Customize Folder Colors and Shortcuts in Google Drive

By August 24th 2021

Last fall we showed you how to color-code your folders in Google Drive.

This summer, Google has expanded this feature. Now you’re able to customize colors for folders in your shared drives and for your shortcuts to folders as well.

To customize colors of a folder in a shared drive:

    1. Open Google Drive.

    1. Choose Shared drives. (Note: You will see this link only if you have been added to a shared drive.)
      Screenshot of the navigation menu in the Google Drive web interface, with "Shared Drives" selected.
    2. Open the shared drive whose folders you want to customize.

  1. Right-click on a folder to change its color to one of your choosing:
    Screenshot of context menu in a Google Shared drive, showing the choices for color customization
Tip
The color customizations you choose will not be visible to other members of the shared drive. Each shared drive member can customize their view as they please without affecting other members.

To Customize Colors for Folder Shortcuts:

The steps are very similar for shortcuts to Google Drive folders that you have already set up, except that the shortcut lives elsewhere in your “My Drive”. To identify which folder icons are shortcuts, look for a small curved arrow on the icon, and then follow step 4 above.

Screenshot of Folder Shortcut Context Menu showing color selections

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