Google Drive Previews Update Rolling Out

Google Drive previews are getting a major update, and it's rolling out to users now. The new preview feature will allow users to see a preview of their files without having to download them first.

This update is a big deal for users who need to quickly scan through files to decide which ones to download. The new preview feature will make it easier to do just that.

The update includes improved image previews, which will show more detailed and accurate images of your files.

Google is constantly rolling out new features and changes to Drive, and now a helpful preview feature has arrived in the Drive desktop web app.

The new feature is called file hovercards, which will appear when you place your cursor over a file icon in Google Drive on the web. It will show a thumbnail of your file and other relevant information, such as file type, file owner, who recently modified the file and when they last modified the file.

This feature is similar to the cards that already appear when hovering over external links in Docs, Sheets, or Slides documents. Hovering over an image file will show a small preview, hovering over a Docs file reveals a snippet of the first page, and so on.

The previews aren’t interactive, though—if you want to scroll through a Docs or Sheets file, for example, you’ll have to open it as usual. The info panel will also still be required to see detailed information about the file and how it is shared.

Hover cards are rolling out now to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and everyone with personal Google accounts.

The new Google Drive preview feature is rolling out to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and personal Google account holders.

This feature is similar to the cards that already appear when hovering over external links in Docs, Sheets, or Slides documents.

The hovercards will appear with a thumbnail of your file and other relevant information, such as file type, file owner, who recently modified the file, and when they last modified the file.

Hovering over an image file will show a small preview, hovering over a Docs file reveals a snippet of the first page, and so on.

The previews aren’t interactive, though—if you want to scroll through a Docs or Sheets file, for example, you’ll have to open it as usual.

The info panel will still be required to see detailed information about the file and how it is shared.

The feature may help save time by enabling you to gain context on your files without having to open the information sidebar to view details and recent activity.

It may take up to 15 days before the new functionality appears.