In addition to a web interface, Google Drive offers apps with offline capabilities for Windows and macOS computers, and Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.

[2] As part of select Google Workspace plans, Drive offers unlimited storage, advanced file audit reporting, enhanced administration controls, and greater collaboration tools for teams.

Some members of the media noted that the agreements were no worse than those of competing cloud storage services, but that the competition uses "more artful language" in the agreements, and also stated that Google needs the rights in order to "move files around on its servers, cache your data, or make image thumbnails".

Google Drive was introduced on April 24, 2012, with apps available for Windows, macOS, and Android, as well as a website interface.

[13] In October 2016, Google announced that, going forward, it would drop support for versions of the computer software older than 1 year.

[21] Its main function is for the user to be able to set certain folders to constantly sync onto their Google Account's Drive.

[28] Google Drive for desktop based on File Stream, which will support features previously exclusive to each respective Client.

[29] In 2023, a bug in Google Drive for Desktop resulted in a small number of files over a period of 6-months to disappear from user's accounts.

It also improved the functionality to download files locally from the website; users can now compress and download large Drive items into multiple 2 GB .zip files with an improved naming structure, better Google Forms handling, and empty folders are now included in the .zip, thereby preserving the user's folder hierarchy.

The option of yearly payments was introduced in December 2016, and is limited to the 100 GB and standard 2 TB storage plans.

Universities with more than 20.000 Workspace users (students, staff and related entities) are offered an optionally increased storage limit .

Before June 1, all documents and compressed photos uploaded on Google's online storage were not be counted under the 15 GB cap.

Files and folders can also be made "public on the web", which means that they can be indexed by search engines and thus can be found and accessed by anyone.

Saving data from a third-party app to Google Drive requires user authorization the first time.

[84] Introduced in the Android app in September 2016, Quick Access uses machine learning to "intelligently predict the files you need before you've even typed anything".

This included improved keyboard accessibility, support for zooming and high contrast mode, and better compatibility with screen readers.

[100] In October 2014, the Android app was updated with a Material Design user interface, improved search, the ability to add a custom message while sharing a file, and a new PDF viewer.

[110] Drive Enterprise includes Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides which permits collaborative editing of documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, forms, and other file types.

It includes unlimited storage and support for individual files up to 5 TB in size in addition to full encryption.

While Google Docs has been criticized for lacking the functionality of Microsoft Office, it has received praise for its simplicity, ease of collaboration, and frequent product updates.

In order to view and edit Docs, Sheets, or Slides documents offline, users need to be using the Google Chrome web browser.

Regarding Google Drive's computer apps, he stated that the option in Settings to synchronize only specific folders was "powerful".

[116] A review by Michael Muchmore of PC Magazine in February 2016 praised the service as "truly impressive" in creating and editing files, describing its features as "leading" in office-suite collaboration.

He added that "Compatibility is rarely an issue", with importing and exporting options, and that the free storage of 15 gigabytes was "generous".

In a CNET report, Zack Whittaker noted that "the terms and service have come under heavy fire by the wider community for how it handles users' copyright and intellectual property rights".

[119] In a highly critical editorial of the service, Ed Bott of ZDNet wrote that language in the agreements contained "exact same words" as Dropbox used in a July 2011 Privacy Policy update that sparked criticism and forced Dropbox to update its policy once again with clarifying language, adding that "It's a perfect example of Google's inability to pay even the slightest bit of attention to anything that happens outside the Googleplex".

This isn't YouTube or Calendar or even Gmail—the potential for someone's most sensitive data to be snooped, whether to glean info for marketing or otherwise, is too high.

"[121] In contrast, a report by Nilay Patel of The Verge stated that "all web services should be subject to the harsh scrutiny of their privacy policies—but a close and careful reading reveals that Google's terms are pretty much the same as anyone else's, and slightly better in some cases", pointing to the fact that Google "couldn't move files around on its servers, cache your data, or make image thumbnails" without proper rights.

In comparing the policies with competing services, Patel wrote that "it's clear that they need the exact same permissions—they just use slightly more artful language to communicate them".

[124] On October 1, 2014, at its Atmosphere Live event, it was announced that Google Drive had 240 million monthly active users.