How to Select Multiple Files in Google Drive

Google Drive makes it easy to move and delete files, but what if you’re dealing with a whole bunch of them? Thankfully, Google Drive allows you to select multiple files and move or delete them all at once.

There’s three ways you can select multiple files in Google Drive, and in this article we’ll show you how.

Select Multiple Files in Google Drive Using Your Mouse

The easiest way to select multiple files in Google Drive is to simply click and drag your mouse over the files you want to select. This is most similar to how you select files on your Windows desktop.

1. Open drive.google.com in a web browser.
2. Click My Drive on the left hand side and locate the files you need to select.
   
3. You might also want to change from the Grid view to the List view. Just click the view icon at the upper right of your files to do that.
   
4. Left click drag your mouse and draw a square over the files you want to select.
   

You can now right click any of them and the action you choose in that menu will be applied to all that are selected. You can also drag and drop them to move or delete them.

Select Multiple Files in Google Drive Using the Ctrl Key

This one’s a bit special because it’s better for situations where you need to select multiple files that aren’t all together. You can use the Ctrl key method to pick and choose the files you need.

1. Open drive.google.com in a web browser.
2. Click My Drive on the left hand side and locate the files you need to select.
   
3. You might also want to change from the Grid view to the List view. Just click the view icon at the upper right of your files to do that.
   
4. Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click each file (they will turn blue when selected).
   

You can now right click any of them and the action you choose in that menu will be applied to all that are selected. You can also drag and drop them to another folder or to the trash.

Select Multiple Files Using the Shift Key

The Shift key method is useful for selecting multiple files that are together. This method is similar to using your mouse to select the files you need.

1. Open drive.google.com in a web browser.
2. Click My Drive on the left hand side and locate the files you need to select.
   
3. You might also want to change from the Grid view to the List view. Just click the view icon at the upper right of your files to do that.
   
4. Click the first file you want selected then hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and finally click the last file you want selected.
   

You can now right click any of them and the action you choose in that menu will be applied to all that are selected. You can also drag and drop them to another folder or to the trash.

Select all Files at Once with a Shortcut Key

If you just want to select all files and folders in your Google Drive, you can do so with a simple keyboard combination.

1. Open drive.google.com in your favorite browser and make sure that My Drive is selected (it will have a blue background).
2. Click anywhere inside the list of files / folders and then hit Ctrl + A on your keyboard.

Final Thoughts

Most file managing systems support this same functionality. Next time you need to select only some files in Windows, try using Shift or Ctrl to select only the files you need.