Enhanced preview functionality in Google Drive

Google Drive
Google Drive

Key Points:

  • Google Drive introduces hovercard previews for a more efficient file browsing experience.
  • Hovercards provide instant file information, including thumbnails and modification details.
  • The update is rolling out to all Google Workspace and personal account users over the next few weeks.

Google Drive is enhancing its web interface by introducing hovercard previews and streamlining file management for users. Previously, accessing file previews required either opening each file individually or navigating through right-click menus to get a fullscreen preview. To check recent updates, users had to open the file and consult the Activity Dashboard.

Now, simply placing your cursor over a file icon in Google Drive triggers a hovercard. This small, informative popup displays the file name and a landscape thumbnail, particularly beneficial for images and Slides. For documents and other file types, the hovercard reveals the file type, owner, and recent modification details, including who made the changes and when. Additionally, users can quickly start or favorite files from the hovercard.

This feature promises to save time and increase efficiency by providing immediate context and updates without the need to open files or the information sidebar. The rollout of hover cards will occur over the next few weeks, becoming available to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and personal Google account holders.