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Google Drive is getting a facelift on the web. It isn’t a massive overhaul but one that makes the service more personalized. The company has added a new streamlined homepage called Home that “makes it easier and faster for you to find files that matter most.”
Google Drive gets a streamlined Home on the web
Google frequently updates its Workspace tools to add new features and UI improvements. In recent months, Drive has picked up a few updates of its own. In October, the company introduced a unified view on the web that shows all pending access requests, recent comments, and approvals for files in one place. That was followed by a homepage redesign on Android and iOS.
Now, Drive is getting a streamlined homepage on the web. The Home button, which sits at the top of the left navigation panel, serves as a landing page for your most relevant files and folders—stuff you access frequently or might need to access. Google uses machine learning algorithms to determine which files and folders to show at the top. It observes documents you have recently accessed as well as documents attached to upcoming Calendar events.
The Home section uses dedicated buttons to quickly switch file and folder views. Additionally, you get filter chips to narrow down your search. You can filter files and folders by file type, people, modified date, or location, all of which have dedicated chips. Google is using Material Design 3 design language here, giving Drive a modern look.
With this update, Home is the new default start page for Drive on the web (drive.google.com). However, if you want to land on the My Drive section like before, you can change your start page from the banner at the top. The banner appears on both the Home and My Drive sections and is dismissible. Google doesn’t make it clear if you can make this change after you dismiss the banner. There is no admin control for this feature.
The new homepage is gradually rolling out to users
Google recently started rolling out the new homepage for Drive on the web. As usual, users on Rapid Release domains will receive the update first followed by Scheduled Release domains. The company expects to complete the rollout globally by the end of January 2024. The changes will be avail available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts.