Tech News : Finally! Google Drive Gets Copy, Cut And Paste Shortcuts  

Written by Pronetic

Pronetic is a leading provider of core IT support for ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus compliance.

May 31, 2022

Google has announced that users of Google Drive can now use the familiar keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + C (or ⌘ + C on Mac), Ctrl + X and Ctrl + V to copy, cut and paste Google Drive files via the Chrome browser. 

Timesaving And About Time 

By (finally) introducing what is now a decades-old feature to Drive, Google says it will save users time by allowing them to copy one or more files and move them to new locations in Drive, and across multiple tabs, with fewer clicks.  

Easily Paste Into Document Or Email 

Google also says that a link to the file and its title will be captured when copying a file, which allows the user to easily paste them into a document or an email.  

Shortcuts 

To help users more easily organise files in multiple locations without necessarily creating duplicate files, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + Shift + V will create shortcuts. 

Tabs Too 

Google also says that, with the update to Drive, users can open files or folders in a new tab using Ctrl+Enter. This will allow users to easily view multiple files at once or use different tabs to organise files more easily between two different folder locations.  

OneDrive and Dropbox 

Introducing the shortcuts to Google Drive adds a little more flexibility than rival cloud file storage platform Microsoft’s OneDrive, which doesn’t support the cut, copy and paste shortcuts. It does, however, offer ‘copy to’ locations on right-mouse click. Dropbox offers some keyboard shortcuts by clicking ‘Files’ and pressing the question mark key to access the keyboard shortcut menu. However, this is still unlikely to be a convenient and familiar to many as offering straightforward cut, copy and paste keyboard shortcuts. 

Copy and Paste From The 70s

The cut/copy-and-paste commands to move and copy text first came into use with text editors at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in 1974. “Larry” Tesler was credited with proposing the terms ‘cut’, ‘copy’, and ‘paste’ for these actions. 

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Using cloud-based platforms for collaborative work as well as secure and convenient storage has become much more popular since the lockdown and with the advent of hybrid working. Any time-saving, straightforward features are likely to be valued by businesses, and it may be a surprise to many that it has taken so long for Google to introduce such an old and widely used set of commands. However, it is better late than never, and the introduction of these keyboard shortcuts are one of a constant stream of updates and improvements that Google is making to try and retain users and compete against rival platforms like Dropbox and OneDrive.

You May Also Like…

0 Comments

Why Choose Pronetic

We Are ISO 27001 & Cyber Essentials Plus Certified

Be reassured that we have been externally audited. You can have complete peace of mind that the team managing your IT systems and safeguarding your data are independently vetted annually.

Seamless & Comprehensive IT Support

Our investment in people, tools and processes, continuously improved, ensures that we don’t just deliver exceptional I.T. support but include your compliance to Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001 “baked-in”. Yes, that means no more annual headaches and stress when your certification comes round.

Expert Support Money Back Guarantee

We're confident in the value we deliver. That's why we offer a 90-day, no-quibble money-back guarantee. If, for any reason, you're not completely satisfied with our IT support services, we'll provide a full refund and cancel your contract without any hassle.

Book Your Free IT Strategy Call Now!

Simply Fill In The Form Below To Receive Your Free IT Strategy Call:

By submitting this form, you consent to us using your personal information to contact you. For more information please see our privacy policy.