard shortcuts for Google Drive by introducing "first-letters navigation".

The revamp of existing keyboard shortcuts aims to provide a more intuitive and efficient user experience.

In this blog post, we'll explore these new features in detail and guide you through the process of enabling and mastering them.

First-Letters Navigation: A Game-Changer

Google Drive's new "first-letters navigation" feature is set to transform the way users locate and access their files. With this update, users can move focus within a file list by simply pressing the first letter(s) of the file's name. 

Pressing the same letter again will navigate to the next item starting with that letter. This intuitive approach streamlines file navigation, making it quicker and more convenient than ever before.

Tips! To display the keyboard shortcut list in Google Drive, press Ctrl + / (Windows and Chrome OS) or command + / (Mac).

Below, you'll find a list of keyboard shortcuts for Google Drive on the web.

Shortcut description	Old shortcut	New Windows/ ChromeOS shortcut	New MacOS shortcut
Navigation and views
Go to navigation panel (folders list)	gthen n g then f	Alt + g then n Alt + g then f	option + g then n option + g then f
Go to items view	g then l	Alt + g then i	option + g then i
Switch between grid and list in items view	v	Alt + v then l	option + v then l
Go to page content	g then c	Alt + g then c	option + g then c
Go to details pane	g then d	Alt + g then d	option + g then d
Go to top of application (Google bar)	g then t	Alt + g then t	option + g then t
Go to download status	g then a	Alt + g then a	option + g then a
Go to upload status	g then u	Alt + g then u	option + g then u
Show or hide approvals pane	e	Alt + v then e	option + v then e
Show or hide details pane	d	Alt + v then d	option + v then d
Show or hide activity pane	i	Alt + v then a	option + v then a
Select items
Select or deselect item	x	Shift + space	Shift + space
Select down item	j or⇩	⇩	⇩
Select next item up	k ⇧	⇧	⇧
Select next item to the left	h ⇦	⇦	⇦
Select next item to the right	l ⇨	⇨	⇨
Extend selection down	Shift + ⇩	Shift + ⇩	Shift + ⇩
Extend selection up	Shift + ⇧	Shift + ⇧	Shift + ⇧
Extend selection left	Shift + ⇦	Shift + ⇦	Shift + ⇦
Extend selection right	Shift + ⇨	Shift + ⇨	Shift + ⇨
Select all visible items	Shift + a	Ctrl + a	⌘ + a
Clear all selections	Shift + n	esc	esc
Move between items
Move down without changing selection	Ctrl + ⇩ (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + ⇩ (Mac)	Ctrl + ⇩	⌘ + ⇩
Move up without changing selection	Ctrl + ⇧ (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + ⇧ (Mac)	Ctrl + ⇧	⌘ + ⇧
Move left without changing selection	Ctrl + ⇦ (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + ⇦ (Mac)	Ctrl + ⇦	⌘ + ⇦
Move right without changing selection	Ctrl + ⇨ (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + ⇨ (Mac	Ctrl + ⇨	⌘ + ⇨
Take action on selected items
Open selected items	enter o	enter	enter
Open selected items in new tab	Ctrl + enter (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + return (Mac)	Ctrl + enter	⌘ + enter
Rename selected items	n	F2	F2
Share selected items	. (dot)	Ctrl + Alt + a	⌘ + option + a
Move selected items to new folder	z	Ctrl + Alt + m	⌘ + option + m
Star or unstar selected items	s	Ctrl + Alt + s	⌘ + option + s
Create shortcuts to selected items	Shift + z	Ctrl + Alt + r	⌘ + option + r
Remove selected items	# or Alt + backspace (Chrome OS) # or delete (Windows) # or Fn + delete (Mac)	delete or #	delete or #
Copy selected item URLs to the clipboard	Ctrl + c (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + c (Mac)	Ctrl + Alt + l	⌘ + option + l
Copy selected item titles to the clipboard	Ctrl + Shift + c (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + Shift + c (Mac)	Ctrl + Shift + c	⌘ + Shift + c
Cut selected items to the clipboard	Ctrl + x (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + x (Mac)	Ctrl + x	⌘ + x
Paste items from the clipboard as a shortcut	Ctrl + Shift + v (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + Shift + v (Mac)	Ctrl + Shift + v	⌘ + Shift + v
Paste selected items from the clipboard or moveselected items from the clipboard	Ctrl + v (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + v (Mac)	Ctrl + Shift + v	⌘ + Shift + v
Create a shortcut for the selected item	Ctrl + Shift + v (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + Shift + v (Mac)	Ctrl + Alt + r	⌘ + option + r
Redo last undone action	Ctrl + Shift + z (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + Shift + z (Mac)	Ctrl + y	⌘ + y
Upload file	Shift + u	Alt + c then u	control + c then u
Upload folder	Shift + i	Alt + c then i	control + c then i
Create new items
Document	Shift + t	Alt + c then t	control + c then t
Presentation	Shift + p	Alt + c then p	control + c then p
Spreadsheet	Shift + s	Alt + c then s	control + c then s
Drawing	Shift + d	Alt + c then d	control + c then d
Folder	Shift + f	Alt + c then f	control + c then f
Form	Shift + o	Alt + c then o	control + c then o
Open menus
Create menu	c	Alt + n	control + n
More actions menu	a	Shift + F10 Alt + a	Shift + F10 control + a
Current folder actions menu	f	Alt + Shift + a	control + Shift + a
Sort menu	r	Alt + r	control + r
Settings menu	t	control + Shift + s	⌘ + Shift + s
Application actions
Display keyboard shortcuts list	Shift + / Ctrl + / (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + / (Mac)	Ctrl + /	⌘ + /
Choose next visualdensity (row height and element spacing for list view)	q then q	Alt + t then q	control + t then q
Find/find next	Ctrl + f (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + f (Mac)	Ctrl + f	⌘ + f
Print	Ctrl + p (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + p (Mac)	Ctrl + p	⌘ + p
Undo last action	Ctrl + z (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + z (Mac)	Ctrl + z	⌘ + z
Redo last undone action	Ctrl + Shift + z (Windows and Chrome OS) ⌘ + Shift + z (Mac)	Ctrl + y	⌘ + y
Show last message	m	Alt + g then k	option + g then k
Search your Drive	/	/	/
Preview mode actions
Preview items	p	Ctrl + Alt + p	⌘ + option + p
Close	esc	esc	esc
Play/pause	space	space	space
Zoom in	+ or =	+ or =	+ or =
Zoom out	-	-	-

Enabling the New Keyboard Shortcuts

To experience the benefits of first-letters navigation and the updated keyboard shortcuts, you can easily enable them in your Google Drive. 

Accoriding to Google starting from August 1, all Workspace and personal account users will receive this new keyboard shortcuts.

However, if you can't wait to try out these features, simply follow these steps:

1. Open Google Drive in your web browser
2. Click on the "Settings" gear icon ⚙️ in the top-right corner or simply press t to open settings menu
3. Select "Keyboard shortcuts" from the dropdown menu
4. Click on the "Update now" button to enable the new shortcuts

Once enabled, you'll be able to navigate through your files effortlessly using first-letters navigation and take advantage of the updated keyboard shortcuts.

Conclusion:

Google Drive's introduction of first-letters navigation and updated keyboard shortcuts marks a significant milestone in enhancing user productivity and streamlining workflows. By familiarizing yourself with these updated keyboard shortcuts, you'll be able to navigate Google Drive with greater speed and efficiency. 

Whether you're searching for specific files, managing folders, collaborating with others, or previewing documents, these shortcuts will save you valuable time and streamline your workflow. 

Embrace these keyboard shortcuts and unlock a new level of productivity within Google Drive. Start implementing them into your daily routine and experience the benefits firsthand!

Remember, practice makes perfect, so don't hesitate to refer back to this guide as needed. Over time, these shortcuts will become second nature, allowing you to work smarter, not harder, within Google Drive. Enjoy the enhanced efficiency and take your productivity to new heights!

As you integrate first-letters navigation and the updated shortcuts into your daily workflow, you'll wonder how you ever managed without them.