Google has made its reputation for providing some of the best services in the technology market. With its vast list of apps, including Gmail, Docs, Maps, Calendar, and Google Drive, it’s easy to see why the Google Suite dominates the industry.
Drive is one of the most used Google Apps as people use it to upload their important photos, videos, and files, and it’s seamlessly integrated into all of their other apps. They even have their own script language to communicate. But, one of the elusive functions of Google Drive is manually uploading large files.
This article will discuss how to upload a video to Google Drive on PC, Android, and iPhone. Read on to learn how to take your videos with you everywhere in the cloud.
This Article Covers:
How to Upload a Video to Google Drive
Google Drive is available for the web and most other devices, including Android and iOS. What follows is a comprehensive guide in which you can upload a video file to Google Drive on different devices:
Add Video to Google Drive on macOS or Windows
Uploading a video for your Mac or Windows computer essentially follows the same steps. There are only a few changes in the interface. Here are the steps you need to follow to upload a video file from your PC to Google Drive:
- Open Google Drive on your browser.
- Click on My Drive on the left side of the screen and go to the folder where you wish to upload your video file.
- Click the New button at the top-left corner of the screen and click on File upload.
- This will open the file explorer of your Windows or macOS.
- Select the video file and click on Open.
Depending on your internet speed and the video file size, the upload will take time. Once the upload is complete, you will see an “Upload Complete” notification in the bottom right corner.
How to Upload a Video Into Google Drive on Android
Although uploading videos to Google Drive is similar on all platforms, there are some key differences. Here are the steps you need to follow to upload a video from your Android to Google Drive:
- Click on Drive on your phone home or app screen.
- Sign in to your account. You may not need to do this step if your Google account is already signed in on your Android.
- Select the folder in which you wish to upload the video.
- Click on the Plus (+)Â icon at the bottom-right part of the screen.
- Click on the Upload button in the menu that pops up from the bottom.
- This next part varies from one Android to the other. Head to your Gallery or click on Videos at the top to find the video you wish to upload.
- You can also select multiple videos. Once done, click on Select.
Your videos should start uploading to your Google Drive. You can also organize your videos by folders. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click on the three dots on the side of the video title.
- Click on Move in the list that shows up.
- You will find yourself in the same folder as the video file. Click on the back arrow in the top-left to go back, and feel free to select a folder to which you would like to move the video to.
- Click on the Move button to move the file to this location.
How to Put a Video in Google Drive on an iPhone
Uploading a video from an iPhone to Google Drive follows similar steps to the Android version, as both apps are essentially the same. The main difference is the part where the video needs to be selected on the iPhone.
Here are the steps you need to follow to upload a video from your iPhone to Google Drive:
- Click on the Drive icon on the home screen to launch the application.
- If it’s your first time using the application, you may need to sign in to your Google Account.
- Head into the folder where you wish to upload the video.
- Click on the Plus (+)Â icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
- Select the Upload button in the window that pops up.
- Click on Photos and Videos.
- Scroll to find the video you wish to upload.
- Select the video and click on the Upload button on the top-right side of the screen.
Simply wait for a few seconds or minutes, depending on the size of the video and the speed of your internet connection.
Check also our step-by-step guide on How to Send Long Videos on an iPhone.
You can also upload the video directly from the gallery on your device. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click on the file on your iPhone.
- Click on the Share button in the bottom-left part of the screen.
- Select the Drive icon in the menu that shows up.
- Now, click on My Drive at the bottom of the screen.
- Pick the folder you want to upload the video to.
- Click on Save here.
- Tap on Upload.
How to Add Video to Google Drive Without Losing Quality
When uploading a video to Google Drive, its video quality may be significantly impacted due to Google’s compression algorithm to save drive space and bandwidth. This also means that video quality might dramatically decrease if you play them on an unstable internet connection. This is done to stop your video from pausing every few seconds because it needs to buffer ahead.
However, once you download the video and play it, the quality will be restored. The best way to ensure your video files always have the best quality is by compressing them into a .zip file.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Go to the location of the video file on your computer.
- Right-click on the file.
- Click on the Send to option and click on the Compressed (zipped) folder.
For users on macOS, right-click on the video file and click on Compressed + filename. Then you can upload the file to Google Drive using the abovementioned steps.
Reasons Uploading Video to Google Drive May Fail
Even when you know how to add a video to Google Drive, there are several ways it can fail. Mostly, it can be due to large file sizes. However, there can be several factors that can contribute to a failed file upload, these include:
- File Type Restrictions –Â Google Drive supports most file types, but there are restrictions on the file size. Text documents cant be more than 50MB, spreadsheets can’t have more than 5 million cells, and presentation files can’t be more than 100MB. Other files like videos can be up to 5TB.
- Browser Issues –Â Often, google drive’s uploads can fail if your browser’s images are turned off. Try clearing your browser’s cache and cookies and try again.
- Antivirus and Extensions –Â When your browser interacts with extensions and antivirus software installed on your computer, it may cause interruptions in the file upload. Try disabling these during an upload.
- Network Issues –Â Slow internet speeds can cause many issues with Google Drive. It makes the upload speeds slow, but it can also interrupt the upload altogether.
Related:Â How To Recover Deleted Google Sheets Files
Video on Google Drive Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Upload a Video to Google Drive?
- Open Google Drive
- Click My Drive
- Click Upload
- Select the video to upload
How Do I Upload a Large Video to Google Drive?
Uploading a large file to Google Drive follows the same steps as uploading any other file. Click on New and then on File upload. From here, choose the file you wish to upload and click on Open.
Why Can’t I Upload a Video to Google Drive?
Failed file uploads can often be attributed to an unstable or slow internet connection. Before you start an upload, ensure you have a stable internet connection. Do this by performing a speed test or restarting your wifi device.
What Is the Largest File Size You Can Upload to Google Drive?
Although it also depends on your plan, the maximum file size you can upload to Google Drive is 5TB. Individual users can only upload 750GB each day.
How Do I Upload an MP4 to Google Drive?
On your Google Drive page, click on the New button and click on File upload. Choose the file you wish to upload from your file browser and select it. Click on Open to start the upload process.
Wrapping Up
Uploading your videos to Google Drive can take longer, especially if you have a slow internet connection and upload larger files, but it’s one of the best ways to ensure your files stay safe. The best part of using Google Drive is that you can upload files both from your computer and your smartphone and access them anywhere.
Now that you know how to upload a video to Google Drive, you may find these other Google Suite articles useful:
