How to Make a Folder in Google Docs

Max Moeller March 13, 2022

Google Docs is a great, free text editor, and thanks to it being a part of the Google ecosystem, it’s also great for collaborating easily with other Google users. However, when working in Google Docs, it’s vital that you keep incredibly organized. If you don’t, you risk losing important documents and wasting time searching for things that you could have found right away.

To help with organization in Google Docs, you want to use folders. You can use them to organize by workplace, concept, category, and more. However, Google Docs can’t actually create folders itself. Instead, you’re actually creating them within Google Drive.

In this guide, we’re going to show you how to make a folder in Google Drive to organize your Google Docs.

How to Make a Folder in Google Docs

You can make a folder directly from a document in Google Docs, or you can go to your Google Drive to create a new folder. Both options require just a few steps, so the better option depends entirely on your personal preference.

Creating a Folder in Google Docs

Within a Google Docs document, click on Move, the folder icon, next to the title of your document.
From there, you’re given the option to name a new folder or add the document to an existing one. If you want to add to an existing one, click on the designated folder and select Move.
To create a new folder, click on the folder icon in the lower-left corner of the window, enter a name for your new folder, confirm by hitting the check box and then click Move here.

Creating a Folder in Google Drive

When you’re in Google Drive but not in any specific document, you’re going to be at a list of all of your files.

To organize them, go to the top left and select the New button.
From that drop-down list, select Folder. Name the folder and it will show up in your list of documents.
The list places folders higher up than files, so keep that in mind. In this menu, you have a few different options for organization. You can drag your data on top of folders, and it will place them in there. Or, you can right-click a file and select Move to, and it will provide a list of folders you can move the document into.

Both are incredibly quick, and each way will do precisely what you need it to do: organize your files and documents.

Managing Google Drive Folders

Given how folders work with Google Docs, you’ll use Google Drive to access and manage your saved files and folders. Within your Google Drive, you can move folders into sub-folders, delete them, and more.

To manage a folder, simply right-click on it and choose whichever option you’d like from the resulting drop-down box.
Folders also make it easier to share groups of documents with other users. Instead of sharing each file by itself, you can create a folder to pile different documents within and allow others to manage it. By sharing that link, users with access can upload new documents, access others, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you restore a folder after you delete it in Google Drive?

Yes, you can restore a folder in Google Docs after you delete it, but only for 30 days after it’s deleted. Here’s how:

1. Within Google Drive, click on Trash, it’s on the left-side of the screen.

2. Now, right-click the folder you want to restore, and click on Restore.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how to organize your Google Drive files, make sure that you spend some time figuring out the best process for you. Some people like different folders for everything, while others prefer lumping big groups into one folder with subfolders within that.

Either way, Google Drive’s fantastic organization system will provide you with the tools to keep your work moving forward instead of spending time searching for different documents and files.