With 4K video recording becoming the norm, filling up your iPhone and Android phone space is easier than ever. While you can rearrange and remove several files and apps as a temporary fix, you'll eventually run out of space and be back at square one. Instead of going back and forth with managing files, upload your large videos to Google Drive and keep them accessible at your fingertips all the time.

Google Drive is available on all the major smart platforms. You can access Google's cloud platform on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and the web. Before we go through the instructions on uploading videos to Google Drive, let's have a quick refresh on the company's cloud platform.

What is Google Drive?

Google Drive files hero with drive logo displayed over the drive menu

Google Drive is a cloud-based storage solution that allows users to store files online via Google Workspace or their personal Google accounts. This means anybody with a Gmail account, regardless of device, can take advantage of the service and upload documents, audio, photos, and videos to Google's cloud servers.

Each account comes with 15GB of free storage. Your Google Drive storage is shared among Gmail, Google Photos, and uploaded files. Like other cloud storage programs, Google Drive requires an internet connection to upload and download files. You can also work with files offline and update them after you connect to Wi-Fi.

The benefits of uploading videos to Google Drive

The black version of the Google Pixel Fold is being held with one hand, folded open and with the back facing the camera. The outer screen is turned on, showing the camera viewfinder and the person taking the picture.

Using Google Drive comes with a range of benefits. Some of these include:

Cloud storage

The most obvious benefit is uploading your files to a cloud server. By default, Drive comes with 15GB of free space for all users, and it can be upgraded to 30TB via a Google One subscription. This can help you free up space on your devices' hard drives so that you can keep your older videos while making space for new ones.

Access from any device

Your Google Drive account access isn't limited to a single device. Google lets you access your videos from any device, anywhere. You can even open your Google Drive account on multiple devices simultaneously, making it easy to upload your files no matter where you are.

Real-time collaboration and editing

Uploading videos is a seamless experience, but you can do some basic editing. You can use multiple editing options from Drive, including crop, rotate, trim, and stabilize. You can also choose a still from the video. What's more, you can download a third-party editing app that's compatible with Google Drive to give you even more editing options while working on the server.

How to upload videos to Google Drive on Android

Before you follow the steps below, connect your Android phone or tablet to a high-speed Wi-Fi network. You may drain your monthly cellular data during large video uploads.

  1. Open Google Drive and tap the + icon.
  2. Select Upload. The Recents menu displays and lists the most recent files on your device.
  3. Scroll through the list until you find the video you want to upload. If you don't see your video, click the hamburger icon in the upper-left corner, select Videos, and locate the folder you saved the video to.
  4. After you find the video, click it and tap Select in the upper-right corner of the screen. Depending on your internet settings, your upload should start immediately. If the upload is paused, it's likely because you aren't connected to Wi-Fi. Find a reliable wireless connection to resume the upload.

Upload videos to Google Drive on an iPhone or iPad

Google Drive is available on iPhone and iPad. Unlike Android, it isn't preinstalled on Apple devices. First, set up Google Drive on your iPhone and follow the steps below to upload videos.

  1. Download the Google Drive app from the App Store.
  2. Open up the Drive app and log in to your Google account (or create one if you don't have one).
  3. Click on the + button in the upper-right corner of the screen to see a short list of upload options. Tap Upload file.
  4. Tap Photos and Videos.
  5. Google Drive may ask for permission to access media files on your iPhone. Tap Allow Full Access or Limit Access and select media files from the following menu.
  6. Open the Videos folder and select the videos you want to upload.
  7. Tap Upload in the upper-right corner.

The app starts uploading videos. You can check the live progress at the top. Don't close or move the app in the background, as the system may suspend and pause the upload process.

Upload videos to Google Drive on the web

An actual desktop or laptop should be able to accomplish the same thing as your mobile devices. Google Drive works best on popular browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

There's also an application from Drive that you can use, but you'll need to download it to your computer before you can use it (we'll talk about that later). We use Drive in Google Chrome for the following steps.

  1. In the search bar, type drive.google.com and sign in to your Google account. When the page reloads, you're in your Google Drive account.
  2. Tap the New button in the upper-left corner, then click File Upload.
    upload files on Google Drive
  3. A menu opens in Chrome that allows you to search your computer files. Find your video in the appropriate storage location.
  4. Click Open to allow the video to upload.
    select files to upload

How to upload videos on the Google Drive desktop app

Google Drive also offers apps for Mac and Windows. The app integrates well with File Explorer (Windows) and Mac (Finder) and lets you access all cloud files with a single click.

Upload videos on Windows

  1. Download and install the Google Drive app for desktops.
  2. After downloading, the app displays in your system tray. You can move it to your taskbar for easier access.
  3. Click the app to open the Drive folder.
    Google Drive desktop app on Windows 10 PC
  4. Find the video you wish to upload and place it in the folder.
  5. Alternatively, to place your video into a specific folder of your Drive app, open that folder before dragging your video into that space.
  6. Drop the video into the folder. The upload starts immediately after placement.

Upload videos on a Mac

  1. Download and set up Google Drive on Mac.
  2. Launch Finder and find Google Drive under the Locations menu. Open the My Drive folder.
    find Google Drive on Mac Finder
  3. Copy or move your Mac files directly to a relevant Google Drive folder.
  4. Click the Google Drive icon in the Mac menu bar to check the current file syncing activities.
    Access Google Drive in Mac menubar

Things to keep in mind when uploading a video to Google Drive

Here are a few things to keep in mind to avoid any upload error on Google Drive.

Don't upload multiple videos at once

Many first-time Google Drive users have mistakenly uploaded more than one video to the cloud to speed up the process. However, multiple large file uploads at once slow everything down, as your internet is forced to divide its bandwidth between them. More problematically, Drive may compress your simultaneous uploads into a ZIP file, which could reduce your video resolution and make it difficult to edit individual files.

Rename your videos before uploading

Google Drive offers a dedicated search widget to help you look for your files by name. Take advantage of this by labeling each video you upload to the cloud to prevent losing your files.

Star your important videos

Drive allows you to label your videos as important by starring them. This places your uploads in a specific section of Drive, making it easy to return to them later. Do this as soon as you upload your video, as files in Google Drive can be buried over time by more recent uploads.

Access your videos on any platform

When you frequently upload large videos to Google Drive, you may soon reach the 15GB free space on the platform. You can upgrade to one of the Google One plans to unlock more storage, premium Google Photos editing features, Google VPN, and other benefits. If you still run into low storage errors, check our guide to free up Google Drive storage.