You are at the check-in counter, there’s a long queue of people and the lady at the other end has just asked you to present a digital copy of some document for verification. You remember saving that file on your phone but don’t exactly remember where you placed it? Maybe the file is in your Gmail inbox, or Google Drive, or is it on the SD card?

Locating files on your mobile phone isn’t always straightforward, especially when you are in a hurry, and this is exactly where Google Drive can help.

Create File Shortcuts on Android Phone

You can upload the file to Google Drive, then open the file inside the Drive app on your Android phone, and tap “Add to Home Screen” to create a shortcut to that file on the home screen. You should also check the “Available Offline” option so that the file shortcut works even when you are outside the coverage are.

If you would like to place shortcuts to multiple documents on your home screen, it is recommended that you create a folder inside Google Drive and then create a shortcut. Unlike files, you cannot make an entire folder offline in Drive.

The Dropbox app for Android also allows you to create shortcuts for folders through widgets. Long tap any blank area on your home screen, drag the Dropbox folder widget and select the folder for which you would like to create the shortcut.

Please note that the option to add files to home screen is only available inside the Google Drive app but not the Docs, Slides or Sheets app. If you would like to create a shortcut to your work-in-progress presentation on the Android screen, you should do it inside the Drive App, not the Slides App.

Also see: The Best Android Apps (2018)