Use Google Drive in Blue Border on Your PC

Venn has an integration available with Google Drive that allows you to access your Google Drive files through your PC's built-in file system. Files saved in Google Drive are secure and backed up in the cloud. 

 

Like any other web application, you can use Google Drive in your Chrome or Edge browser in Blue Border to collaborate on Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets and access files saved to Google Drive.

Additionally, if your company uses Venn's Google Drive integration, you can save offline files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, etc.) to Google Drive and access your offline files saved to Google Drive through your PC's built-in file system in Blue Border. Files saved to Google Drive are secure and backed up in the cloud. 

If your company uses Google Drive with Venn, files should only be saved within your Google Drive folder on Venn Disk to ensure that they are backed up in your cloud storage system.

The main V: Drive (Venn Disk) is not synced to any cloud storage and files saved there may be subject to data loss.

Learn how to use Google Drive in Blue Border on your Mac or learn more about saving and accessing work files in Blue Border.

Set Up Venn's Google Drive Integration in Blue Border

To use Venn's Google Drive integration, an administrator must assign the file system application to you in Venn. Once assigned, Google Drive will appear in your Apps list in Venn's Workplace app.

To set up Google Drive access:

  1. Go to the Apps page of the Blue Border app.

  2. Locate Google Drive.

    • If the Google Drive app appears with a Download icon.png icon, it is not installed on your device. To install the app:
      1. Open an internet browser outside of Blue Border.
      2. Go to the Google Drive site and download the Windows version of the Google Drive desktop app. Follow the prompts to complete the installation process. Close the app outside of Blue Border if it opens once installed.
  3. Click Launch below Google Drive to open it from the Apps page.
    • If the Google Drive icon and Launch button don't appear within a few minutes after you have installed the app, log out and back in to Venn.
  4. When the application opens, follow the instructions to sign in with your work credentials.
    • When prompted to Choose folders to sync to Google Drive, choose Skip.

Access Google Drive in File Explorer in Blue Border

Once you have launched and signed into Google Drive from Venn's Workplace app, you will be able to access Google Drive files and folders through the Windows File Explorer.

Google Drive must be launched from Venn to connect to the cloud file system. If you open the Finder outside Blue Border (for example, from the Start Menu or Desktop), you will not be able to access the files in Google Drive.

To access Google Drive on Windows:

  1. Click the app called Files or File Explorer on the Home or Apps page.

    Launcher_Access Files_Windows.png
  2. File Explorer will open inside Blue Border.

  3. Double-click to open the Venn Disk (V:) drive under This PC in File Explorer.

    Venn Disk_Windows.png

  4. Double-click to open Google Drive.
Right-click Google Drive and select Pin to Quick access to make it easily accessible at the top of your File Explorer.

Open, Edit, Save, and Delete Files in Google Drive

To open a file, navigate to the file location in Google Drive in File Explorer and double-click the file to open it. Venn will download the file from the cloud and open it with the appropriate application on your computer.

As you edit the file and save your changes, the updated version of the file will auto-sync with the cloud.

If you create a new file that you would like to save to Google Drive, navigate to the appropriate Google Drive location in the Save As dialog box to save the file to the appropriate location. You can only save a file to Google Drive if you have it open in Blue Border. 

If your company uses Google Drive with Venn, files should only be saved within your Google Drive folder on Venn Disk to ensure that they are backed up in your cloud storage system.

The main V: Drive (Venn Disk) is not synced to any cloud storage and files saved there may be subject to data loss.

If you would like to delete a file from Google Drive, you can follow the standard process to do so in Windows File Explorer.

Move Files from a Personal Location into Google Drive

If you need to move a file from a personal location such as your Desktop or Documents folder into Google Drive, you can follow the standard process to do so in Windows File Explorer.

Depending on your company’s Data Loss Prevention Policies, you may not be able to move files from Google Drive to a personal location on your device.

Create and Delete Folders in Google Drive

To create or delete folders in Google Drive, you can follow the standard process to do so in Windows File Explorer:

Share Google Drive Files and Folders

When you use Google Drive, you have the ability to share files and folders with coworkers, collaborators, clients, and more.

In order to share files and folders and manage sharing in Google Drive, you will need to open the Google Drive web app. Follow these instructions to share a file or folder from the Google Drive web application.

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