14 DAY TRIAL // Google is all about making things easier for you these days, launching tools that will ease the way you use the company’s many services. Now, it’s Google Drive’s turn to get a little TLC from the company after a Chrome extension was launched just for it.
The app works for both Mac and Windows Chrome users and it will let you launch desktop apps right from Google Drive, without having to download the file.
“Today we’re launching a new extension for Chrome that lets you open files from Google Drive directly into a compatible application installed on your computer. This includes apps like advanced image and video editing software, accounting and tax programs, or 3D animation and design tools. So, no matter what you keep in Drive, using the web to access and manage files doesn’t mean you’re limited to using applications that only work in your browser,” Google’s Rachel Barton, product manager for Drive, writes in a blog post.
How to use the new extension
All you have to do is visit Google Drive in the Chrome browser, while also making sure that you’re on the new Google Drive version. If you often use the service, you’ve likely already made the change, and if you don’t, you’ll get a notification about swapping to the new one anyway.
Then, you can just go to any file you may want to open, right-click on it and pick the “Open With” option from the list. From there, a drop-down list will make an appearance, allowing you to choose what software that’s been installed on your computer can be used to open that particular file. For example, you can pick to open a PDF file with Adobe Reader, or a document with Google Drive.
Surprisingly, however, even if you have Microsoft Word installed on the computer, you won’t see this option on the list. Once you are done editing a file, you’ll have to save the document and it will sync back to the cloud and become accessible to all of your devices and to any collaborators that have been marked for that specific file.
The feature is currently being rolled out and should become accessible to everyone in the coming days. Either way, you can try accessing it directly via the link that Google has provided.
Overall, the app should really come in handy to all those working with Google Drive quite a bit and it should save some time for everyone involved.