Preview a file

Drive can show you the contents of a file without opening a separate app or tab. Images, PDFs, videos, audio, and text files all have a built-in preview.

Open a file in the preview

Open a file by clicking it to select it, then clicking it again (or pressing Enter). What happens depends on the file type:

• Images, PDFs, videos, audio, and most other files open in the full-screen preview overlay.
• Documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and boards open straight away in their own app.
• Text and code files (such as .md, .txt, .json) open in a text editor in the browser.

Use Quick preview from the menu

Quick preview lets you glance at any file without leaving the list.

1. Right-click the file (or click its ⋮ button) to open the menu.
2. Choose Quick preview.

The preview opens as an overlay on top of the list. Press Esc or click the dark area around the file to close it.

You can also select a file with the keyboard (use the arrow keys to move through the list) and press Space to open Quick preview.

Navigate between files

When the preview is open, you can move to the next or previous file without closing it:

• Click the previous and next arrow buttons in the top-right corner of the preview.
• Press the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard.

Download from the preview

The bar at the bottom of the preview has a Download button that saves the file to your computer. For text and code files, there is also an Open button that opens the file in the editor in a new tab.