At first, you will be surprised about add the file multiple folders in Google drive that Google Drive does allow you to chance any file inside one or more folders without you having to create multiple copies of that file. This makes Drive organization easier and if you edit the file in one folder, all the other instances are updated as well since they are essentially pointing to the same file.
Add a File to Multiple Folders in Google Drive
Here is how you can place existing files or folders inside different multiple folders in Google Drive without direct making copies of the file.
Open the Google Drive website in your computer’s web browser and select one or multiple folders in Google drive. You can easily use the Control key on Windows, or Command key, to select non-consecutive files and folders. Now press Shift + Z and you will see an “Add to Folder” pop-up. Next select the folder where you wish to add the selected files and click OK.
That is it. You have neither copied nor moved the files to the targeted folder, you have merely created references or aliases to files inside the other folder. You can use the Shift+Z keyboard shortcut again to add the selected files to any another folders in your Google Drive.
Here little feature will come handy in several cases. For instance, if you have a folder of pictures inside Google Drive, you can use Shift+Z to place some of these pictures into other shared folder. You need not make duplicate files in your Drive and if you remove a picture from the parent folder, the file is gone from other folders too.
Remove Files Placed in Multiple Folders in Google Drive
Saying here you have a Folder B that contains references to a file placed in Folder A. If you move the Folder B to trash or if you delete the file from Folder B, the original file is deleted from the original Folder A as well. In such cases, you may essential to delete the placed file from Folder B before deleting the folder.
In Google Drive, select the file that is placed in different folders and opens the activity sidebar. Here you will see a list of a total folder that the file belongs to. All you need to do is click the little [x] symbol to delete that file from any folder in the list.
Adding Files to Different Folders with Code
If you know Google Scripts, you can place a file or folder running folder into multiple folders using the Drive API as shown below.
