Sort your files and switch views

Drive can show your files as a list with columns or as a grid of thumbnails, in whichever order suits you. Both choices are remembered, so the next time you open Drive it looks the way you left it.

Sort the list

In the list view, the column headings are buttons. Click Name, Size, or Modified to sort by that column. Click the same heading again to reverse the order. A small arrow next to the heading shows which column is in use and which way it runs.

Sorting by Name puts folders first, then files. Sorting by Size or Modified mixes them, so the column reads in one strict order.

Narrow windows have room for fewer columns. Size and Modified appear as the window gets wider, and Name is always there.

Switch between list and grid

The two buttons at the right of the toolbar switch the view: one shows a list, the other a grid. The grid shows each file as a tile with a thumbnail, which helps when you are looking for a picture or a slide deck.

The grid has no column headings, so it gets a sort button instead. It shows the field you are sorting by. Click it and choose Name, Modified, or Size. Picking the field you are already using reverses the order.

On a phone, both controls live in the ⋮ menu in the toolbar, with Sort by at the top and List and Grid below it.